50 minHow to Stop Yo-Yo Dieting After 40 and Keep Weight Off
With Maggie Topham
Guest on the show
Maggie Topham
Maggie Topham is a certified integrative health coach, published author and WarriorBabe brand face with over 30 years in the health and fitness industry.
Episodes with Maggie Topham
50 minWhat Maggie talks about
Ep. 291: How to Stop Yo-Yo Dieting After 40 and Keep Weight Off
Maggie Topham has spent more than 30 years in health and fitness, and she still lost and regained the same 50 to 60 pounds five times. Each time she cut calories lower, from 1,500 down to 800. Each time the weight came back faster than it left. In this conversation with Nikkiey Stott, Maggie walks through what that cycle did to her body: no muscle, constant exhaustion, depression, and eventually heartburn, gut trouble and blood sugar in the pre-diabetic range.
The turning point was not a new diet. Maggie stopped chasing a number on the scale and worked on one problem at a time, starting with her heartburn and her gut. She replaced highly processed foods with whole foods without restricting, about tripled her protein, and started lifting. She explains why she now calls muscle armor, why she keeps cardio separate from strength training, and why education, not willpower, is what finally changes a woman's mindset.
The two also talk about handling comments from coworkers and family, why whole food goes further on a grocery budget, and how misinformation spreads online. Maggie closes with why this mission matters so much to her: life is meant to feel happy, and taking care of yourself gives more to your family, not less.
- Cutting calories lower and lower, down to 800 a day, wrecked Maggie's metabolism and stripped her muscle, so the weight she lost over six months came back in about six weeks.
- Your body's drive to survive is stronger than your willpower, so a severe diet will eventually force you to eat.
- Instead of making weight the goal, Maggie focused on one symptom at a time, starting with heartburn, then gut health and blood sugar.
- Replace highly processed foods with whole foods rather than restricting, and the changes start to fall into place.
- Prioritize good-quality protein and get it in every day, even if that means going over by 400 or 500 calories; Maggie about tripled her protein.
In Maggie's words
Questions Maggie helps answer
Ask Nikkiey →
Diets, Fasting & Diet Culture
Why do I always gain the weight back after a diet?
According to Nikkiey, the weight comes back because the diet changed the outcome, not the habits underneath it. Quick fixes built on heavy restriction work for a while. Then the plan ends, you go back to normal, and normal recreates the old body. Most women don't have a weight loss problem; they have a keep-it-off problem.
Read the answer →
Common questions
Why does the weight keep coming back after dieting?
Maggie explains that every time she under-ate, she lost muscle and wrecked her metabolism, so the weight came back with a vengeance. She says your body wants you to survive and will force you to eat, and that drive is stronger than willpower.
Should I do cardio before or after lifting weights?
Maggie says to keep them separate. Cardio burns through the glycogen in your muscles, so lifting afterward feels horrible and you can't reach the intensity needed to stimulate muscle growth. If you only have time for one, she recommends strength training and a walk later in the day.
Do I have to lose weight to get healthy?
Maggie's view is that you don't lose weight to get healthy; you get metabolically healthy and your body becomes the size it's meant to be. Her first goals were fixing heartburn and gut health, and she says her body changed once she swapped processed foods for whole foods and added protein and lifting.
Is eating healthy too expensive?
Nikkiey says it really isn't once you break the grocery bill down by day and by meal. Maggie adds that processed foods leave you hungrier so you need more of them, while nutrient-dense whole foods go a lot further.
Why is it so hard to eat more after years of dieting?
Maggie says it scares women because their whole life has been based on eating less, and many go back to old habits if they don't see changes in three months. She believes education about how the body works, plus one small win, is what opens the door to a new approach.
How do you handle comments from coworkers about what you eat?
Maggie says she just does her own thing and never pushes her choices on anyone, and that the jabs usually come from people who wish they were doing it too. Over time people realize that's just the way you are and leave you alone.