Bodybuilder Hattie Boydle's 2,400 calories a day diet includes protein, carbs, and veggies to help maintain her lean, toned physique

• Australian bodybuilder Hattie Boydle maintains her physique by eating 2,400-2,600 calories a day.
• She eats three meals (including lots of rice) and various snacks.

Hattie Boydle is a world champion bodybuilder, fitness coach, and influencer who helps clients get in shape and develop healthy relationships with food.

Boydle told Insider she stays lean and maintains her muscle by training hard, and eats a balanced diet which includes plenty of carbs for fuel, vegetables for health, and protein for her muscles.

She also said she follows the 80/20 principle, enjoying alcohol and meals out sometimes to ensure she's not being too restrictive.

Boydle follows the 80/20 principle

Boydle said she practices "flexible dieting," which means she tracks her food intake and counts macros (macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fat).

She strives to hit daily targets for each macro, but doesn't limit any foods. She follows the 80/20 principle, eating wholesome, unprocessed foods 80% of the time, and "soul foods" the remaining 20%.

After overcoming an eating disorder in her teens, Boydle said that tracking food can become obsessive, so she approaches it scientifically, using the data to help her perform at her best.

She eats plenty of vegetables to ensure she gets lots of nutrients, carbs (particularly rice) to fuel her workouts, and protein to help her muscles recover and grow.

"Just like anyone else, if I don't watch what I eat, how much I eat, and how I exercise, I don't stay in shape," Boydle said. "I'm no different from anyone else. But the fact is that I'm devoted to looking and feeling a certain way."

Boydle eats 2,400 calories a day

To maintain her physique, Boydle currently eats 2,400-2,600 calories a day.

An average day of eating currently looks like:

• Medium skinny cappuccino
• Bagel with cream cheese, eggs or salmon, and 300g vegetables like broccoli or zucchini
• Coffee with full cream milk
• 300g rice with 300g vegetables and 120g lean beef mince, chicken, or barramundi with sesame sauce
• Apple and raspberries with 170g yogurt and 35g chocolate
• 200g rice with 300g vegetables and a different protein to lunch
• Low-calorie hot chocolate

Boydle eats out up to 5 times a week

While in prep mode for a bodybuilding competition, Boydle said even with a strict diet, she still eats out two to three times a week.

But she's more flexible at other times of the year, eating out up to five times a week and still drinking alcohol roughly every other weekend.

"People are always focusing on being lean, but there's a cost to that. You have to to recognize that you can't eat out as much with your friends, and you have to be devoted to nutrition, so you have to work out if that's what you really want. Is it worth the sacrifice?" she said.

Boydle said she's learned that she can't be strict with her diet all the time because she ends up feeling "tired" and "unfulfilled."