Angelique Daubermann – Cracking the Code

After years of yo-yo dieting, Angelique Daubermann (a.ka. The Lean Girl) has built a veritable empire sharing the simple hacks and science-backed secrets to weight loss that led to the toned bod you see here. Read on for a glimpse behind the gram.

- By Michelle October

The lean girl hands me water. “I’ve been watching you,” she says firmly. “You need to hydrate.” It’s 8:30 am on a Tuesday and we’ve both been awake since 5 am for a morning walk, followed by a gruelling arm workout in the gym. Now, she’s fresh and energetic, while I feel like a drooping daisy. But with diligent care, she’s decided to buy me a water to go with my second cup of coffee in as many hours.

Every morning for the 32-year-old weight-loss coach and social media phenom goes like this: 5 am wake-up, ginger and lemon shot, journalling, offto Seattle Coffee for her daily almond cappuccino with one Canderel and a walk on the Sea Point promenade in Cape Town, followed by a workout at the gym.

I’ve decided to join her morning ritual and I’m amazed at all she’s willing to get done this early in the morning. She’s the quintessential That Girl (you know, the Girl all over your TikTok, journalling at 6 am and working out before her brain can ask her to do otherwise). Her confident walk and decisiveness in everything she says and does, echoes a vibrant sense of having it all figured out.