How to Lose Fat Without Sacrificing Muscle

00:00Real 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 for you to do is if you could 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. You know, when you're looking to lose X amount of weight, or you're looking to reach a type of goal, you go into a deficit, or like you're learning all these things that is going to make that like weight come off, that fat come off.

00:34You know, you're training a certain way, you're working out a certain way, and you're doing that for four, five, six months. If you're doing it the right way, this is where your mindset can really play tricks on you and where you have to be in control of your mind rather than your mind being in control of you. What is going on, you guys? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikki Stott, co-founder of Warrior Babe. And 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.

01:10I am your host, Nikki Stott. And welcome to today's episode, episode 145. Which, first of all, I cannot believe we are that many episodes into this podcast. And I want to give a shout out to all you listeners, man. I love you guys. Thank you so, so, so freaking much for all of the love and, most importantly, the support that you guys give this podcast. I read through the reviews. We've been in the top 10 within the U.S., within the fitness category for, I think, for a very, very, very long time.

01:45If it's not top 10, it's top 20. And that's because you guys. You guys, leaving a review really, it makes this podcast bump up in the charts. And also, more importantly, it gets to more viewers and listeners so that they can come into this sphere of learning. So, if you guys can take a second to leave a review, I appreciate it. If you've already done, I appreciate you. You guys listening, I appreciate you. Thank you, thank you so freaking much.

02:15Anyway, on with the episode. So, today, this one, I think the last couple of episodes that I've done have been based off of the questions that I got when I dropped on my Instagram story the little, like, Q&A box on my story asking for questions that you guys would want to be answered on this podcast. And I do that time and time again because it does help me hear how I can help you guys. And it helps me big time because sometimes I'm, you know, doing episode after episode after episode.

02:48I'm like, man, I don't know what to talk about today. So, when I drop that there, it helps big time. And this one in particular, it's one of our star clients. She knows who she is, one of them. There's many of them inside of Warrior Babe. But she asked this question. And this question may be geared more towards, like, the advanced individual that is, you know, year after year inside their fitness routine, working out, tracking macros, maybe leaning into more of the intuitive side of eating. And this podcast is really going to be geared for you guys.

03:21But, you know, I don't want to single out anybody else that's listening to this. It could really help you understand where you could get to along your journey, which is not, honestly, what not a lot of people talk about in the fitness space. A lot of it is just you're still geared around quick fixes and, you know, three months to this result and crash diets. It just still amazes me that that's still the narrative that's going on. But if you are listening to this podcast today, and I hope you do, I hope I didn't single you out there,

03:54but know that once you do get the consistency down, the adherence to building new supporting habits, eating right, working out in a time, like, for a consistent amount of time, this babe that's asking this question has been in the Warrior Babe program for four or five years, maybe. And she's done a lot of it by herself, which is pretty cool. She was in our blueprint program. She's also one of our ambassadors, too, by the way. But she's definitely gearing into, like, this question that can understand where it's coming from.

04:25And I'll get to it, I promise. And more seasoned individuals. And more importantly, what I'm trying to say here as I get into the question, and again, to the podcast is, this podcast is going to be heavily based on my experience, my story, and then also with where I'm at, my journey right now, like, 10 years in. I can't, no, like, nine years in. I can't believe that's been the longest crazy. But also geared more to, like, what I've seen some of my 10-year clients experience, too, as well.

05:00And how it, you know, let's just get to the question. So, the question that I got from this seasoned babe is how to maintain a look of a cut without being in a cut. And how to make it sustainable. So, for those of you guys that maybe be starting out your journey right now, like, the biggest thing that you need to get down is consistency, right? That is your main priority, your main focus. Like, learning about food.

05:31Learning what food is made up of. You know, some people don't even know what macros are. And it's like, okay, let's get to, like, the first milestone of learning, like, how much protein I'm eating in a day. And carrying that type of, you know, that type of work. And applying it consistently for a couple months. And maybe even, like, a year or a couple years on end. Before you can really think about this concept that I'm going to dive into today. Because in order to really successfully do what she's asking,

06:02you have to be at it for a year or two. Not even a year. Like, two years, three years, four years. Like, five years, six years. And more so have your general knowledge, like, understanding and knowledge rooted in concepts that will serve the successfulness of this question. Because you really have to know what macros are. You have to be tracking for a while. Because at that time when you're doing that, especially beginners,

06:33it's like you're spending a lot of time looking at a food. You're spending a lot of time putting it on a scale and weighing it out. You're spending a lot of time, like, learning these different types of habits and behaviors of which you need to kind of rewrite the narrative and story that you have lived with for so long. And that takes time. To do it successfully. And to do it sustainably. That takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. And so the beginning, in order to achieve the answer to this question, in order to, like, unlock, like, getting to maintaining a look of being in a cut

07:08without being in a cut and how to do it sustainably, you have to do, like, the basic work over and over and over again. And that is tracking your macros. It's getting to the gym. And most importantly, though, it's, like, it's being consistent. But then the big thing that I want to kind of highlight on here, which is a part of the answer, is your mindset. In order to maintain a look of a cut without being in a cut, you have to successfully have gone through a cut, a maintain,

07:41maybe even a little bit of a build, coming back into a cut, then going into, and then this is where the trick is, successfully going from a cut to a maintain without being a fool and eating whatever you want to eat. Ladies, that's what I'm talking about. And maybe some of you, this does apply for everybody. It's like, you know, when you're looking to lose X amount of weight or you're looking to reach a type of goal, you do, you go into a deficit or, like, you're learning all these things that is going to make that, like, weight come off, that fat come off.

08:12You know, you're training a certain way, you're working out a certain way, and you're doing that for four, five, six months. If you're doing it the right way, maybe even seven, eight, and then, like, to break that routine and then be in an area of which you sometimes have to either reduce the type of training that you're doing, you're adding in more food specifically. I've talked about this in, like, two or three podcasts ago where I talked about moving from, was it a build to a cut or cut to a build, one of those.

08:43But you have to, you know, you're increasing your food here at this point, and then that can, like, this is where your mindset can really play tricks on you and where you have to be in control of your mind rather than your mind being in control of you. And this is how, this is a part of the answer. This is how you successfully maintain a look of being in a cut without being in a cut. It is if you can successfully move from a cut into a maintain and not, you know, spend four out of seven days of the week paying attention to the increase in macros that you're doing,

09:15and then the other four is, like, oh, whatever, like, I just spent the last six, seven months really focusing on losing body fat and being in a deficit that I can, like, I'm going to go, you know, enjoy a food, a dinner out, and then that turns into four dinners in a row without you paying attention to what you're eating on a daily basis. Not mention that. You could do that, right? But then it's like, okay, then that turns into a week to two weeks to three weeks, and that's where things get, a little bit of control gets lost, and that's where the unwanted,

09:50and I talked about this before in another, in the most recent podcast, but it's like that's where the unwanted body fat can come on very, very, very quickly. And so right there, you're not being able to maintain a look of being in a cut without being in a cut. And so I share that right there, how I answered that, because one of my clients who I still work with to this day, like four years, we've gone from cut, maintain to build, from build to, or like, you know, a little bit of a build, not much, but being in a little bit of a surplus,

10:20back down into working our way through maintain, going back into a cut, and then we've gone from a cut, and we've gone back up into maintain. And my girl, she knows who she is. When we first started going from cut to maintain each time, the, God, what's there like an analogy I can use for that? Like the reins got lost. Like, and this is a mindset thing that I had to work on with her, because she felt like what I just shared with you guys, you know, she felt like she spent so much time in, in a cut, and paying attention so closely.

10:52It's like the work, the hardest work that I have to say is when you do move from that, and reaching and attaining your goal, to being able to sustainably hold on to it. Like, and not even just sustainably, but like being able to still control yourself in a manner in which you controlled yourself in a cut. So, and so yeah, going back to that story, it's like she, every time, and a lot of people struggle with this. It's not just her.

11:22I know it's a bunch of other warrior babes, and a bunch of other, maybe you guys, individuals that maybe are listening to this, or maybe it's my girl that's listening to this to ask the question. As, as spot on as you can be, when you are in a cut, you have to maintain some of what, of that level of adherence, as you're moving into maintain. Once you move into a maintain, and like you successfully moved into it, without like adding on unwanted body fat, too quickly, like,

11:53like usually what I see, I'm trying to pinpoint a little bit more here, but when people move from a cut to maintaining, it's usually like they, they scheduled it around vacations, or travel, or they schedule it around some type of an event, or they schedule it around this time of year, and while that is admirable, because it's a goal that you're working towards, it's almost like, it's like added pressure on you to, to maintain, to move into a maintaining phase for yourself, like,

12:23more strictly in a sense, because the way I look at it, is like those travels, that's how you get lost in, oh, I'm done with the cut, and now I'm maintaining, but like, you know, I have dinner with friends tonight, and, and over the weekend, and then I travel next week, and then like, you not paying so, attention, so much to your, what you're eating, and kind of just letting it, I've been there too, I want to highlight that, like I have been there, a few times, where I have totally lost the reign,

12:54for a couple weeks on end, and then you get to like, week four or five, of you trying to transition, into a maintenance phase, and you're like, dude, why do I feel like, I'm so far back, from where I was, when I just finished my cut, like five weeks ago, and then you got, and then you got to take like, a deep honest look at yourself, and you got to be like, damn, it's because like, you know, I timed this transition wrong, I didn't get to, purely focus on like, increasing my calories, at an, at a, an appropriate like,

13:25increase, you know, paying attention to it, on a two to three week thing, like that time period, I just want to highlight here, is so, it's so important, but once you get into the maintaining, and you like, you've leveled out, your body recognizing, that you're increasing the food, that of which, you want to go on vacations, and that of, this is where it becomes like, a balance, that of which you have, a couple dinners, scheduled with friends, or events, or whatever, and mind you, like you can work those things in,

13:56into your macros, like I don't want to just like, people are like, oh my god, this is so strict, like, if you want to do it the right way, you have to go through these periods, of which you are, mentally aware, of, why things may have spiraled off track, and that being, when you're moving from, from a cut to a, to a maintenance phase, but once you're in the maintenance phase, dude, it's like, I love maintenance phase, like you, I spend majority of my time there, you can intuitively track,

14:27you can intuitively eat, you can, you know, you're training, how your body recognizes, most importantly, this is where the, the, the plug is, like to, when you get to the level, of which your body, is maintaining at with food, and your body, is eating that level of food, consistently over time, you can, you can play around with, you know, going out to eat, going on vacation, like x, y, and z, and doing whatever you want, and being able to achieve, that look of being in a cut, and I'm saying that, because it's exactly, where I am right now,

14:57but this has taken years, you guys, like this has taken so, much time, and understanding, and learning my body, and being real, and honest with myself, and times, and periods, in which I haven't been, insanely consistent, and, or if I'm changing, from a cut, to a maintain phase, and like if I fall short, the first two weeks, and I got to stay, at the same macros, to try and, get my body to adapt, and metabolism, to adapt, to this caloric intake, before I increase,

15:28the caloric intake, and x, y, and z, so it's taken so many years, so to like answer this question, why I said the beginning, I was going to share stories, is because, it really takes like, due diligence, and understanding yourself, and your body, and maintaining a look of a cut, without being in a cut, it comes from, years of really programming, your body in a certain way, I have to say that too, hey hey, just want to drop, a huge appreciation, to you guys listening, to this show, it means a lot,

15:58I hope you guys, are enjoying it, and there's so much more, to come with it, if you are enjoying it, hit the subscribe button, I'd appreciate that tons, and also, it would help this podcast, reach others, who need to hear, these messages too, thanks so much guys, let's get back to the show, I think, why, like if, like I get this, I get this a lot too, from people that I work with, like how do I still have, my like abs, are showing through, when I'm taking pictures, on Instagram, I'm like guys, like this is like, nine years,

16:28like this is like, and doing it the right way, almost 10 years, like doing it the right way, like I was in the industry, years before that, but I was flip-flopping around, trying a bunch, of different programs, trying like, you know, like so many different things, that never got me, to be able, to sustainably, follow through on anything, until I found, the world of macronutrients, and tracking macronutrients, and being able, to gain that knowledge, and understanding, and putting food on a plate, and doing that so many times, that like I can see,

16:59I can tell you, what a portion size of protein, looks like, that's you know, chicken without actually weighing it, like there's so many things, that I had to do, like the work, that sometimes a lot of people, don't see through social media, is the work, that I do behind the scenes, and that's just like, consistently on end, I walk the talk, I preach, you know, what I do day in and day out, to our community, to women, to our coaches, and so like having, like having, like doing that,

17:29for that long a period of time, I know that like, when I spent, like I just got back, from Switzerland last weekend, or last week, and then I was away, before that in Miami, and I don't really pay, I pay attention to protein, but I don't really pay attention, to me eating, you know my macros, one way, and I do heavily, intuitively eat nowadays, and I am so proud, of where my body is at, how it can still, like look like, those things,

18:00that I share with you, but that is literally, just from the years, of which I'm like, kind of like, what I talked about earlier, I know I'm getting, a little sidetracked here, but it's seeing, what the clients, like go through, that I've worked with, and that are inside, of warrior babe, that can't transition smoothly, like the mindset, from a cut, to maintaining appropriately, and that being like, without increasing, or going off the rails, or like increasing, your food too fast, which I talked about, a couple of podcasts ago,

18:31but at the same time, you guys, you also, in the process, of doing all of this, and what, you know, I have, obviously done with my physique, and my body is, I have built, so much more muscle mass, in those nine years, right, so, and when you were able to, you have more muscle mass, that naturally increases, your basal metabolic rate, that of which, you burn calories, just sitting, resting, talking, you know, me sitting here,

19:01I'm burning calories, because my muscles are, it's an active tissue, they're always constantly, constantly alive, and working, and doing all the things, so I've naturally, increased that, so that of which, like, no matter if I eat less, like on days, when I'm traveling, and then I eat more, when I come back home, or I eat more, when I'm traveling, or X, Y, and Z, there's still somewhat, of a balance, which I freaking love, about this lifestyle too, by the way, because when you do, all the things I talked about, at the beginning of the podcast, like,

19:32you really focus on the basics, you really hone in, rewriting the narrative, for yourself, you really hone in on the work, and you do it consistently, and you do track your macros, for a period of time, you can totally come off, of the macro train, and be able to, like, exist in this, exist in the space, of which you're really proud, with your body, and not have to track, macronutrients, and I know that's like, for a lot of everyone, I always hear all the time, it's like, ah, I don't want to have to track,

20:02macros for the rest of my life, well you don't have to track, macros for the rest of your life, but you surely do have to do, some of the work, on the, you know, the first couple years, of your journey, to be able to get, to that kind of stage, and of which I talked about, be able to get to this type of stage, like, you have to go through, experiencing, coming out of a cut, and kind of, you know, nicely, fucking it up, like, you have to experience that, and you probably have to experience it, a couple of times, just like I shared with my client, before I finally actually clicked, right before she got pregnant,

20:32that, oh shit, like, I'm actually doing it the right way, and she gained the appropriate weight, coming, or, she gained, she maintained her weight, and gained gradually, at a good rate, coming from a cut to maintain, like, it took three or four times, to be honest with her, and that's, it's, it's whatever, at which you guys need to, change on your own accord, okay, so like, even though like, I, each time, still coached her, each time, still brought this awareness,

21:03but sometimes, it doesn't resonate, until it resonates, and that's okay, you just have to allow, like, from me, from a coaching perspective, just have to allow the client, to go through, the, the grooves of learning, and, be there to, be direct as a coach, but also, you know, tell her point blank, you know, hey, I see this maybe is happening, so we need to pull it back in, but anyway, like, you, you got to go through, multiple times of, fucking up, you got to go through, a cut to maintain, you got to go through,

21:34you know, experiencing it, for which, maybe doesn't make you, want to, do it again, essentially, right, I mean, that's how, a lot of change happens, is, some people, that are overweight, they know they need to change, so they get into a fitness program, those of you, that want to maintain, a look without, of a cut, without being in a cut, you have to, go through, recognizing, the periods, of which you transition, from a cut to a maintenance, and you may be,

22:05messed up, right, but the most important thing, so that's like, the answer, pretty much to that question, is, on top of like, all the other things, like the consistency through that, like, you know, making sure you're getting good sleep, you're training, da, da, da, da, da, like all the normal, basic, like stuff that people know to do, the biggest thing is a mindset, the biggest thing, is able to be able, to control yourself, as you transition, from a cut to a maintenance, but how to make it sustainable, you guys, really is,

22:35ladies, are you feeling frustrated, with body changes, you're experiencing, during menopause, it's time to take control, if you're between 45, and 65 years old, and tired of struggling, with body fat, and muscle loss, warrior babe, is here for you, at warrior babe, we've helped over, 18,000 women, just like you, lose body fat, build toned muscle, and understand their bodies,

23:06better with personalized plans, based on hormone, and thyroid testing, and more, imagine knowing, exactly what your body needs, to see real results, and results that last, look, don't wait anymore, take charge of your health, and join our community, of strong, empowered women, visit, warrior babe, dot com, forward slash, apply today, to start your transformation, that's warrior babe, dot com, forward slash, apply, all right, let's get back to the show, allowing your body,

23:40to be, in, the maintenance phase, for majority of the time, and to not, at the beginning, it's like, you do go, and a cut, to maintain, from cut to maintain, because you're trying to, get your body adapted, to those specific things, and like, you're trying to build muscles, so you have to go up, into a little bit, of a maintenance, and then you obviously, like, you come back down, to see what you, the work you put in, and then, you know, then you can bump up, back into maintenance, when you're really happy, with the body, that you've built, but along the way, you have to go through,

24:10those phases, because you, in order to change, your body composition, you have to eat more food, and you're not going, to be able to do that, and build more muscle, when you're in a deficit, so, but how to make it sustainable, is honestly, like, like I share with you guys, majority of the time, I live, in a maintenance phase, so I'm eating, you know, I'm eating, anywhere upwards, of like 25, to 2700 calories, and, that, is, something of which,

24:41like, if I fall short, on a couple of days, or maybe a little over, on a couple days, there's somewhat of a balance, to like, the way that I go, and I train, and I work out, and I keep that all consistent, now, something I actually, want to add in here, like, almost like, like, bringing your awareness, to, is, you, there will be days, to, where like, you are, like, keep in mind, when people don't share, on social media, maybe,

25:11something too, that I could get better at, is like, I am bloated, some days, and I have my period, still, so, I experience, that, uncomfortableness, within my, body, on a monthly basis, so, there are tons, of days, where, um, I, I don't feel as confident, in, uh, like, my physique, but like, that doesn't get shown, so maybe I should share that, a little bit more, but knowing that, like, even though you want to maintain, a look of a cut, without being in a cut, every single day,

25:42you're not going to look like, you're in a cut, okay, so, keep that too, in the back of your mind, um, but overarching though, you know, like, it is totally possible, to do that, uh, for majority of the time, looking like, you know, you're, you're, like, what do I say, shred a year round, um, you know, you can totally do that, but you have to really go through, everything that I shared, in this podcast first, you have to go through, if you're a beginner, the basics, and consistently following through, and really working on changing,

26:13your body composition, that doesn't happen overnight, doesn't usually happen in one year, it happens in a couple of years, and then, uh, as you, you know, get more tenured into your journey, it's like, okay, how do I, how, am I successfully, being honest with yourself, am I successfully moving, uh, in and out of a cut to maintenance, at a, at a good rate, am I, um, being honest with myself, as I, you know, maybe I'm intuitively eating, but like, are you actually,

26:44actually, it's not a really good point, like, a lot of people say they intuitively eat, or they know how to eat well, even after years of tracking macros, but like, are you actually doing that aspect right? Because if you're not doing that aspect right, and you're not eating enough, or like, the weekends are falling off, you're not going to look like, you're in a cut then, right? That's not, you're not going to be able to maintain a look, maintain a look of being in a cut, if you're intuitively eating the wrong way. So, it's actually a whole nother bucket, that I didn't touch on, but like, as I'm talking, and kind of rambling here with you guys,

27:15that kind of just like, popped into my head, it's like, after years of doing this, people say they intuitively eat, but like, if you want to maintain a look of being in a cut, without being in a cut, you have to intuitively eat the right way. And so, what comes to my mind for that, is, because this is what I do, I, like, like, no matter what, make sure, that I am getting in enough protein, on a daily basis. That is a macronutrient, that like,

27:45I will not sacrifice. Seriously. So, if you're intuitively eating, and like, you're under eating on your protein, you're over eating on your carbs, you're over eating on your fats, you, to, to achieve the answer of this question, you will not achieve maintaining in a cut, without being in a cut. So, that's actually a whole nother can of worms to open up. Because I always like, you know, fitness people share on Instagram, that they're intuitively eating,

28:15but, and that's, that's, you can totally intuitively eat, but if you want this goal of, maintaining a look of being in a cut, without being in a cut, you still have to really, you have to intuitively, be eating the right way. And you can't like, you, you've got to prioritize your protein. And then, to intuitively eat too, I kind of touched on this a little bit. I'm rambling all over the place, you guys, but, you know, I feel like it's good. That's what the podcast is for sometimes. And I'm kind of just bumping around in my stories, and experiences,

28:45along with time tagging in the clients, that I've worked with, and I've seen this happen, but, you, you also too, like you can have the days going out, like I shared, but like, even on the days you go out, and you're planning, you know, having a night out with friends, another, another thing that just popped in my brain, see, I just need to like, just like talk sometimes to you guys. Alcohol, like, if you guys are trying to maintain, like, being in a cup without being in a cup, but you're drinking alcohol, that's something I don't do,

29:16very often at all. And I think that that's a big reason why, I know alcohol is a big thing, like having a glass of wine, going out with friends, having a couple drinks here and there. I know that that's a lifestyle, and that's something that I don't do very often, so I think that that's, that does help me, help play a role of being as lean, and as defined as I am on a yearly basis. But even if you are going out with friends, and like you're going on a vacation, or you're going to an event, it's like still in those days that happens,

29:47you still have to, you still have to like intuitively, eat enough protein, you still have to intuitively make that a part of, you know, your, like it has to be a part, like a top, top of your awareness. So, all in all guys, thanks for being here for the ramble there. I hope that it answered the question. I hope that it served a purpose in terms of like, even if you're a beginner, these are things that you can look forward to, but like you have to, you can't intuitively eat six months into your journey.

30:18You just can't, you don't know enough, to be honest. You're still a little bit ignorant, when it comes to the nutrition side of things. You need to really develop your skills in that sense, in order to get to the concepts, that I'm kind of talking about here. When you're trying, when you want to look to maintain a cut, without being in a cut, and then also how to make it sustainable. So, you know, all in all to close it out, I think the most important thing, being able to do that, is moving from a cut to maintenance, and being honest with yourself in that process, and not,

30:49you know, eating too much, or scheduling too many things around that transition. And then when you get there, you can totally do those things. We have to allow your body to adapt to it. And then second thing is, is making sure that you're intuitively eating the right way. All right, guys. Cool. Well, hope you guys enjoyed that podcast. I enjoy speaking out loud. Sometimes I just, you know, no, no, no, no, no list of things I want to talk about with you guys,

31:22and just spitballing it. But yeah, hope that made sense. Hope that you guys gained some things. I will see you then in the next podcast. Peace out. Hey guys, real quick. If you're interested in taking your body to the next level, lose body fat, build more muscle, feel more confident, do it alongside one of our 30 plus professional coaches. Work one-on-one with her to eliminate all of the guesswork that you may have. And all you need to do is just do the work that she tells you to do to get to those goals of yours.

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