Staying lean is a habit and a bunch of little choices you make daily, that amount to a lot over a week, a month, a year.

The strategies to get lean and stay lean are simple. This is seriously THE LAW to staying lean forever. And we want to share these simple ‘secret’ strategies with you. Strategies that the leanest and healthiest use to stay lean almost effortlessly everyday of the year.

Here are 9 simple tips you can try now and lose weight fast:

1. Eat 3 mail meals that are macro-balanced and exercise portion control.
For many years we have been told that small, regular meals are the way to go when it comes to optimising metabolic rate and supporting weight loss, but new research has found that frequent eating does us more harm than good and is linked to obesity and frequent snacking especially after 8pm. It is a complete and total MYTH that metabolism is boosted by snacking. End of story. Furthermore, it results in consuming snacks rather than complete meals with unbalanced intake of key nutrients: protein, carbs and fats – causing more cravings.

2. Eat 1 snack only (if you must!) or omit snacking altogether.
Constant snacking is one of the easiest ways to blow your calorie count out for the entire day. Snacking makes it hard to track calories and puts you in a ‘fed’ state – never really allowing you to tap into your fat stores and burn them for energy. You end up eating out of boredom, stress, sadness and habit rather than hunger, consuming way more calories (650+ more calories daily) than you think on TOP of your main meals. Best of all, not snacking allows you learn to deal with feelings and emotions that you used to stuff down with food in other ways.

3. Eliminate C.R.A.P for 30 days.
That is; chemicals, refined sugar and flour, artificial stuff and preservatives. Eating sugars, junk food and processed carbs will make your body hungrier and encourage use of carbs for energy rather than stored fat – it will get you off the glycaemic-insulin treadmill that promotes weight-gain, sluggishness, mid-afternoon cravings and yo-yo dieting. Carbs cause insulin spikes which lead to immediate blood sugar drop, followed by hunger, cravings, tiredness and the old eating habits – ‘hello fat storage!’

4. Eat low carb and swap all processed carbs for whole, unprocessed ones, such as sweet potato, quinoa, beans and pumpkin.
Base most of your diet on whole foods, they are healthier, more filling and much less likely to cause overeating. By reducing carbs and lowering insulin levels, you change the hormonal environment and make your body and brain ‘want’ to lose weight. It also leads to drastically reduced appetite and hunger, eliminating the main reason that most people fail with conventional weight loss methods. This is proven to make you lose up to 2-3 times as much weight as a typical low calorie-restricted diet.

5. Stay hydrated with 2-3L of quality water daily.
Your body fat is like a sponge and contains toxins and water is essential to flush them out and decrease inflammation. An increase in water will also reduce fat deposits as it supports kidney function, and if the kidneys aren’t functioning optimally, the liver steps in, and as a result, it metabolises less fat; more fat remains in the body and weight loss halts. Becoming even mildly dehydrated, will your body to slow down its metabolism to compensate. A slow, water-starved metabolism will not burn fat efficiently. If you want to lose weight, you need to consume water. Water will also help boost your calorie burn and eliminate tiredness (a mere 5% drop in water can cause 30% energy loss).

6. Be positive!
Getting down on yourself does absolutely zero to fuel your weight loss results. On the flip side, research shows that loving your body can actually help you lose weight.

Confidence in yourself is critical for staying motivated in your pursuit to drop kilos so focus on nurturing your body and giving yourself a high-five for all of the strong, awesome things you are doing. Simply looking in the mirror and saying, “I am loving my body toward a healthier weight and am proud of my efforts,” is a good place to start.

7. Manage Stress.
Studies show that stress makes it hard to lose weight. This is one reason why some people just can’t seem to lose weight no matter how well they eat or how much they exercise, and if they do it’s a slow slog. In fact, stress is one of the most important – yet most often ignored – factors in achieving effortless weight loss. Long-term stress tells our body to hold on to body fat, it slows your metabolism and digestion, increases salt retention making you bloated and puffy, it causes microbiome inflammation and literally creates a hormone that makes you store fat – directly related to abdominal fat.

It’s imperative therefore you approach weight loss holistically and incorporate daily stress management habits to support your weight loss and health goals; yoga, 4-7-8 breathing technique, meditating, Heart Math training and writing in your gratitude diary (5 Minute Journal).

8. Walk to get ripped!
It’s the simplest but hugely effective fat-stripping activity that bodybuilders swear by and that compliments a calorie deficit diet without adding training stress (hello water retention, complete exhaustion and slowing down of the metabolism). Walking, especially on an empty stomach, is a low intensity exercise, which means it burns a higher percentage of fat. True, walking for 10 minutes doesn’t burn much fat, but walk briskly outdoors, or on a treadmill incline for 4-8 hours a week and you’ll burn a significant amount of fat without slowing down your metabolism. Furthermore, daily physical activity builds new brain cells, increases creativity, makes you smarter, enhances neuroplasticity, fights depression and alleviates stress.

9. Incorporate intermittent fasting Monday to Friday.
Intermittent fasting, is simply cycling between periods of fasting and eating. It’s one of the most effective and popular methods to lose weight and improve your health. Intermittent fasting allows the body to use its stored energy – by burning excess body fat for energy. The best way to incorporate fasting is the 8:16 method, meaning, you fast for 16 hours and feast during an 8 hour window eg. Break the fast at 12noon with a green smoothie, eat your last meal at 8pm and your lunch and 1 snack in between. Or if you have simply overindulged on the weekend and need a quick damage control tool, try fasting on Monday until dinner, or better still until Tuesday morning then resume normal eating habits. Black coffee, tea and water are all permitted whilst fasting.