Losing five or 10 pounds doesn’t seem too hard, but when you’re aiming for a 30, 40 or even greater, weight loss can get challenging. You may argue that celebrities have all the resources at their fingertips—and that’s certainly true—but they still have to put in the work to lose weight the same as you. So why not borrow their star-powered suggestions and incorporated them into your own routine? Follow these 50 tips from celebrities who have been in your shoes and successfully dropped the pounds and kept them off. And if you’re looking for a clear-cut guide to drop the weight, consider picking up a copy of the 14-Day No Sugar Diet. This two-week plan will help you cut added sugars from your diet. You can lose up to a pound a day!
1
Cut the Crap
Hunky star Chris Pratt had the daunting task of dropping the weight he purposely gained to play Andy on Parks and Recreation for his new role as Peter Quill, Star-Lord in Marvel Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy. He didn’t pull any punches when he talks about how he lost sixty pounds in six months (after starting at 295 pounds). “Three or four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work,” he told Men’s Journal. Pratt worked with a personal trainer and a nutritionist, increased his calorie count, and drank a lot of water.
When asked by a fan for his secret, he explained, “If you just cut the crap out of your diet, and if you spend an hour a day doing something physical that will make you sweat, six months will pass by, you will feel better mentally, physically, spiritually—it all is tied together.”
2
Everything in Moderation
The sultry singer Jennifer Hudson dropped an amazing 80 pounds and has kept it off for eight years. Her secret is portion control. “If you’re on a strict diet that says you shouldn’t have any carbs or this or that, your body won’t function the way it should,” the Dreamgirls discussed on talk show Lorraine. “I know now that I can eat anything I want and still lose or maintain my weight. It’s about portions and balance.”
3
Stop the Sugar
Alec Baldwin was a pre-diabetic when he met his then-girlfriend Hilaria, but he didn’t even know it. He admitted, however, that when he was done shooting 30 Rock he would eat pints of ice cream. He told USA Today that his diet was “sugar, sugar, sugar,” but when a doctor’s appointment uncovered a serious health concern, Baldwin decided to eliminate sugar and pastas, bread and refined carbohydrates from his meals. He dropped 35 pounds.
4
Try Pilates
Cutting out sugar wasn’t the only way that Baldwin dropped weight. Thanks to Hilaria, his now fitness expert wife, Alec added in a regular exercise program that included Pilates and spin classes.
5
Find Enjoyable Exercises
If Pilates isn’t your thing, that’s okay. Listen to recording artist Jordin Sparks, who at 16-years-old, was introduced to the world through her journey on American Idol. Today, she’s married and is a first-time mom to son Dana. Over the last few years, she’s concentrated on making herself healthier by dropping 50 extra pounds from her frame over a year and a half.
“The key was finding exercises I enjoyed. If you don’t, you won’t stick with it,” she told Redbook. Sparks enjoyed doing a form of Zumba called Sensazao.
6
Think Before You Eat
Jordin Sparks also knew that to drop weight, that she needed to make changes to her diet, so she questioned everything she put in her mouth. “Ask yourself, ‘Am I really hungry, or am I having this because it looks good?'” says Sparks who snacks on high-fiber fruit now instead of cookies.
7
Get Out of the Sugar Zone
Rapper Missy Elliott recently dropped 30 pounds and took to Instagram for some well-deserved bragging. She credits drinking water to her success. “It’s been 4 months I have only drank water no other juices or soda and I cut out bread and Lord knows that’s been the hardest for me!” The effort paid off though and Elliott is flaunting her new svelte look.
8
Schedule Time for Fitness
It’s no secret that actress Sara Rue dropped 50 pounds with the help of Jenny Craig weight loss, but it was still up to her to find time for fitness. How does Rue, who can be seen in ABC’s American Housewife and Netflix’ A Series of Unfortunate Events, fit in her exercising? “I make the time, whether it’s waking up a little bit early one day to get in 30 minutes on the treadmill before going to work or combining exercise with socialization,” said Rue to Cosmopolitan. “I live in a really great hiking area in Los Angeles, so I do a lot of hiking with friends. It’s a great way to catch up while you do something healthy and get outside. I focus a lot on walking. I do spin classes, major hikes, and generally try to stay active.”
9
Guilt Begone
How many times have you done really well on your weight loss plan only to let one slip-up derail you? Sara Rue advises you to forgo the goof-up guilt. “I’m a very all-or-nothing type of person,” Sara told Shape magazine. “Usually, the first slip I make, I’m done. But my Jenny Craig consultant tells me that just recognizing when I go off track is an improvement and a step toward my new healthy lifestyle. When you don’t feel guilty about going off track, it’s easier to get right back on.”
10
Work Out Together
We loved Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but she didn’t love her extra weight that piled up over the years. So she partnered with Nutri-System to take some control over her weight and dropped 40 pounds. She gives props to her husband, Mark Wilkerson, for making exercise fun and something that she didn’t want to stop. The couple spends about one hour, three days a week on weight training and Hart also does cardio and spinning classes. “The best part is that when we work out together, we just want to keep going so sometimes we end up working out for hours at a time,” Hart told E! News.
11
Make it a Lifestyle, Not a Diet
When Melissa McCarthy was training for Spy, she dropped some of the extra weight she was carrying without even thinking about it. The comedian found out that it was a great way to approach the rest of her weight loss. “I think there’s something to kinda loosening up and not being so nervous and rigid about it that, bizarrely, has worked,” she told Life & Style.
12
Keep Trying; You’ll Get it Right
It took Kelly Osbourne quite a few attempts at losing weight before she got it right. It took her appearance on Dancing with the Stars to learn a few tricks or two about choosing the right foods. But when the show ended and the weight crept back on, Osbourne realized that making better food choices needed to be permanent. “It may have taken me 26 years to figure it out, but I’ve finally learned how to do it right,” Osbourne told Shape magazine.
13
Keep a Food Diary
Jonah Hill was looking to slim down after his role in the film War Dogs. He sought out the help of his 21 Jump Street co-star, Channing Tatum, who gave him the number of a nutritionist he could work with. “He gave me the number of these guys and I went to this nutritionist,” Hill explained during an appearance on The Tonight Show, “And the doctor was like, do me a favor; write down what you eat every day and email it to me at the end of the day.” Besides the slip-up of accidentally emailing his food diary to musician Drake, it looks like his commitment paid off! Hill lost 40 pounds.
14
Pump Up the Protein
Kim Kardashian lost her baby weight by pumping up the amount of protein in her diet. She ate six ounces of protein at every meal, helping her to stay full and preventing picking at high-calorie, sugary treats.
15
Be Creative
If you watch Jenna Dewan on World of Dance, you would never think she had a weight problem, but like many moms-to-be she gained 33 pounds during her pregnancy. To drop the weight she had to fit fitness in to a crazy schedule. “When I’m rocking Everly to sleep, I do lunges across the nursery, squats or calf raises,” she told Us magazine.
16
Do it For Your Family
Drew Carey, the host of The Price is Right had been heavy for quite some time, but when he couldn’t catch his breath or keep up with his then-five-year-old son, it was time to make some changes so he could be there for his son. He told Parade magazine that he works out six days a week and does a lot of walking and running.
17
Recognize Your Body is Changing
Charlize Theron has gotten recognition for her role in Tully, a role she packed on 50 pounds. When her older child asked her what happened to her body, Theron knew that it was time to lose it, but it took a long time. ” You know your body at 27 is a little different than your body at 43,” Theron told ET. “My doctor made sure to make me very aware of that. Like, you are 42, calm down, you’re not dying, all good.”
18
Buy a Healthy Cookbook
He’s the self-proclaimed Queen of Media, but Perez Hilton needed help from other experts when he wanted to lose weight. After hiring a personal trainer and using a home food delivery service, he dropped 70 pounds. Cooking ahead of time is one of his tips for success. “I tell people to buy a healthy cookbook and make their meals twice a week ahead of time for the entire week. You can do it!” he told Shape magazine.
19
Dance the Pounds Off
Actress and comedienne Mo’Nique has been very open about her weight loss journey, sharing her loss and struggles along the way with her fans. She’s successfully dropped about 80 pounds and says that part of the reason why is because her personal trainer has her dancing. “It’s called dancing your pounds off!” she told People.com.
20
Learn How to Cook
When asked how he dropped almost 30 pounds, Teen Mom’s Tyler Baltierra told a fan on Twitter that he took control of his eating and learned how to cook. “The cool thing is, I’m actually learning how to cook pretty decent now! Almost been 8 weeks since I made the decision to eat healthier & I’m down about 30lbs & I FEEL GREAT!” he wrote.
21
Check for Medical Conditions
Pretty Little Liars Sasha Pieterse gained 70 pounds while trying to get her medical condition, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), under control. With help from her doctors and, of course, some dancing when she was on Dancing with the Stars, there’s no denying that she looks and feels much better.
22
Do Cardio
Maybe the key to success really is dancing, as another former contestant Property Brothers’ Drew Scott also admitted the dropped 30 pounds during his journey to try and win the mirrored trophy. He dropped a pant size as well and said that his now-wife Linda loves his new look.
23
Recognize What Works for You
Soleil Moon Frye gave birth to her fourth child and just couldn’t shake the baby weight. The former child star, now 40, signed up with NutriSystem because it allowed her to eat what she wanted and still lose weight. “I’m not someone that’s going to be able to live on lemon water. That’s just not my thing,” she told People magazine. She dropped 26 pounds.
24
Eat a Plant
Well not quite, but Kelly Clarkson says her 37-pound weight loss is thanks to following the book The Plant Paradox, by Dr. Steven R. Gundry, which cuts out most starches, from brown rice to potatoes; vegetables that are thought to cause inflammation and has other restrictions. The newest coach on The Voice also said that she has a thyroid condition that she’s been treating and has helped with her weight loss too.
25
Set a Goal
Ciara is the mother of two, who had her own post-baby weight to shed after her last pregnancy. So she set a goal to get it done. “It was just my own personal goal that I set for myself. It’s a whole different animal when you have two kids, and it felt really good,” she told People magazine.
26
Work Out for You, Not Your Waistline
Biggest Loser trainer Jen Widerstrom gained a lot of weight after college when sports ended, but her eating didn’t. She said, however, that her success in losing the weight came down to a shift in attitude. “The biggest mental shift happened when I finally stopped working out just for my waistline and really began to make these decisions because I felt at my best when I did so,” she posted on her Instagram.
27
Work Out for You, Not for Potential Dates
Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness gained 70 pounds in three months after his stepfather passed away, but he returned to the gym when he realized that it wasn’t a healthy weight for him. “There was a time when I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to lose this weight because if I don’t, then who’s gonna date me?'” said Van Ness to InStyle. “[Now], my working out is about me. It wasn’t always like that, but that’s where it’s landed.”
28
Let People in on Your Journey
American Idol’s Caleb Hutchinson took a year to lose 70 pounds and the Idol viewers got to watch his transformation along the way. He also shared it with his social media circles, forcing him to stay accountable. “The more the Instagram picture likes went up the more I wanted to hit the treadmill,” he said on the show. Hutchinson posted of his success recently on Instagram by sharing a photo wearing an old shirt saying, “Howdy folks, this shirt used to be too tight for me to wear. Today I donated it and quite a few others. God is Good.”
29
Treat Yourself!
When you have accomplished a goal, make sure to treat yourself. The Voice’s Meghan Linsey dropped 25 pounds thanks to Nutrisystem. On her Instagram account, she talks about treating herself to some much-deserved beach time.
30
Countdown to T25
Meghan Trainor might be ‘All About the Bass,’ but when it came time to getting herself into a healthier place, she assured her fans she did it the right way. The busy recording artist told Redbook magazine that she depended on Shaun T’s DVD Insanity and his program T25 which only takes 25 minutes to do and focuses on a different exercise every day. It was perfect for Trainor’s crazy schedule.
31
Keep These 5 Foods on Hand
Trainor knows that healthy eating goes along with exercising for the right success and she makes sure to keep five foods on hand at all time – water, lemon, celery, turkey and chicken.
32
Just Work Hard
There aren’t any magic potions to lose weight, but the magic formula has been around for quite some time. Eat right, exercise and work hard. SNL’s Jay Pharaoh dropped 40 pounds for a role a few years ago and has kept it off. He posted a selfie on Instagram and said, “Dropped 40 pounds over the last year no supplements just training n hard work YOU CAN DO IT 2!”
33
Bike It!
Depending on the role he played, actor Russell Crowe has packed on the pounds and then taken them off, so he was no stranger to having to do it again. How did he drop the 52 pounds he put on for his movie Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling? He hopped on his bike and started riding.
34
Stop the Bad Habits
The legendary Adele has dropped weight, but nobody knows exactly how much and speculation is that she’s on the Sirtfood Diet, which has become popular in the United Kingdom. The Sirtfood Diet focuses on certain foods that activate sirtuin, a type of protein that may help with anti-aging. Adele hasn’t admitted to this, although she has admitted to kicking some bad habits, including smoking and drinking a bottle of wine a day. “I was trying to get some stamina for my tour,” she told Vogue. “So I lost a bit of weight.”
35
Give Up the Carbs
Michael Weatherly plays Anthony DiNozzo on the CBS series NCIS and he’s gotten a little slimmer over the years. Dropping almost 40 pounds, Weatherly said that he stays away from most carbs, or anything that comes in a package like potato chips. “I stayed away from pasta, rice, bread, potatoes anything that’s fun to eat, I did not eat.” He even participated in his first triathlon in Malibu on Sept. 14.
36
Start Your Day a Little Green
Debra Messing is back on the successful reboot of Will & Grace looking a little thinner and healthier. Messing said that the weight loss came from just making some changes to be healthier. She told ABC News that she starts off her day with a green juice. “[That includes] kale and spinach and celery and ginger and lemon and cucumber,” she said. “At least I know I’m starting my day and getting a big shot of nutrients that I need. I start out strong.”
37
Work With a Trainer
If you’re not sure where to start, try what country music artist Miranda Lambert did when she dropped her 45 pounds. Hire a trainer. “I lost my weight the healthy and good old-fashioned way: Watching what I eat and working out with my trainer,” Lambert told First for Women.
38
Don’t Skip Breakfast
Talk show host Wendy Williams took three years to lose 50 pounds and she’s learned a few lessons along the way. The most important – don’t skip breakfast. “I have a variety of breakfasts. Like this morning, I had a…’sausage,’ ‘egg’ and ‘cheese’—everything from the vegan spot—English muffin,” Williams told E! News. “I like it with a little bit of maple syrup and some hot sauce, so you get the savory-sweet. That’s what I had this morning. But sometimes I’ll have a bunch of fruit…there’s always a green juice in the morning.”
39
Focus on How You Feel
Young girls have looked up to actress America Ferrara for years, so when she decided to take control of her weight, she did it the right way. When asked about it, she gave her admirers some worthy advice. “How much time have I wasted on diets and what I look like? Take your time and your talent and figure out what you have to contribute to this world,” she told Cosmopolitan for Latinas, “and get over what the hell your butt looks like in those jeans!”
40
Eat Smaller Portions
When former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jennie Garth saw a video of herself dancing, she didn’t recognize the woman who had packed on 40 pounds. She finally decided to do something about it and started with eating smaller portions, and eating a diet of Greek yogurt, salads, salmon and coconut water.
41
Give Up Late Night Snacks
Nothing like eating junk food when you’re hungry at midnight. Rocker Chris Daughtry fell into that bad habit when he was on the road, eating pizza, donuts and beer. He told People magazine that he took control of his late-night hunger pains and dropped 23 pounds. “I’ve got to be very smart about what I’m taking into my body and when I do it,” he says. “So I have to stop eating late at night, which is hard. When you’re on tour, you’re up late, and it’s tempting to eat, so I have to avoid it.”
42
Give Up Sugar
Actress Lorraine Bracco dropped 35 pounds and admits that her sweet tooth needed to be reined in. After breaking the addiction, Bracco said she couldn’t even swallow a Twizzler because it was too sweet. “It was so sugary, it was almost like poison to me,” she told Us magazine.
43
Forget ‘Cleaning Your Plate’
Raven-Symoné Pearman discussed on the daytime talk show, The View, that she was taught at an early age that she needed to clean her plate before she could leave the table. In order to break old habits and lose weight, Raven-Symoné had to forget this old teaching, so she told People that she orders food and purposely throws part of it away to practice portion control: “I order a veggie burger and throw away half a carton of French fries when I get it.” She also reportedly exercised with 30-minute elliptical workouts at least four times a week. Now, the advice she stresses for others looking to lose weight is simple: “I always preached, ‘Be comfortable with yourself,’ and I will preach that forever.”
44
Eat Almonds as Snacks
Boy George was a true Karma-chameleon when he dropped almost 80 pounds. When asked what he does between meals, Boy George said that he snacks on almonds to stay full.
45
Do Yoga
Lady Gaga swore by yoga, especially when trying to drop extra weight. “I’ve got to work out every day, and I work out hungover if I am hungover,” she told SiriusXM Radio. “It’s about the cross-training and keeping yourself inspired. I do a ton of yoga.”
46
Take Time to Destress
Christina Aguilera lost weight when she finally took some time off from all of her engagements and decided to focus on her. Keep stress at a distance so you can take care of you.
47
Use Food Services
If you don’t cook healthy, then have someone else do it for you. There are plenty of healthy food delivery services to keep you on track. Christina Aguilera once used a food delivery service that brought her low-carb meals right to her doorstep. Find one that works for you.
48
Be Consistent, But Fleixble
The gorgeous actress Blake Lively packed on the pounds when she was pregnant with her second child admitting on Instagram that the scale had gone up by 61 pounds. To lose it, Lively hired a personal trainer, Don Saladino, who make sure that she worked out regularly. “We kept the training very consistent,” Saladino told E! News about his workout plan for Lively. “We made sure that she was in the gym 4-5 days a week. Certain days, we worked for an hour, and other days they only had 20-30 minutes because she’s on a tough schedule with her kids.”
49
Don’t Be Too Strict With Your Diet
“The thing with Blake is that we always pay attention to food quality. The biggest misconception is food deficit. I don’t believe in that,” Lively’s trainer, Don Saladino, tells E! News. He goes on to explain that when you put yourself in a calorie deficit, you’re not only hungry, but you’re also missing out on your favorite foods. “I believe that we can still get a substantial amount of calories, proteins, carbs and fats to feed the body and become a fat burning furnace,” he explains. “That’s what we did with Blake. We did not put Blake on any crazy, strict diet. That’s not who she is. That’s not what she wants people to think she is. She enjoys eating delicious foods just like anyone else.” So you’re telling us that Blake was able to eat pizza and lose 60 pounds? Sign us up!
50
Drink Lots of Water & Cut Out Alcohol
Chris Pratt slimmed down for Guardians of the Galaxy with a lot of exercise, but he made sure to ditch one beverage and replace it with water. “Six months no beer,” Pratt captioned this Instagram post. Instead, he drank a lot of water along the way. Water is very important for a proper weight loss plan, but it does have one side effect: “I was peeing all day long, every day. That part was a nightmare,” said Pratt.
