Fitness coach Rachel Dillon reveals the six rules she follows to maintain her toned figure

An Australian fitness trainer has revealed the six rules she follows to maintain her enviable figure, including doing less cardio and taking more rest days, after admitting she’s gone to “extremes” in the past to stay fit.

Rachel Dillon, from Queensland, has abandoned the “all or nothing approach” to her health that she took eight years ago while preparing for fitness competitions that she described as “unsustainable”.

in a to post Taking to Instagram, Rachel shared a before-and-after photo showing how her body has changed from 2015 to now, when she’s “kinder” to herself in her diet and exercise routine.

‘I don’t love one photo more than the other. I love myself and where she was on my journey in both photos,” she wrote in the caption.

“However, I have evolved and I am very proud of how far I have come both physically and mentally.”

Rachel said she makes sure to enjoy all foods in moderation, as well as a variety of training and movement styles.

She also takes more rest days, does less cardio, and said she embraces her body and loves her strength.

“Most of all, I have never been kinder to myself and I can say that I have fully accepted that this is a LIFETIME journey and that I love the journey.” she said.

In 2015, when the first photo was taken, Rachel was preparing for her first fitness competition and said she did her best to stay in shape.

‘I was 100 percent guilty of following the ALL OR NOTHING approach. It’s honestly pretty horrible when I reflect on some of the lengths I used to go to,” he confessed.

She said that she would eat ‘simple cooked fish’ every day for breakfast before starting work at 5 am.

‘Honestly, everything about my first draft preparation was overkill, but since I was new and uneducated, I didn’t question it. I followed EVERYTHING to the letter,” Rachel explained.

2015 versus now: She has abandoned the “all or nothing approach” to her health that she took eight years ago while preparing for fitness competitions that she described as “unsustainable.”

‘Did I see great results? Well, sure, but was it somehow sustainable? Definitely not.’

In the years since, Rachel said she has worked to develop a lifestyle she enjoyed while achieving her fitness goals.

“I didn’t think it was possible either, but the more I learned and tried, the closer I got to finding what worked best for me and my ideal lifestyle,” he said.

“Eight years later, five draft preps later and I’m proud to say I’m enjoying and constantly perfecting the lifestyle I lead on a day-to-day basis and I couldn’t be happier.”

Rachel said she makes sure to enjoy all foods in moderation, as well as a variety of training and movement styles. She also takes more rest days and does less cardio.

Previously, the fitness guru shared exactly what she eats in a day to feel full and look her best, as well as the nutrition hack she swears by.

Rachel said the easiest way to avoid feeling like you’re depriving yourself is to follow a diet approach called “bulk eating.”

This means that you focus on completing your diet with foods that are larger in volume (size) but lower in density (or calories).

Previously, Rachel shared her day on a plate, saying that the easiest way to avoid feeling like you’re depriving yourself is to follow a diet approach called “eating in volume.”

By eating in bulk, you focus on completing your diet with foods that have a higher volume (size) but a lower density (or calories).

She said non-starchy foods like tomatoes, spinach and broccolini are free to add to your diet and don’t need to be counted in your calorie intake.

“Something I often hear from women when they start a program is that they can’t believe how much less calorie food they eat,” Rachel posted in instagram.

“To still feel full, I could opt for four rice cakes with toppings on half a bagel, filling me up on the same number of calories.”

On a typical day, Rachel eats between 1,800 and 2,000 calories.

These include lots of protein, complex carbohydrates, green leafy vegetables, and high-fiber foods.

“I focus on adding high-fiber foods to my meals, like whole grains, green vegetables, and chia seeds, so I feel full longer,” she said.

Breakfast can be something like a slice of whole wheat toast, some egg whites, avocado, a handful of strawberries, and a handful of blueberries.

When it comes to lunchtime, Rachel likes to have something energy-dense to sustain her through a training session.

On this particular day, he enjoyed protein pasta, tuna, broccolini, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and tomato pasta sauce.

“Non-starchy vegetables like broccolini, green beans, and tomatoes are high in fiber and extremely low in calories,” Rachel said.

Rachel likes to eat lots of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, such as raspberries and blueberries, as they help keep her feeling full longer.

Foods like tuna, high-protein pasta, and ground turkey are great options to help you feel fuller.

This makes them a great addition to any meal since you don’t really have to count their calories.

“I find foods like broccolini and tomatoes are the perfect way to bulk up meals to help me feel full, and they’re full of micronutrients and delicious,” Rachel said.

She snacks on four rice cakes topped with cream cheese and cucumber in the morning, before having a smoothie of chia seeds, raspberries, unsweetened maple syrup, and almond milk in the afternoon.

Dinner for Rachel on this particular day was ground turkey, whole grain noodles, soy sauce, chili, peas, broccoli, and cauliflower.

If she’s craving something sweet after dinner, the fitness trainer won’t deny herself a square or two of chocolate.