Lean Life Tips was born out of two very different weight loss journeys.
We are two regular people who have learned the hard way how to finally live with a body we are happy with. These are some of the tips and tricks we learned along the way, the health and fitness knowledge we picked up and the frustrations we faced with the diet industry information, misinformation and dogma.
Hello, I’m Bruce Dinsdale—Personal Trainer, weight loss coach and imperfect health nut.
I’ve been interested in health and fitness since leaving school over 30 years ago. I read the bodybuilding magazines, the men’s fitness magazines, dozens of health and diet books, hundreds of blogs and articles, spent hours poring over research studies. . . and did nothing.
It wasn’t until I hit my forties that I finally said enough is enough.
I jumped wildly outside of my comfort zone and entered an online body transformation challenge, finally putting into practice what I'd learned, with the inspiration and guidance of Tom Venuto and his excellent Burn the Fat Program.
Beyond all my expectations I won the “Most Ripped” category with a body fat level of around 7-8%.
Not amazing by today’s Insta-body standards, but for me it was a physical, mental and emotional breakthrough—and I was delighted (still am!)
Personally, I love the lean, wiry look. It’s not to everyone’s taste, with most guys and all the fitness gurus constantly chasing maximum muscle and strength gains, but for Claire and me it’s about being happy in our own skin.
It's about achieving the healthy body we are comfortable with, without spending our lives in the gym or obsessing over every morsel we eat.
Shortly after my transformation I qualified as a Personal Trainer to share my love of the lean life, and help and inspire others to find their own healthy, happy body.
Hi, I’m Claire.
I started overeating when I was about seven, probably as a coping mechanism when my parents split up. And didn’t put my fork down until more than twenty years later.
I was fat, funny and fabulous—on the outside.
But inside I was scared, unhappy, lonely and. . . hungry.
The volume of food I could pack away would feed a small family. But I didn't stop.
Chocolate and chips were my best friends. Friday wasn’t Friday without a double Chinese takeaway.
My biggest regret now is not buying shares in Coca Cola before I doubled their annual revenue.
But the day finally came when I was ready to change. I discovered a calorie counting app called MyFitnessPal, and started working my arse off. Literally.
With the help of a fantastic friend (who it turns out I could love and hate in equal measure) I ran and sparred, lunged and squatted and did push ups, kettlebells and crazy things with medicine balls until 3 years later and 90 pounds lighter I could breathe again.
No seriously, I could actually move and breathe at the same time, for the first time ever.
Who’d have thought that girl in the first picture would ever work up to running 8 miles without even stopping for a slice of pizza?
But it’s not all a bed of roses now. The struggle is real every day.
I still train several days a week, and have to watch my diet to make sure the weight doesn’t go back on, and yes that still happens as well.
Some of the weight has come back on, proving that weight loss is never a means to an end but a journey. A lifelong journey of consistently making more good choices than bad (I'll never be perfect) on a daily basis.
But I’m in such a better place now. Physically the improvement is just ridiculous.
But more importantly, mentally I’m a changed person, both in my inner (happy) self and my entire approach to life.
I can now say that I love myself and I love my body. Any weight I have still to lose is done from a place of love not loathing. Respect your body, treat it with kindness, make it stronger and give it what it needs (turns out it doesn't need double Chinese every weekend).
It still pisses me off that Bruce seems to effortlessly maintain the body of a racing snake [it's not entirely effortless—Bruce], while I look in the mirror and still see a racing hippo. But it beats the wallowing hippo that used to stare lazily back at me.
And I’m thrilled that I can be here to share my story and actually, finally smile about it, talk about it and by sharing a few of the things I've learned along the way, hopefully help a few other girls going through the same thing.
Our goal with this blog is not to send out epic posts in an attempt to blind you with science. Useful as it is to know the facts, sometimes all we want is to get down to the nitty gritty and find out what to do. It is important to know that the advice you follow is evidence based and legitimate, but at the same time you should be aware that, as with everything, all the science doesn’t apply to all the people all the time.
Case in point—nuts are full of healthy fats and protein, a great source of fibre and generally recommended as part of a balanced diet. But if you have a nut allergy you wouldn’t wanna go there.
Don’t be blinded by all the facts and figures, or the great arguments you read for this or that “best” diet. Step back and ask yourself if it’s right for you. Do you have to go “all in” or can you get the same benefits with less of the hassle? Is there an alternative method that might be better for you? Are the “evidence based” facts presented only one side of the story?
We’re learning more and more every day (as is nutrition science generally) that diet, nutrition, health and life itself cannot simply be taken at face value.
We want to help you look at all the options available to you. To look at the alternatives. To think outside the food box and most importantly to experiment on yourself (in a safe way of course). Discover what works for you to keep you fit, lean and healthy and don’t assume it’s the same as for your friend. And don’t assume the latest research study results apply to you—unless you were part of the study.
Much of what we share is our opinion, based on research, observation and common sense. If you don’t agree please feel free to comment and let us know.
