Do Carbs Make You Fat? Weight Loss Myths for Women Over 40

Nikkiey: Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask you to do is leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.

When a new WarriorBabe joins us, 90% of the time we make them go through a retraining process. Because if you're eating 700 calories on a daily basis and you're looking to lose weight, we're not going to get anywhere, because your metabolism isn't going to work with us. It's going to work against us.

What is going on, you guys? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome to today's episode, episode number 227.

Today we're going to dive into a topic that's full of misinformation, but also so important to understand. I want to share with you what I believe to be some of the biggest fat loss myths that are still floating around within the fitness space. I don't know how or why we're still here in these narratives, but we are. So I want to make sure you're well aware of this information, so that if you find yourself looking for a program to get into, or a trainer to follow, or a fitness page to be inspired by, whatever it may be, and they're saying anything along these lines, please run for the hills, block them, and never engage with their account again. Or be like, okay, sorry, I'm not going to go with your services, and move on. Because these three things I want to talk about today, I believe, are misinformed, are detrimental, and are just downright silly.

So that's what we're going to talk about today: some of the biggest fat loss myths. These myths have been floating around for freaking decades, and they're holding people back, like you, if you still think they're true, or anybody going into this new year who is falling into these myths and thinking they're real, or that they can get sustainable results from doing X, Y, and Z of what I'm going to talk about today.

So, if you've ever been told that eating less is important, or you followed somebody who said you had to cut out X, Y, and Z to eat less, or you've been given a plan that is 1,200 calories or 900 calories or 1,100 calories, or you don't even know how many calories are in it, you're just given a PDF to follow, it's likely that it's less food than you actually should be consuming on a daily basis. If you've been told carbs are the enemy, yes, you've heard me say this time and time again, but we're going to dive back into that one because it is just full of misinformation. And I've been seeing this one more frequently, and I'm sure you have too: hearing or seeing that low fat means it's healthy. Those are the things I'm going to dive into today.

I'm going to save the eating-less-is-key one for last, because I feel like that is one of the most detrimental, and one you should be aware of so you don't fall into the trap. I want to replace all of these myths with facts you need to stay informed and empowered on your journey, and to know that you don't have to follow these specific things to achieve results in the immediate or in the long run.

So let's kick it off with one of the biggest myths out there, which, again, I've been seeing more frequently: that low fat means it's healthy. The reason I was inspired to talk about this topic today was being in the grocery store. Like if you see a granola bar or a yogurt or, God, what did I see? Fig Newtons. They used to be my favorite thing growing up. If you know, you know. Or anything along those lines that's labeled low fat. And you think, oh, cool, this is better for me because it says low fat.

Here's the truth. Low fat doesn't always mean it's better for you. Many of these low-fat products you're seeing are loaded with sugar. They're loaded with artificial flavors. They're loaded with additives to make up for the lack of flavor. You know what I'm talking about? Have you ever bought these items, bitten into them, and they taste awesome? I challenge you, now that you're self-aware of this: next time you're in the grocery store and you see this, check out the nutrition label. See how many sugars are actually involved. Or if it says there are sugar alcohols, read the ingredients. If the ingredients are words you can't even say out loud or articulate, then it most likely means it's not good for you. And if the ingredient list is a laundry list of items, it's probably not good for you.

Also, all of that extra sugar, even though it's artificial or whatever it is, can still spike your insulin levels. And that means it's going to lead to more fat storage over time. So just because something is low fat and marketed that way, it doesn't mean it's better for you.

So as I share each of these with you, you might ask, what's a better option, Nikkiey? Great question. Whole-fat options in moderation. Healthy fats, like those in avocados, nuts, and olive oil. Those are extremely beneficial for your hormone health, for your brain function, and for long-term weight management and fat loss. Long term. Long-term permanent solutions, not these short-term temporary fixes you're looking for. That's one of our values at WarriorBabe. We're not a short-term temporary fix. We're a long-term permanent solution. And I want you to think of it like that too.

When you see these things marketed as low fat or low carb, or eat a thousand calories a day: short-term temporary fix. You're going to get some type of result from that, maybe in 30, 60, 90 days. But is it a long-term solution? No. Cutting carbs out: can you maintain that sustainably for the rest of your life? I'm going to get into that in the next one, but the answer is no. Can you eat less for the rest of your life? No. Not without something detrimental happening. That's going to be my word for this episode today.

So for myth number one, low fat means healthy: don't be afraid of fat. Your body needs it. It's about choosing the right kinds of fat, not avoiding it altogether.

Myth number two is carbs are the enemy. The poor scapegoat of the diet world. Let's settle this one once and for all. Carbs are not bad. Carbs are not bad. Carbs are not the enemy. The problem isn't carbs themselves. It's the type of carbs and the balance in your diet. Refined carbs like white bread, pastries, or sugary snacks will spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling sluggish. On the flip side, complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables provide sustained energy, and they're packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

So you've got to look at carbs in two buckets. In the world of nutrition, we call one simple carbs. Simple carbs are beneficial around working out, but not really for the rest of the day, unless they're paired. We're getting a little complex here. This is why I always highly recommend working with a professional in this space who knows this stuff, who understands how nutrition truly affects our body, the cells, the processes internally, and our hormones. Because I don't expect you to know this stuff. Our coaches at WarriorBabe wouldn't expect you to know this stuff. This is our responsibility, and it's our profession to teach you these things.

But if I break it down into not-sciencey terms for you to walk away with: think about simple carbs that spike your blood sugar. Those are good around workouts. Then think about a muffin. If you have a muffin in the morning, you probably feel like you could take on the world for the first 20, 30 minutes because you have a spike in energy, a spike in blood sugar. And then an hour later, you probably feel like you're crashing. That goes for anything that's a sugary snack or white bread or simple refined carbs. You're going to feel a bit of a spike, and that's why they're good for pre-workout, because you can go put that energy to use. But if you're not doing anything after you eat them, you're going to notice a different energy in an hour or so.

Complex carbs, you can also use around your workouts. So you can use either, but simple carbs would be specifically around workouts, and complex carbs you can use whenever you want. Those are things like oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, brown rice, things along those lines. They give you sustained energy. Why? I don't know why my brain went to this, but think of Adderall. There's an extended release, if I'm saying that right, and then there's a short-term release. There are ones that release over time. That's the same thing complex carbs do for your body. They give you sustained energy over time.

So let's say you eat them and then go work out, and in this example, for an hour, an hour and a half. If you have this in your body, your bloodstream, your system, you're going to be able to carry the energy load of your workout for two, three hours. Whereas with simple carbs, you eat them, you go work out, and you're most likely going to crash after about an hour because your body works through them faster. I hope I'm making that make sense for you.

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Also think of it like this, as I just touched on: carbs are your body's primary source of energy, especially if you're working out on a consistent basis. If you cut carbs too much, that's going to lead to low energy. It's going to lead to brain fog. It's going to lead to even more muscle loss, something you don't want if you're working hard toward getting toned and having a strong, muscular body. Having more muscle is you being toned.

So for myth number two: do not fear carbs. That's why I love preaching the understanding of how carbs break down in our body and how they're used for fuel. Because if you know the why behind it and you're educated on it, you won't fear carbs. And then you can go teach the next person. Someone says, I don't eat carbs. Why don't you eat carbs? Carbs make me fat. Why do you think carbs make you fat? Because I eat carbs and all of a sudden I step on the scale and I weigh more. Well, every carb you eat holds on to X amount of water weight. That's a prime example of how you can have a conversation with someone. People think they gain weight from carbs.

Or, as a different example, somebody could say, I'm always hungry throughout the day. Okay, cool, tell me what you're eating throughout the day. Well, I wake up and have eggs and a muffin, or I just have a muffin, or I stop at Starbucks and grab something at the counter, or I'm always on the go, so I grab something quick, like a muffin at Wawa. Stick with me on that. A lot of people at the beginning of their journey don't have a really good diet to begin with. And why they're hungry by the end of the day is that they're lacking in protein, and they're eating refined carbohydrates, which make them hungrier because they're spiking their blood sugar.

So all in all, for this one: choose complex carbs and nutrient-dense options, and balance them with protein and fats for a well-balanced meal. You can still have white bread or white rice. I don't want to sound like you can't have pastries or sugary things. It's all about balance. I still allow myself to have those things today, but it's more of an 80-20 rule with me, or maybe even 90-10. You don't ever want to restrict yourself from things. You just need to know how to balance them better. If your day consists of 80% refined carbohydrates, you need to flip that. You need to change that. And when you're having any simple carb, like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, what's going to help you not have an immediate blood sugar spike is the fat and protein you eat with it. So that is number two.

Number three is the myth that eating less is always better. You've probably heard people say, just eat fewer calories and you'll lose weight. Or, like I said at the beginning of the episode, maybe you followed someone who gave you a PDF. If you're following a PDF plan, I encourage you to take that plan and put it into MyFitnessPal and see how many calories you're actually being asked to consume on a daily basis. I would guarantee that maybe 80% of the time, you're being told to eat around 1,000 to 1,100 calories. Why? Because PDFs are typically universal, meaning they're given to the masses with the expectation that everyone follows the same plan.

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You can't do that, because everybody is drastically different and people require different caloric intakes on a daily basis. No one person is the same. If you're hearing these things, or following people who say just eat fewer calories and you'll get to your goal: calorie balance matters, but eating too little will entirely backfire on you.

When you're not eating enough, and I'm sure you've heard about this, your body essentially goes into survival mode. I'm saying this in layman's terms so you understand me. Basically, your metabolism slows down and your body starts to hold on to fat, because it thinks, oh, I'm not getting the normal caloric intake I need to survive on a daily basis. So we're going to go back to how we used to live and just survive. I wouldn't even say thrive, just survive. Your body starts to hold on to energy, and it does that by storing excess body fat.

At that point, when your metabolism slows down and your body starts holding on to fat, your body is also adapting to this lower caloric intake. So let's say you eat 700 calories one day, then 1,400 calories the next day, then 500 calories, then 2,000 calories. It's all over the place. Your body is a machine, and it wants some type of consistency in order to thrive and for you to get the results you want to see. So think of it like that: you want a consistent caloric intake, calorie balance, on a daily basis.

What also matters is, and this is macros, and you know I love macros: if you're brand new, first approach it by focusing on calories, and then you can dive into focusing on what those calories are made up of with protein, fats, and carbs. Either way, when your body is having those imbalanced calories throughout the week, whatever you're eating more of is going to get stored, because your body is adapted to 700 calories. Does that make sense?

So when a new WarriorBabe joins us, 90% of the time we make them go through a retraining process. Because if you're eating 700 calories on a daily basis and you're looking to lose weight, we're not going to get anywhere, because your metabolism isn't going to work with us. It's going to work against us. You can't eat 700 calories and lose weight.

To put it into perspective, your basal metabolic rate, your BMR, the calories you need to consume on a daily basis just to survive, is typically somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 calories, depending on the muscle mass you have, how active you are, and how old you are. You need to eat at least that amount just to allow your body to survive. And a lot of people are eating 700 calories and they're overweight. Why exactly? Because of what I'm explaining. And a light bulb just went off for another podcast episode explaining that a little bit more, because I don't think people understand. Well, I don't eat a lot throughout the day and I'm still gaining weight. Let me break that down for you. I'm going to do that in another episode.

Not only does eating less make fat loss harder, it also leaves you feeling fatigued. It leaves you feeling irritable. It leaves you prone to tons and tons of cravings. It leaves you without good nights of sleep. So instead of starving yourself, focus on fueling your body with enough protein, enough healthy fats, and the good carbs to keep your metabolism going and revving and wanting more.

I love the testimonials shared within the WarriorBabe team of women who are eating more and seeing way more of the body composition changes they want to see, because they're eating more food. It's because your metabolism and your body are like, thank you for finally giving me this fuel.

So here's a simple rule: think of food as fuel, not the enemy. When you nourish your body and give it what it wants, it's going to perform better. It's going to burn fat more efficiently. And to break down what I mean by burning fat efficiently: you don't have a tangible look at the internal processes, systems, and cellular functions of your body. You can't see that. But when you give your body what it wants and needs, trust that internally your body is thanking you so much, and it's starting to work so much better.

If you go to warriorbabe.com/success, you're going to see all of our WarriorBabe success stories. In almost every single one of them, they share that they're eating way more food. I actually just recorded one today with a WarriorBabe with an incredible story, and I'm going to air it on the podcast. She's eating 400 to 500 more calories on a daily basis and has lost 20 pounds, three inches around her belly, and four inches around her waist. And she's 51 years old. Eating 500 more calories a day. She's not even in menopause yet. She's in perimenopause. When she said that, I was like, oh, can you just say that louder? Because a lot of women think you have to eat less. And it's not your fault. It's the marketing. It's what you've been told. It's what you've seen. It's ingrained in you. But I want to rewrite that narrative, and I hope I'm doing it here. I also want you to go check out those other resources to hear not only from me, but from other people.

All right, let's wrap up today's podcast with some key takeaways so you know how to navigate these myths with facts.

Number one: fat is your friend, not your enemy. Choose healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and olive oil, in moderation. They're critical for your health and critical for your hormones.

Number two: carbs are not the bad guy. Balance is key. Opt for about 80% of your day to be things like oatmeal, bagels, fruits, veggies, all those things. And if you want to have something at the end of the night, like I do, sometimes I have dark chocolate or ice cream or something that's part of the 20% I'm willing to negotiate, because I'm not going to give something up. I still have incredible results, and tons of WarriorBabes have incredible results, by following those rules. So opt for that balance.

And lastly: eating less isn't the answer. Focus on giving your body what it needs and what it wants, and fueling it with the right amount of food to support your energy and your metabolism. Because when it comes to fat loss, when it comes to weight loss, it's not about fads. It's not about quick fixes. It's not about cutting out entire food groups. It's about balance. It's about making smarter choices than the ones you're making right now, or the ones that led you to where you are today, and fueling your body in a way that supports your goals for the long term. Long-term permanent solutions instead of short-term temporary fixes.

At the end of the day, this whole journey, weight loss, fat loss, doesn't have to be complicated. It is literally about consistency over perfection and trusting the process. Don't let these myths or these quick fixes hold you back or make you second-guess your choices.

So I hope this episode helped you. If it resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear the truth about fat loss and about their journey. Maybe they're just starting off, and you want to say, hey, this is a really good episode to listen to. Because I don't want you to fall into the trap I fell into five years ago and only got out of two or three years ago. You know what I'm saying? Share this with somebody who needs to hear it and is maybe just starting their own journey. Or if you know a friend, or a Karen, who's like, I'm just going to eat less because I need to lose more weight, send it to her. All my Karens out there, I love you. All right, you guys, I'll see you next time. Peace out.

Hey, really quick before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all the difference in helping more women discover the tools they need to transform their fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.