Losing Fat After Keto by Tracking Macros: Emily's Story

Nikkiey: Hey everyone, welcome to our WarriorBabe interview with our veteran WarriorBabe, Emily. Emily, it's been almost one year.

Emily: One year in July. Almost.

Nikkiey: You started out at 163-ish pounds and your goal at first was to lose 4% body fat, right?

Emily: That's right.

Nikkiey: And you wanted to do it by your birthday in November. So putting it in perspective, guys, let's think about last year when she started. That's about July, August, September, October, four months. And you crushed it.

Emily: I did. I got more than I wanted, and that's even better.

Nikkiey: Yes. So you lost around 6% body fat. And now you weigh, to this day, 150 pounds, that being a total of 13 pounds, which is incredible, because if you look at your transformation photos, you're like, ain't no way that's just 13 pounds. Your transformation has been absolutely incredible. You have completely changed your body composition. You are shredded. I have some quad envy on you.

Emily: Oh, stop it. Hey, you started all this. So I had to just try and follow.

Nikkiey: Love it. Also, your support and inspiration inside the community leaves me speechless. I love seeing your posts and your encouragement, babe. So everybody, Emily is here today to share some pointers so that you can adopt some of her strategies for your own journey moving forward. So welcome, Emily. I'm excited to have you here.

Emily: I'm excited to be here.

Nikkiey: All right. Let's kick it right off. So tell us your story and how you got to where you are now.

Emily: Okay. Like you had said earlier, I think I was scrolling, ironically, on social media, on Facebook, and I'd see this chick that has these shredded arms and abs and she's got these ropes doing this. And I'm like, okay, what is this? That is you, girl. I was like, okay, I need arms. Nikkiey Stott is all I know, because she is freaking shredded. She's got the arm vein, which I like. [Part of the recording is unclear here.] And then comes the weekend and I eat like shit and I drink. So, that doesn't work.

So anyway, I was like, I'm gonna join this WarriorBabe. I like the name too. So I was like, let me get in on this. This is freaking awesome. So I signed up. Oh, and I also want to tell you that I had heard the whole macro stuff and I was like, I don't know how to do that. I was really hesitant. But I was like, you know what, I'm gonna do it. So sure enough, it took me almost three months to learn how to do the macros, because I was like, I can't do it. But can't does not work with me. I will do this. And so I did it. And like you said, I'm almost a year in, and I decreased my body fat by almost 6% within four months. I love to work out. And now that I know how to do the macros, it's easy. I love it.

Nikkiey: I love it, babe. And so when you talk about macros and your journey with it the first three months, and you talked about what you've previously done, keto, SlimFast, all those kinds of things, how would you compare that to the macro side of things now that you have learned?

Emily: Black and white. You think you're eating good. You have your chicken or whatever, and broccoli, rice. Really, just your healthy food. And honestly, I would eat okay, but I wasn't eating enough. Black and white. And so now that I know how to eat and what to eat, it's a no-brainer. Before, I was like, oh, you eat good. And no, I could eat good, but it was maybe 1,200 calories a day and maybe 10%, 20% protein. It wasn't enough. So now I am a macro expert.

Nikkiey: I'm in, girl. You're a master genius now.

Emily: Not quite, but it's a work in progress.

Nikkiey: I love it. There is something else I was going to ask. Oh, okay. So when you started keto and SlimFast, what did you think you were going to achieve with that?

Emily: I thought I was going to lose fat. I'm going to tone up. I'm going to get those shredded abs. Because I was working out with it, but it was just a terrible combination. So for losing fat, that's not the way to do it. Just saying.

Nikkiey: How many years did you do keto and everything like that?

Emily: Oh gosh. Okay. So I had my daughter in 2005, and so around 2006, 2007 I was doing Weight Watchers. I lost a little bit of weight, but honestly, I got bored. It was working, but it really wasn't working. So then I was like, oh, what's this keto thing? It's almost like a little rabbit going after something. I'm like, ooh, what's next? Let's see if I can find the next thing to make me skinny. So I did keto for honestly maybe 10 months, and I lost, again, you lose it. But then once you go back to eating normal, it comes right back, if not double time. So I was like, okay, well, I guess I'll go back to whatever healthy eating was in my eyes at that point. So I gave up on that. I didn't like it. Plus I couldn't eat any carbs. And I was like, yeah, no, it's not going to work. Sorry, relationship. I'm already breaking up with you.

Nikkiey: Yes. Peace.

Emily: Yeah. Deuces. Bye. Nice knowing you.

Nikkiey: Now you're eating all the carbs.

Emily: Right.

Nikkiey: I love it. That's awesome. Your journey, watching you inside the community, is so inspiring. Like I said, you're so supportive, but then you throw up your transformation photo and I'm just like, hot damn, where did that come from?

Emily: I learned how to flex and it helped.

Nikkiey: Exactly. My jaw dropped when I saw that in the community. I was like, what?

Emily: I know. I'm so excited.

Nikkiey: So I know a lot of people are struggling with the times that we are in right now. Your posts are so inspiring, but how are you handling this quarantine with your goals?

Emily: So we all know it sucks big time, and who in the world would have thought any of us, no matter what age we are, would have lived through a pandemic. Lord knows that wasn't really in my life plan. So my thought, because I kind of get a little psycho brain and body morph, like we all do, was, okay, well, if I'm stuck at home, thank God I had some weights to work with. And that's my dog in the background, I'll go ahead and apologize for that.

I was like, okay, I'm going to do this at home. Plus I have kind of a stressful job. So I was like, I'm going to take an hour at least, if not more, for me time. I have to do it just to keep my sanity. And I was not about to walk into that gym one or two pounds heavier, the COVID 15 or whatever everybody's calling it. No, Emily's going to walk in there looking fine as hell. And that was my motivation. I'm like, this is not going to bring me down. I can't go anywhere, but if I'm going to be stuck at home, I've got some weights, and I ordered a couple of things before they all went MIA, and I'm going to make it work. So that's what I did.

Nikkiey: Amazing. Guys, pause and rewind and listen to that. Because you are in control of your workouts, even body weight. We've got a body weight program, you can definitely check that out. There's no excuses. You're in control of the fitness. You're in control of the nutrition. How are you handling the nutrition side?

Emily: It hasn't really changed. I'm kind of a creature of habit. I pretty much have the same thing, and every other week I just switch up proteins. I have a Chick-fil-A filet, I have the Chick-fil-A grilled nuggets, I have ground turkey, I have salmon. If you're out and about and you're like, oh my God, what am I going to eat? No, you can still have protein. IIFYM, if it fits your macros, it's going to work. So you just make it work. It's like the puzzle piece, that one piece that you can't find. Once you lay that down, bam, your masterpiece is there.

Nikkiey: So solid. During this time, how do you find the accountability?

Emily: Well, my psycho brain takes over. It's one of those, ain't nobody going to bring me down. I've got to keep on moving.

Nikkiey: Oh my God. I fucking love it.

Emily: I'm serious. If I can't take accountability for myself, who the hell else is going to? You've got to own it. You've got to own it and make it your little bitch.

Nikkiey: That's damn great. Hashtag make it your bitch.

Emily: Don't be a little bitch. That's right.

Nikkiey: Hell yeah. Seriously. You're preaching. You're a hundred percent right. You can't let COVID, you can't let your kids... you've got to be on point with you and you've got to make the time for you to get the shit done.

Emily: Seriously. You've got goals. Your goals ain't going to get nowhere if you ain't going to put the work in. You might as well not have any if you ain't going to put the work in. Just saying.

Nikkiey: Yeah. So going from keto, Weight Watchers and things that you've tried, how do you deal with the psychological side of eating more food to get you to the goals that you've accomplished so far?

Emily: So that was major number one hard. I'm just going to be honest. Like I told you, the first couple months I was like, oh my God, how in the hell am I going to eat all this food? It's going to be like a fricking job. I already have a job. I don't need another job. But once I figured it out, it was okay. It's like a little game. I think you've referred to it as Tetris. It's like Tetris or a puzzle piece. You have to just make it work. And that's what I've done. It's not overnight.

I know a lot of people think, oh, well, it's not working in two weeks, I'm not going to do it. You can't do that. You have to own it and you have to want it, and you just have to go through the process. The two weeks of emails that you get when you first sign up, I did everything. I posted that and I still have it. The WarriorBabe mantra is what I call it. I have it on my mirror where I brush my teeth, I have it in my closet right where I get dressed, and I'm at my desk computer right now and I have it right here. So I look at it all the time. And you know what else is funny? If you sing it in your ear while you're brushing your teeth, it's almost two minutes. So it's a win-win, right?

Nikkiey: I totally respect you. The WarriorBabe mantra.

Emily: As a WarriorBabe, I realize that I'm badass. Yeah. I'm telling you, it's the little things that matter that people don't even think about.

Nikkiey: Hell yeah. So spot on. And what would you say about your belief system around food? It was completely shattered when you were like, I'm eating this and I'm dropping weight, I'm getting toned. Like, what?

Emily: Yes. Food is fuel. And I think you've said that a billion times. This program just goes to show that food is fuel. And I used to be the person that would be like, oh, I'm not going to eat anything before I work out, because that'll burn more calories and I'll be shredded. No, you'll freaking pass out. That's what's going to happen. And I have been preaching to all my friends at the gym, now that I can go back, to eat. Because I have so many friends that believe that if they don't eat, they'll burn more calories. No, you'll burn out your freaking muscle if you do that, you idiots.

Nikkiey: Preaching that. Eat, eat and eat. I think it's either from the way people were brought up, watching their parents, the whole internet saying you just eat less, blah, blah, blah. But there's so much scarcity around food.

Emily: Yes. It's terrible. Would you go drive a car without any freaking gas or oil in it? No. I'm serious. You're not going to do that. So don't work out on an empty stomach unless you're doing cardio. You can do fasted cardio, but weightlifting, you might as well just go back to sleep.

Nikkiey: Yeah, because your muscles are active tissue, y'all. If you don't eat, you're literally dipping into them. It's counterproductive to the results that people want. You are eating away at your muscle stores if you're doing a weightlifting workout fasted.

Emily: It's so true.

Nikkiey: It's so true. And this is a little side note, but with weightlifting and eating, there are so many people that think they need to do HIIT all the time. What's your take on that?

Emily: This is my take. Not all the time. You might feel good and sweat good. And that's another thing, I'd be like, oh, I'm sweating and I burned all these calories, and I was doing HIIT classes. And I'll just kind of go off on a tangent, so you can stop me if you need to. There's a trainer at the gym who noticed when I was losing the weight in the beginning. He said, I've noticed that you're upstairs, because upstairs is where the weights are and downstairs is where the classrooms are. He's like, I noticed you haven't gone to class in a while. I'm like, yeah, no, I'm on a new program and I've got some goals and I'm gonna get shit done.

And he was the one that did my body fat in November after I'd set my goal, and he goes, if there was a customer of the month, that would be you. He goes, you have shown that you don't have to do classes all the time and do HIIT to get toned. He goes, you have been a real example. It kind of gets me teary-eyed, but it was pretty awesome. So I was like, boom. HIIT is good in moderation. All you need to do is resistance with the weights, and you can do one HIIT a week if needed. It depends on your body type, obviously.

But I see the women leaving... literally at the gym yesterday, I was watching the women leave the classes, and I just want to go into that class and stand in front of everybody and be like, you're doing the wrong thing. I just want to be like, get out of there, go upstairs. It's okay. They're scared. And I'm like, it's okay. Just ask and just figure it out.

Nikkiey: Yeah. They've got to become strong, confident versions of themselves and walk in. But I do get it. Were you ever intimidated by the weight room at all?

Emily: I think maybe in the beginning, but then I'm like, screw it. Okay, you've got your big muscle heads and you've got the girls that have their hair down and their makeup on and they're like, ooh, and they've got their phone, texting. I'm like, if you're going to text, get the hell off the machine. What are you doing? But yeah, I get it. But I'm of the mindset, all you can do is ask, and all they can do is say no. So I'm going to go up there and I'm going to make it happen and make that weight room my little bitch.

Nikkiey: Exactly. So many people are worried that people are watching them, and people are just worried about watching themselves. They are not worried about watching you.

Emily: Not at all, unless you're doing something awesome and you look good. Then they're like, ooh, what's she doing?

Nikkiey: Yeah, and that's a different scenario. So at the beginning of a lot of babes' journeys... maybe you can speak on this, because it took you about three months to get used to the macro side of things, but a lot of new babes struggle with hitting their macros or planning ahead. So what are some pointers that you can give them?

Emily: My number one advice is, I use MyFitnessPal, and I know there are some other ones out there, to track your macros. Do it the night before or the day before. Have it done. So when you wake up, it's a no-brainer. You wake up and you're like, oh, I have to eat 50 grams of protein, I have to have those carbs. You just make it happen. Because if you do it the day of, it won't happen. It won't work. You won't eat enough or you'll eat too much. So my best thing is do it the night before or the day before. What is it? Fail to plan, plan to fail. One of those two. It's just real life. It's legit.

Nikkiey: Absolutely. If you're not tracking the day before... that's a common thing on these interviews: plan ahead, plan for success. If not, you're going to be one of those people that I yell at all the time. You're having a hard time hitting your numbers. What are you doing? You're tracking the day as you're going, and yes, you're going to hit that wall hard.

Emily: Seriously. You're going to fall down.

Nikkiey: Yeah. You're macro hoarding at the end of the night. You're going to be like, 70 grams of carbs, 15 grams of fats, 30 grams of protein left. There's just no way.

Emily: It is so true. Because I think that was another thing. When I started, I was staying up way too long trying to figure it out. And then once I figured it out, I'm like, okay, I got this.

Nikkiey: So it took you a little bit at first, but how fast can you do it now?

Emily: Oh God, like three minutes. Less, two minutes. Because I know what I'm going to eat, and I just put it into MyFitnessPal and it pulls it up. Especially if you use it all the time, it'll be right there, or egg white, blah, blah, blah. Just fill it right in. It's awesome.

Nikkiey: Love it. A hundred percent. So what is some advice that you would give someone who is just starting their fitness journey?

Emily: Trust the process. Yeah, you want it now. Who doesn't want to be ripped overnight? Well, we all know that doesn't happen, unless you go to LA and you get like 500 nip, tuck, squeeze, pull, pinch. That's not healthy, people. In case you're wondering, don't do it. But in all seriousness, trust the process, have patience. It will come. Sometimes it sucks. And sometimes it takes longer for people, sometimes quicker, but everybody's different. Everybody's built different. You have to just trust in yourself and have patience and know it will happen. So that's my best advice. Put in the work.

Nikkiey: I love that. That's so spot on. All right. So what does being a WarriorBabe mean to you?

Emily: It means that I'm a badass. I'm just going to say that, that's my number one. And it means that I can set goals. My computer just really freaked out on me, sorry. I can set a goal and I can do it. Before, I would set a goal, but then I'd be like, eh, it's not working after a couple of weeks, so I'm just going to forget it. This stuff works. It makes me feel empowered. It makes me feel literally strong, physically and mentally. And this community is amazing. You cannot get a better community. We all lift each other up. We rant, rave, pump up, bring down, but we all are one. And it makes me feel really good. Honestly, I feel badass.

Nikkiey: Hell yeah. Strong is the new sexy.

Emily: Hell yeah. And I always put 'is' in capitals whenever I hashtag that, because it is the new sexy.

Nikkiey: Yes. That's awesome. Every word you said is what WarriorBabe is: empowerment, strong, badass, sexy, having the body that you want, knowing that you can do it. And everybody comes together and supports each other on their goals. I love that.

Emily: Yes, ma'am. It is. WarriorBabe for life. Hashtag that every time.

Nikkiey: I wonder who's going to get the tattoo first.

Emily: I'm in, I'll do it. My cousin's a tattoo artist, so we can all go see him.

Nikkiey: Oh yes. All right. So before I ask some of the closing things that I normally ask, is there anything that you want to say to the babes that are listening in terms of inspiration or motivation? You pretty much hit the nail on the head. Is there anything else you want to say to them?

Emily: Gosh, just believe in yourself. A lot of times people get so frustrated that macros aren't working. I've had a couple of babes reach out to me who have been nervous, and I'm like, don't be nervous. Hey, we're here to support each other. Believe in yourself. Don't rush it. Don't get so stressed out that you're like, this is not going to work, forget it. Just take the time. When you first start out, read through all the emails, listen to the videos, do it a couple of times. If you have to, just stick your AirPod in on your way, whatever. Just listen to it. It becomes like my mantra. I am a WarriorBabe and I am so proud to say it out loud. Believe in yourself, trust the process. It will come. I promise.

Nikkiey: You're spitting bombs right there. I love it. All right. So with that, what would you say your favorite snack or macro combo is?

Emily: Oh, that's hard, because I like everything. So my favorite snack: I love the caramel rice cakes, however you say that, with peanut butter and sugar-free jelly. It's one of my favorites. And just for an easy snack, those Built protein bars are pretty good, for when you're on the go and you can't go whip up whatever. Those are probably my two favorite snacks. Because again, I'm a creature of habit. I like what I like, so I'm going to eat it.

Nikkiey: Yeah. And the rice cakes are great, they've got a crunch.

Emily: Which I love, to have a crunch. And peanut butter and sugar-free jelly, hi, win-win.

Nikkiey: See, you still have the food you love and enjoy. You just have to make it work.

Emily: That's right.

Nikkiey: And what's your favorite muscle group to train? What do you love working out? Ooh, look at those shoulders.

Emily: Well, ironically, I was just going to say shoulders. I love shoulders, and I love yours and I love Madeline's, because I want the pump. That and legs. I love legs. I did that today, and it's a love. Everybody's like, God, how do you love legs? I'm like, because, A, I burn over 600-some calories just doing the weights. Just do it. And that's what I posted today. I'm like, you guys can burn calories doing just weights. But I love legs and shoulders. I had to pick two.

Nikkiey: That point that you just said is so true. Everyone's always focused on the calorie side of things. You can burn calories working out, and then you burn them even longer after that with the muscles recovering.

Emily: Oh yes, you do. For 24, 36 hours.

Nikkiey: Yes, ma'am. Say it loud. You need to hear that, because someone is talking about the number in the day, but it's the number over time. It's the process you're doing.

Emily: That's right. You burn it and you keep eating to fuel that burn.

Nikkiey: Yes. What a way to close it out. I love it. So for those of you who want to learn more about the programs that WarriorBabe offers and how to get started, go to warriorbabe.com and become part of thousands of women getting toned and becoming stronger, more confident versions of themselves, just like Emily, who shared with us today. Babe, thank you. This was a fire interview, super high energy. Your results and transformation have been amazing, and what you just shared is massive golden nuggets. Literally, guys, listen to what Emily has just said, rewind this, listen to everything, put it into perspective for you, and employ the strategies that she's used on her journey, because her transformation is insane. Thank you for being here on this interview. I appreciate you.

Emily: Oh, you're so welcome. This was so fun. And thank you so much for letting me share my story, because I could probably talk all day. You don't want to hear that.

Nikkiey: All right, everybody. With that being said, we are tuning out. All right.