The Hidden Costs of Roller Coaster Dieting

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. Because you guys know roller coaster dieting, yo-yo dieting, the pattern of like losing the weight, gaining it back, and then repeating the cycle.

00:31So many of you guys have been through it. I know because I've heard it, and I've coached so many women that have been stuck in that ridiculous pattern and scary pattern. And, you know, the approach is often driven because quick fix diets promise these fast results, but they're not sustainable in the long term. And I want to dive into why that happens and the science behind it. Yo, yo, yo. What is going on, you guys?

01:03Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikki Stott, co-founder of Warrior Babe. And on this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, tactics, all of the things that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikki Stott. And welcome to today's episode, episode number 179. And today, I'm going to dive into, I think, I think all these topics are very important, but this one is especially important.

01:41And it affects many of us. And it affected me at the beginning of my journey. It affects all of the women that our team speaks to on a regular basis. It affects even the women that do come into the program at the beginning of the journey. It affects them. And that is the roller coaster of dieting. And what I want to, like, talk to specifically on this podcast and this episode today is, like, a few things. It's one, the true cost of opting for those cheap, quick fix solutions and how it impacts you over time.

02:17So I'm going to, I want to break down, like, what these, I always joke, like, I'm like, women want to come in. Women have sought programs where they hope to throw their body into a microwave and now in 30 seconds pops a toned body. Or, you know, we could even relate it to the people that have instant gratification and don't have the delayed gratification down, down. There's so many things that I could, like, relate it to. But what I want to specifically talk to in terms of, like, how it impacts you over time is the hormonal impact, the metabolic adaptation that happens.

02:56And also, what so many of you guys strive to accomplish, at least the women that, like, we work with at Warrior Babe, the women that I think listen to this podcast. Like, so many of you guys want to build a toned body and you want to be stronger. You want more definition. You want lean muscle to show. But, like, those programs that you opt into and follow for a short-term fix or, like, a quick fix solution actually does, is completely counterproductive to that goal. And it results in a lot of muscle loss over time.

03:31So, first and foremost, I just want to, like, this, I mean, I'm going to talk about the physical and the mental toll that yo-yo dieting does to you. And I'm just going to, like, compare some things in terms of, like, bringing to light, like, the hidden costs of what these cheap dieting options actually are costing you. But first, let's just talk about, like, the rollercoaster dieting, right? It's also known as, like, yo-yo dieting. And it's the pattern of, like, so many of you guys know this. So many of you guys have done it. So did I.

04:01I did it at the beginning of my journey, like, for two years. I think I shared in episode number one where I was doing and trying so many different things that I wouldn't – and they probably would have worked. But because personally on my journey, I wasn't allowing enough time for these things to adapt to my body. Like, I was the one that was trying something every two to three weeks. And if I didn't see the results that I wanted in the two to three weeks, I would try something different.

04:32And, like, those of you that have that same mentality, now knowing after nine, ten years of my journey that that type of mentality isn't – it's not – doing those things like that way is not going to get you the results that you're seeking in that short amount of time. Like, if you really want something to be a long-term solution, three weeks is not it. Three weeks isn't going to give you what you want.

05:05And if I, like, pause periodically and I need to, like, think about my thoughts, which literally just happened. I just want to be totally transparent with you guys. As I shared in the previous episode with y'all, I'm still in the midst of the last couple of days leading up to my egg freezing journey and, like, the retrieval of the eggs. Like, so I filmed that podcast two days ago and I'm filming another one because I had to get two podcasts in on a week to keep up with our schedule. And I wanted – I had to get this done and film it for you and record it for y'all so that we can keep with the cadence.

05:38And I just wanted to show up for you guys. And I have this promise that I got to keep to myself to show up for you guys. And after this, I'm going to crash. But I am – it's the last couple of days. I got word this morning that we're going to retrieve on Sunday. So this will be released next Friday. So it'll be, like, a week almost past the retrieval day, which I'll probably do, like, a follow-up podcast to let you guys know. Or just keep you guys posted at the beginning of every podcast. Anyway, sidetracked from the topic. But if my brain goes in and out and I'm, like, trying to just think about thoughts and then they finally catch up, that's because my estrogen right now is over 3,000.

06:16And it's freaking wild. Like, every single follicle that keeps growing to a certain millimeter size, it produces X amount of estrogen. So that's where I'm at, guys. Okay? Anyway, back to the topic. So you guys know rollercoaster dieting, yo-yo dieting, the pattern of, like, losing the weight, gaining it back, and then repeating the cycle. So many of you guys have been through it. I know because I've heard it and I've coached so many women that have been stuck in that ridiculous pattern and scary pattern.

06:46And, you know, this, the approach is often driven because quick-fix diets promise these fast results, but they're not sustainable in the long term. And I want to dive into why that happens and the science behind it. When you follow these types of restrictive diets, your body initially loses weight, often rapidly. Like, the reason why keto works so well is because what carbohydrates do, and I've talked about this in previous podcasts, the carbohydrates hold on to water weight. And so, like, carbohydrates hold on to, for every gram you eat, it holds on to an X amount of pounds of water.

07:22And I'm not probably saying that entirely right, but that's essentially what happens and how your body essentially breaks down carbs and utilizes carbs and stores carbs. For every gram you have carbs, it also holds on to water and it makes water in your body. So, why keto works so well, why a lot of restrictive diets work so well is because one of the main things that people eliminate is carbohydrates. And so, when people start these types of diets and then they get on the scale seven days later, they see that they've dropped weight.

07:53But it's really because you've dropped water weight because you're eliminating carbohydrates. And you can't eliminate carbohydrates for the rest of your life. It is a key essential macronutrient that you have to have in your diet. And as these diets, all these diets do, they deprive you of these essential nutrients and these essential calories. And it leads to muscle loss and a slowed metabolism. And this is what I'm going to dive into a little bit more in a second. But when you inevitably return, then, like, you do these things and you inevitably return back to your regular eating habits.

08:28Now, your slower metabolism means that you regain the weight quickly. And this often leads to those extra few pounds that come back on. If not, the same amount of weight that you've lost now has regained back over a course of time. And this cycle that women are on or people are on, so many people do it, they yo-yo off and on and through years. This cycle can seriously have severe consequences for your physical and your mental health. One being the hormonal impact that happens.

08:59The repeated concept of this, like you repeating these cycles, weight loss and gaining it all back disrupts your hormonal balance. For instance, your thyroid gland, which regulates your metabolism, can become less efficient and it leads to a slower metabolic rate. So when you're losing weight and you're gaining weight back, one of the key things that controls your overall metabolism and regulates your metabolism and has a huge role in you losing weight, period, is your thyroid.

09:34And that thing gets affected for every single time you go in and out of yo-yoing, losing the weight, gaining the weight back. Along with that, your insulin sensitivity decreases. And so this increases the risk of you being hypersensitive to anything that's going to make your insulin spike. And when your insulin spikes, that makes you gain weight, but also puts you the risk of type 2 diabetes. Then also, at the same time, your stress hormones like cortisol rise.

10:05I can't tell you. So you guys know that we partner with Equal Life. And on the way in, every single woman gets stress, mood, and metabolism tests done. We test their thyroid. We test their A1C, their blood sugar. We test their sex hormones. We also test their cortisol. If I had one thing out of all of those markers that is most frequently coming back as elevated, it is their cortisol.

10:36Women's cortisol is through the roof. And this is not only because, like, the stress that people eat on a daily basis or the stress that people have in their regular lives, but it's also because most women yo-yo diet and go on a roller coaster throughout years of their life of gaining and losing the same weight over and over and over and over again. And when that happens, and when cortisol gets messed up and it rises, this leads to you having unwanted fat storage and making that really, really, really freaking hard to lose over a period of time.

11:12And that, what women experience, especially when they're 40, 50 years old, is they deemed this menopause. But it's because your cortisol is elevated, which is leading you to have increased fat storage. And that is especially found around your abdominal area. So if you're having unwanted fat gain, it's because your cortisol is elevated and it's being stored in your abdominal region, which is being deemed the menopause or what you guys experience having unwanted belly fat.

11:45Or, you know, all of a sudden, all of this, these, this extra, this, this fat is holding into one area. It's because your cortisol is through the roof. And it could be of one of a couple of different things. But one of the factors of which I'm talking about on this podcast today is because think about how many years you've gone on yo-yo dieting. How many years have you gone on roller coaster dieting? How many years have you lost and gained the same weight back? Not only that, when you directly reduce your calorie intake, your body adapts to, by slowing down your metabolism to conserve more energy.

12:22And so this process is known as metabolic adaptation. I've talked about it in previous podcasts. And this makes it harder to lose weight over time. So when you reduce your calories, which a lot of people do when they go on these quick fixes, they basically eat little to nothing. They're eating around a thousand calories to eleven hundred calories or even less. And this is what people experience in the bodybuilding world, too, as well. I experienced this when I went through my journey and shared that with you in episode one. Your body, your metabolism is adapting to this lower calorie intake.

12:54And it's slowing down so that it can help conserve energy to help you basically exist as a human and survive. And when you resume normal eating patterns, the body stores more fat in preparation for future calorie deficits because it doesn't trust you yet. It's like this human's going in and out, in and out, in and out of calorie deficits, calorie surplus, calorie deficit, calorie surplus. And so it's recognizing that and it's basically preparing for future calorie deficits, perpetuating the cycle of weight gain.

13:31Hey, hey, just want to drop a huge appreciation to you guys listening to the show. It means a lot. I 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. So. If like this is what happens, guys, and then what I said at the beginning of the podcast is what's so counterproductive to a lot of you guys that want to gain more muscle and be more tone and look more defined and be strong and have more muscle.

14:09And like all the things of which a lot of people come to warrior babe for. What these quick fixes do is completely opposite. They lead to muscle loss instead of fat loss. Since muscle tissue is metabolically active, which I've talked about so many freaking times in previous episodes, losing muscle reduces your resting metabolic rate, making it even harder to maintain weight loss. Maintaining muscle mass is muscle mass is muscle mass is so freaking critical for a toned physique and overall overall having a healthy metabolism.

14:41So if you are constantly going through quick fixes, your muscle mass is active tissue, as I just said. It's metabolically active. It doesn't turn off. It's always operating. And if your body doesn't have anything else to kind of tap into, guess what it's going to tap into first for energy reserves? It's going to tap into your muscle. And so as you lose more muscle over time, you're not only through quick fixes already making your body adapt to a slower metabolism because you've slashed your calories.

15:13As you lose more muscle, your resting metabolic rate is lowering too as well. And it's reducing that overall number, which I've talked about in previous podcasts. You want your resting metabolic rate to raise and it will over time with the more muscle mass you have to your body. But you have to give your body what it wants, which aka is food, in order for all of that to happen internally with your body. And if your resting metabolic rate is lowering, which it will do as you lose more muscle mass, this is going to make it even harder for you to maintain weight loss over time.

15:49So these three things have the biggest impact on your body when you aren't. The biggest consequences are severe consequences that you basically sign up for when you are going through the cycle of losing and gaining the same weight over time. When you're doing these quick fixes, when you go into a program and want to experience some type of X result in three months time,

16:19and you want it to be drastic and life changing, this is basically what you're signing up for. This is why at Warrior Babe, we don't believe in this. This is why one of our values is long term permanent solutions instead of short term temporary fixes. It's future focused. And we want every single babe to align with that value because if you come into Warrior Babe and you are frustrated after three months, you don't have this drastic life changing experience in terms of a result that you're seeing within your body.

16:51You're not going to get it with us because there's some type of something, whether it be physical or mental, that we have to break at the beginning of your journey, whether it be some type of story or limiting belief or these things that you're telling yourself that you want to experience or these habits that you've tacked on over years of doing this type of cycling back and forth that we have to break. We have to reestablish new habits and that's not going to happen in the first three months. And you're not going to, we have to create new habits that's going to help you to have long term permanent solutions.

17:27So that's just a little bit of the consequences that you're signing up for. Now I kind of want to talk about like the impact of roller, of roller coaster, roller coaster, roller coaster dieting. It, it expands, Jesus, I kind of can talk. It extends beyond just the weight gain and weight loss. It can seriously have a huge impact on not just your body as I kind of talked through, but more so on your mental aspect of things.

18:00So I talked about the physical consequences like muscle loss, metabolic damage. Not to mention too, I know I didn't talk about this and what I just talked about, you know, the hormonal aspect of it too as well. But the nutrient deficiencies that you guys are basically signing up for too as well. Restrictive diets deprive your body of essential nutrients and those deficiencies lead to your, it can seriously affect your energy levels and your immune function and your overall health. Because basically as the example that I gave you, if you're not giving your body the carbohydrates that it needs,

18:34your body's not going to perform optimally inside of your workouts and you're going to feel like you're not performing well and you're going to feel like you can't do this. And that's going to lead into future actions of which you're not going to take to get you to the ultimate outcome that you want to have with your body. You have to give your body carbs. You have to give your body all the nutrients that it needs in order to help internally get you the results that you want on the exterior side. So those are the couple of physical consequences that you're experiencing. The more of the mental consequences that you're experiencing are one, stress and anxiety.

19:07The constant battle with weight gain and weight loss increases the stress and anxiety that you experience. And this impacts not just the overall physical aspect of the results that you want, but your overall health. The pressure to lose weight and gain it back and the fear of gaining it back, it creates a chronic cycle of stress. So think about like you already have so much stress in your life. There's so many responsibilities and things that you have to do on a daily basis and your job and your kids and your family, whatever is producing stress, now you're just tacking on another thing that is adding to your stress levels.

19:45And that is one, not giving your body what it needs in terms of the right nutrition, maybe not moving your body and exercising, but also the constant weight gain and weight loss. And then when you do lose the weight, you have this fear that you're going to gain it all back. So stress and anxiety is a mental consequence that one experiences when they're doing rollercoaster dieting or yo-yo dieting or what we're talking about today. Another big one is body image issues. The repeated failure to maintain weight loss.

20:23Ladies, 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 better 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.

20:58Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. The amount of negative self-image and decreased self-esteem that one experiences is truly wild.

21:31Like, just think about it. Like, you lose the weight. You feel really good. You're so happy with the progress. You're so proud of yourself for the journey you've just been on. But then because you did it so fast or you did it in a, you cut things out. The second you return back to the normal eating habits, all of a sudden you gain the weight back. And think about the negative self-image that that produces for yourself, but also the decreased self-esteem. Now you're like, oh, I'm a loser. I can't believe I did this. I can't believe I gained all my weight back. And you just don't trust yourself anymore.

22:02You don't believe in yourself anymore. And then the social pressure when you, to maintain a certain body image can exasperate these issues. And it can lead to even more feelings of inadequacy or even just deeper feelings of emotions that one could experience when you have, when you've lost the weight and now you have to maintain that weight. You have to say no to a lot of things and continue to say no to a lot of things of what you once used to do. So that's pressure on yourself to try and maintain that.

22:34And that, if you don't, and you start gaining all the weight back, you're going to lead yourself to having more body image issues than you already probably most likely had before you even started this journey. So, and then the last thing to add into these mental consequences that you experience is also disordered eating. Yo-yo dieting contributes to a huge development of unhealthy eating habits and disordered eating patterns. And that can include binge eating. That can include food restrictions. That can include an unhealthy obsession with food and your body weight.

23:07So if you, like, eliminate all the things and you're looking at food differently and you're like, oh, I can't have that food because it does this. But it doesn't really actually do that because it's behavior that you have behind the food. There's so many things that come into the mental aspect of these restrictive diets and these quick fixes that, you know, one doesn't really consider and think about prior to signing up for them. Which, that's what I'm hoping, honestly, with this whole entire podcast as I'm sharing all these things with you is, like, the next time you want to pursue having a result really fast, like, this episode kind of clicks in your head.

23:46Or you end up sharing this with somebody that needs to hear it. Because I want you guys to think and really assess what you're signing up for. And these are the things that you're signing up for. These are the consequences that come if you lose the weight and gain the weight back and lose the weight and gain the weight back. Like, you're messing up your body internally. And then you're also causing all these mental consequences to be provoked and to worsen. And so, I just want you guys to think the next time you want to be like, I want to lose 15 pounds in two months, you actually think about what that actually does internally to your metabolism, to your hormonal profile.

24:29And then the overall goal that a lot of you guys want, which is having more muscle. Like, you're not going to be able to lose 15 pounds and just lose 15 pounds of fat. You're also going to lose muscle along the way, especially if it's more restrictive. And then, you know, just everything I'm kind of sharing here. So, that was more of like the consequences that you experience and the cost of really like the cost of what happens internally and exterior to your body. But now I want to like talk about the hidden cost of cheap dieting and like such as, you know, diving into like how these things can seem appealing due to the promise of these quick results over time and how you can experience them super, super fast.

25:09However, these freaking, the one main thing, well, actually the two main things, because you're repeatedly spending. So, the financial cost of you diving into multiple quick fixes and multiple supplements over time, which don't even get me started on the supplements that are being pushed out there right now saying they're going to offer you quick results and, you know, give you these solutions that they only come with a hidden cost. So, just the hidden costs outweigh the short-term benefits because, as I just said, you're repeatedly spending money. You're repeatedly signing up for these programs.

25:40Think about it. Just take a second here with me right now and just think about the costs that you have invested. Not even invested because you haven't really had an ROI from it. Think about the costs of which you put into your journey and the multiple programs that you tried, the quick fixes that you've done, the supplements over time. How much? Like, just come up with a ballpark number in your mind. How much has that added up in the time right now?

26:15Like, to date? Like, what is it? I mean, I've heard some of it being 10 grand, 15 grand. I've heard being 50 grand. I've heard maybe somebody that are just starting their journey only a couple thousand dollars. It's astronomical what I've heard over time, what that number is actually. And it's costing more than a sustainable long-term approach to you getting and achieving the goal. So, when women come to our program, they're like thinking this cost is so exponentially high to be a part of our program.

26:47Think about it for a second. All of the things that you've done and tried and what we're offering you is completely different than the things that you've done and tried, which are short-term temporary fixes. And we offer you long-term solutions. The initial cost savings are quickly negated by the need for repeated purchases due to the lack of lasting results. So, just the financial cost, the repeated spending, how much you've spent up until this point. Just think about that and think about like, you know, what you've gotten and where you still currently are.

27:22And then the last thing that you're spending, like the hidden costs of these cheap dieting options is your quality of life. The physical and the mental toll of what these rollercoaster quick fix diets give you decreases your overall quality of life because it infects your energy levels. It affects your mood. It affects your ability to enjoy daily activities. It creates chronic fatigue, creates irritability, creates mood swings. And these are all side effects of poor dietary practices of which these quick fixes offer you and give you.

28:01And think about if you're still not where you want to be, it's most likely because you've indulged in these quick fixes over time and you're still not there where you want to be. And it's time for you to consider a different approach. And that's investing in something that's actually going to give you a return on your investment. That's actually something that in six months, you may be starting to see some tangible results, but know that you still have six months to go and maybe even longer.

28:33Like the average lifespan of a warrior babe is far beyond the 12-month program that we offer the women when they come in and join us. The average lifestyle lifetime is like two and a half to three years of which women spend with us, which is huge because they know that this 12-month journey that they're on, whether they wait, they're going to make a lot of stride in terms of habits and embedding new things into their lifestyle that weren't once there before. They know that like that's going to happen in the first year.

29:04They're going to see some type of tangible results. Some of them experience a lot. I mean, you hear Carrie's story, you hear Lisa's story. Like everybody is such on a different journey, but they know by the end of the year, they're going to have some type of tangible and also intangible, which is like the habits that they've created. Which I guess you could argue is tangible too as well. Maybe we're talking about in terms of results and like the non-scale victories, right? So I don't know. Just think about this like with this podcast today. Like think about these like what has the quick fix things, what have they done for you?

29:34And like hats off to those of you guys who have experienced some type of result with them and being able to stick to it. But that's a very, very low percentage. And the amount of women that are listening to this podcast right now are not happy with where they want to be. And they've spent so much of their time yo-yo dieting and coming, gaining the weight and gaining it right back. So that's what like, it's just overall what I like. I just, like I said, in the middle of the podcast, I just want you guys to think about the next thing that you enter into. Like the most thing that I've noticed inside of, and you know, I can kind of toot the own horn here.

30:05And I'm also biased, but I've interviewed tons of coaches and a lot of women that have been a part of other programs. We're one of the biggest in the fitness space right now. And it's because we maintain the quality of relationship that we are working with our clients. And a lot of these programs, a lot of people sign up for, it's like, here's your meal plan and here's your workout program. But at Warrior Babe, it's vastly different. We put the meal plan and the workout program kind of secondary. And we put first the human that we're working with and understanding what is she struggling with?

30:36Where is she at in her journey? And how can I meet her where she's at to give her what she needs right now? And what we can assess in terms of habits or limiting beliefs or thought processes. And that I can implement right away. And that's going to be able to, that's a relationship building aspect. So that's how I think we do things a lot different. I worry about than the other programs that are out there. But anyway, that's just to let you guys know, the next thing that you guys sign up for, think about this, think about this podcast, think about the consequences that you may be signing up for.

31:08I think they outweigh the benefits for sure. Like the benefits can totally get you the tangible results, but at what cost? And that's really what I want to talk about in this podcast is the cost of doing the cheap options over time. Like think about the time of which you've been yo-yoing or being in these programs. You aren't where you want to be. Like that's a lot of time. I've been here 10 years, 15 years. So just the next time you sign up for something, like is this a short-term fix or is it a long-term solution? All right, guys.

31:39So with that being said, I appreciate you guys listening to this podcast. I appreciate every single one of you guys. Like I get behind this mic even in a moment of like, man, I don't, I can't show up today. But like I was like, I got to show up for the people. I got to keep the schedule too as well. But most importantly, like showing up and bringing you guys this type of value is what will make me tune out this podcast and be like, all right, I showed up for the people. Let's continue on. So I hope you found value in this podcast, into this episode and appreciate you guys listening. And I'll see you in the next one. Peace out.

32:09Hey, everyone. Thanks for sticking around to the end of the show. I hope you really enjoyed that podcast. Really quick, if you're a woman aged 45 through 65 and finding menopause challenging, listen closely. Warrior Babe is here to help you reclaim your body and your confidence. At Warrior Babe, we've empowered over 18,000 women to lose stubborn body fat, build toned muscle, and understand their bodies better. Our personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more ensure you get exactly what you need to see real results and real results that last.

32:41Imagine feeling stronger, more energized, and in control of your health. Don't let menopause hold you back any longer. Head over to warriorbabe.com forward slash apply and join our amazing community today. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. The link is in the show notes below. Thanks again for listening to the episode and I'll see you in the next one.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.