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Learning Macros and Lifting Smarter: Erica's Story

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This video is part ofWarriorBabe Transformation Stories124 lessons · where to start, common questions and more

In this video

Erica is a full-time registered nurse in Baltimore who joined WarriorBabe in October 2018, at 24. Before that she ate whatever she thought was healthy, like chicken, rice, vegetables and fruit, without measuring anything. She lifted as heavy as she could and then finished every workout by punishing herself with cardio. She met Nikkiey Stott in nursing school, asked her endless questions about how she ate and trained, and joined as soon as the program launched.

What changed most for Erica was her mindset. She liked that Nikkiey makes it clear from day one that your results are on you. Now, if she has a bad day, she starts over the next day. She no longer adds extra cardio to burn off the Oreos.

She also went from not understanding macros or where online calculator numbers came from to understanding the science behind each one and when to eat certain foods. In the gym she now follows a structured, challenging lifting plan that takes about an hour to an hour and a half. She is starting to see the cuts and striations she wanted, and she is proud of how hard she is working.

Key takeaways

  • Erica stopped adding extra cardio to burn off foods she ate, like Oreos, and simply starts over the next day after a bad day.
  • She credits the program's accountability message, that your results are on you from day one, with changing her mindset.
  • Erica says mindset shapes your whole approach to reaching the goals you want.
  • Before joining, she ate foods she thought were healthy, like chicken, rice, vegetables and fruit, but never measured anything.
  • Instead of relying on online macro calculator numbers she didn't understand, she learned the science behind each macro.
  • She values learning when to eat certain foods and why, rather than following a meal plan with no explanation.
  • Her workouts are now structured and take about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on whether she does cardio.
  • Even with lifting experience, she found the program's weightlifting sessions more challenging than anything she had done before.

Questions answered

What should I do after a bad day of eating instead of adding cardio?

Erica says that if she has a bad day, she starts over the next day. She no longer does an extra 10 minutes of cardio to burn off the extra calories from something like Oreos.

Why learn the science behind macros instead of just following a meal plan?

Erica explains that many programs hand you a meal plan without telling you why you eat certain things at certain times. Learning the science behind each macro and when to eat certain foods was a big shift for her after she had been frustrated by online macro calculators she didn't understand.

How long do Erica's workouts take?

With a structured workout, she gets her training done in about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on whether she is doing cardio that day.

Is eating healthy without measuring enough to get results?

Before joining, Erica ate foods she thought were healthy, like chicken, rice, vegetables and fruit, but never measured anything. Learning macros was one of the biggest changes that helped her start seeing the results she wanted.

Ask WarriorBabe

Questions this video helps answer, answered across everything WarriorBabe teaches.

  • Macros & Macro Tracking

    Can I lose weight without counting macros?

    Yes, according to the show, though it helps to track something. Maggie Topham lost 60 pounds in menopause after she stopped tracking everything and tracked only protein, about 150 grams a day. Other women, like Erica, found that learning macros properly was what finally brought results after years of eating healthy without measuring.

    Read the answer →

  • Consistency & Mindset

    What should I look for in an online fitness coach?

    Look for a coach who earns your respect rather than your friendship, problem-solves your real schedule with you, teaches you the why behind your macros instead of handing you a rigid meal plan, and builds habits before promising timelines. On The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey Stott says that is what separates real coaching from a generic program.

    Read the answer →

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Full transcript

Erica: Hey guys, my name's Erica. I'm a full-time registered nurse in Baltimore, Maryland. I'm 24 years old. I joined WarriorBabe back in October 2018.

A little history of my diet and exercise before joining the program: I just want to throw it out there, I've never done any program before this one. Diet-wise, I ate whatever I thought was healthy, so a lot of chicken and rice, veggies, fruits. I never measured anything out. Workout-wise, I had a good general knowledge of how to weightlift. I was weightlifting a lot before this, just trying to go as heavy as I could. So I had a lot of muscle mass coming into this program. And then at the end of my workouts, I'd kill myself with cardio.

I met Nikkiey in nursing school. When I found out she was a professional bodybuilder, I asked her a thousand questions. I was like, how many cheat meals do you have a week? How do you eat all your meals? How do you not have any sweets? All this stuff. I'm sorry, Nikkiey, I was obnoxious. But I just desired the results she could achieve. She was cut up. She was so committed to the gym and her diet. And I just wanted that.

So as soon as I found out she was creating the WarriorBabe program, I didn't have a second thought about joining. I was like, I'm finally ready to invest in myself. I'm finally ready to see the results that I want to see for myself. Ever since joining, I don't have a single regret about it. My mindset has changed on my diet, my exercise, my whole mindset behind it.

I love the mindset part of Nikkiey's program, because mindset is going to shape your entire view of how to achieve the goals that you want. And she holds you accountable, which is also huge. She tells you day one that this is on you. You're accountable for your results. And I love that. My mindset is incredible now. If I have a bad day, I start over the next day. And I don't kill myself with cardio and say, oh, I have to do an extra 10 minutes of it to get rid of those extra calories I had from eating Oreos or something.

Another thing that was huge for me was the macro portion of it. Before, let's just say I needed a macros-for-dummies booklet, because I did not understand macros. I didn't understand the science behind each one of them, and I didn't understand where those macro calculator numbers were coming from. It was just so frustrating. I was so sick of reading all the stuff on the internet. I was just done with it.

So joining the program, a big thing for me was to understand macros, understand the science behind it, and become a macro genius like Nikkiey is. And guess what? She provided me with the tools to be a macro genius. Now I'm not a macro dummy anymore. It was amazing. She teaches you the science behind every single one. She teaches you when to eat certain things, which is huge, because many programs just give you a meal plan, and you don't know why you have to eat certain things at certain times, or if they even know themselves. So that was huge for me.

And then the whole workout part. I'm now the smartest, hardest worker in the gym. I go into the gym, I have a structured workout, and I can get my workouts done in about an hour, an hour and a half, depending on if I have cardio. And I don't have to kill myself with cardio. But all the workouts, the weightlifting portions of it, are so challenging. I thought I was conditioned before, but no. Every single workout, I die. I work as hard as I can. I am the smartest, hardest worker in the gym. And that's also a huge part of it.

So I do not have a single regret about joining this program. I do not think you will have a single regret about joining this program, because I'm finally seeing the results that I desire. I'm starting to see the cuts. I'm starting to see the striations. I'm finally starting to look in the mirror and say, I am proud of how hard I'm working. My body is transforming and I am so amazed by it. And it's all because of Nikkiey. I love her and I love this program, and I don't have any doubt in my head that you will too.

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