How To Stay Lean All Year (3 Rules To Live By)

It’s common for weight (and specifically: adiposity, i.e. how much fat we carry) to fluctuate throughout the year. This is reasonable; we are, after all, mammals—and so will naturally tend towards putting on a few pounds for the winter, if food is available to do so.

However, as we’re no longer living with the seasonal food scarcity of tens of thousands of years ago and earlier, it’s nowadays all too easy to put on significantly more weight for winter, and then it’s either a) an arduous challenge to lose it in spring, or b) it gets set as our new base weight, to which we will now add even more weight in the following winter, and repeat each year.

So… Is there a third option? Cori Lefkowith, of “Redefining Strength” and “Strong at every age”, shows how to keep the weight off for as long as you want:

In for the long run

With the caveat that this is for maintenance (and not any initial fat loss you might want to do first) her three principles are as follows:

1. Sustainability evolves: true change doesn’t feel sustainable at first—because it isn’t yet, in the sense of being self-sustaining, at least. Habit takes 3–4 months, lifestyle 16–18 months, and identity 3–4 years to form. Over time, habits become as automatic as brushing your teeth—you just have to get there!
2. Adaptability remains critical: one strategy won’t work forever; your lifestyle should evolve with seasons and circumstances. Doing less perfectly is infinitely better than doing nothing when you can’t do it all. Build a strong foundation (like tracking food or regular workouts), then adjust the smaller details (such as macros and specific exercises) as needed.
3. Mindset matters most: no perfect macro or workout exists—your mindset is what makes the single biggest difference. Generally speaking, people are held back more by unrealistic expectations, guilt, and self-sabotage than by a lack of tools or knowledge. Progress isn’t about avoiding setbacks completely (though by all means, do try to avoid them); what’s most important if and when they do occur, however, is recovering from them quickly.

PS: you might not want to be as lean as Cori! That’s fine. This very healthy writer usually has a body fat percentage around 21% or a little under, which is a) the level I prefer to maintain; I consider it optimal for me personally, and b) rather more than we see Cori with here. So all this to say, while the above method is presented as a way to stay lean all year, it’s up to you to define what body composition you want to “lock in” and then maintain.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!