Grandmother, 65, reveals the major change she made to her diet to feel ‘ageless’… and get a washboard stomach

A super-fit grandmother has revealed the simple lifestyle change which makes her feel ‘ageless’—and helped her sculpt her middle-aged midriff into washboard abs.

Lesley Maxwell, 65, a fitness trainer from Melbourne, Australia, has an enviably ripped core, and says that her toned figure catches the eye of younger men who flood her inbox with flirty DMs.

She said: ‘Many people don’t want to give in to the aging process. We don’t have to. I feel ageless and in the best shape of my life.

‘I feel younger now than in my forties. We can develop a younger body through how we train and what we eat. I’m testament to that.’ 

In videos posted to her nearly 150,000 Instagram followers, Ms Maxwell regularly shows off her strength by doing chin ups, and pumping heavy weights, and enthuses about a form of the carnivore diet which she says fuels her killer physique. 

Ms Maxwell follows an eating plan referred to as ‘carnivore plus’, which she believes is ‘way better for women’ than the original diet.

The carnivore plus diet, Ms Maxwell said, is a ‘smarter, female-focused’ version of the original diet.

‘I was amazed by the results of tweaking my diet and a slight adjustment in my training,’ she said.

‘I wanted to share this method with others who others who want to improve their body shape and health.’

The traditional carnivore diet doesn’t require people to count calories. Instead, foods must be high fat and high protein.

Interest in the diet, pioneered by influencer The Liver King, has soared in recent years, with clips on the subject reaching over one billion views on TikTok.

But the diet fad isn’t without controversies, or warnings. 

Many studies have linked eating just a few portions of meat, particularly red meat, with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

However, some experts have disputed the studies, claiming they don’t take into account the difference between processed and unprocessed meats. 

The carnivore plus diet involves eating ‘high protein, smaller meals that are more easily digestible to develop and maintain muscle tone,’ said Ms Maxwell.

‘We need on a daily basis approximately 2g of protein per kilo of ideal bodyweight, so for me, that’s over 100g per day’.

In viral videos, carnivore diet followers typically eat large amounts of protein in one sitting, such as steak and eggs. 

But rather than eating it in ‘one or two sittings’, Ms Maxwell opts for ‘four or five meals per day that contain 20 to 25g of complete protein per meal’.

Complete proteins are foods such as meat, poultry, fish and eggs which have all nine essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscles.

The NHS says meat is a good source of protein which the body needs to maintain and build muscle. Meat can also provide a good source of vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc and B vitamins.

However, the NHS advises people to choose lean cuts and limit their intake of red and processed meat. 

This is to maximise the health benefits while minimising the negatives, such as ingesting a high levels of saturated fat, which can increase the risk of developing high cholesterol.

While there are little to no studies on the carnivore plus diet that she shared, making the health impacts or dangers unclear, Ms Maxwell says it was the key to her impressive results, along with increasing her physical activity levels. 

On her fitness routine, she said: ‘I’m mainly focusing on weight training as I love it for both physical and mental reasons. It’s the best way to develop a younger body.’

But she adds that there is no quick fix to looking good but believes the only way to get a ‘revenge body’ is to commit yourself to working out.

‘I wish I could give you a magic trick, but believe me, you’re going to love this lifestyle,’ she said.

‘Training can have a magical impact on our mood, and there are lots of like-minded people in a gym.

‘You never know who you might meet!’

When she’s not posing for social media snaps with her granddaughters, Ms Maxwell helps other women who want to achieve their ‘revenge body’ – and says no one is too old to be in shape.

‘The “revenge body” is more to inspire that we don’t have to listen to naysayers – the people that don’t believe that we can lean be lean and strong at any age,’ she said.