Ballerina Farm's Daniel Neeleman says a book on why 'French women are all skinny' helped him avoid overeating

Ballerina Farm's Daniel Neeleman says this method helps him avoid overeating. Craig Barritt/Getty Images for TIME 2026-04-09T04:59:11.915Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Ballerina Farm's Daniel Neeleman says drinking water helps him keep his calorie intake in check. "I really believe in liquid, getting full on liquid," Neeleman said. He said that the tip came from a book "about why French women are all skinny." AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. What is the "tradwife" lifestyle? How does clean eating affect fitness? How do processed foods impact weight gain? Why are French women's diets influential? What are common misconceptions about water intake? Ballerina Farm's Daniel Neeleman says a diet tip inspired by French women helps him stay lean. Loading audio narration... Neeleman is married to "tradwife" influencer Hannah Neeleman. Between homestead life and raising nine kids, he says one simple trick helps him avoid overeating."I really believe in liquid, getting full on liquid. When I go to eat, have a bite of food, and have two big gulps of water. I have a bite of food, and have three big gulps of water," Neeleman told GQ in an interview published on Tuesday.He said that drinking water while eating helps him "get that full, satiated feeling.""If I just get full on food and I'm not drinking a lot of water, then I find that I can out-eat my calorie allowance really quickly," Neeleman said, adding that it can happen in a single meal if he's not careful."I can really pound food, so the liquid just helps me feel full without the calories," he said.When asked about the idea that drinking water during meals can disrupt digestion, Neeleman said he hadn't heard that before."But there's this book about why French women are all skinny and that is the crux of the book. They just drink a lot of water in between bites. And so that's worked for me. I've never had a problem with digesting," Neeleman said.Neeleman says he tries to keep his daily calories under 2,400 while still getting at least 210 grams of protein.He said his wife's sensitive stomach pushed her toward clean eating, which in turn influenced his own diet and made him more aware of how quickly processed foods can impact his weight."When I was younger, I could eat whatever I wanted. Even today, I'm a pretty steel-trap stomach type of a person. Hannah's amazed that I don't have any of those types of issues," Neeleman said."But what I notice is, from a weight standpoint, processed foods put on really bad weight for me really quickly. It just retains. That weight just kind of sticks to you," he added.At the end of the day, clean eating is about staying healthy, he said."The cleaner I can eat, the better I do in my fitness routines and easier it is for me to lose bad fat and gain muscle," Neeleman said.His wife has also spoken about how their family approaches food and nutrition.In October, Hannah Neeleman told Business Insider she prepares lunch for her family each day, typically consisting of a carb, lean protein, and vegetables.She rotates between potatoes, pasta, rice, and quinoa for carbs, while protein is typically steak or roast, with vegetables from their garden, she said."I make bread a few times a week, so if it's a bread day, then we have bread as well," she added.Neeleman isn't the only one who has made small changes to his eating habits to stay lean.Jennifer Aniston has said that she follows the "80/20" rule to keep her diet in check. The 80/20 rule involves eating healthily 80% of the time and being more flexible for the remaining 20%.Matt Damon has said that cutting gluten from his diet helped him drop to 167 pounds, a weight he hadn't been at since high school.