Celebrities have access to the best trainers, nutritionists, wellness products, and exercise equipment that money can buy. So, it only makes sense that when they offer tips and tricks to getting healthier, staying in shape, and losing weight, the world listens. While some of their weight loss secrets may not be realistic for many of us, some of their fundamental words of wisdom can work for anyone. Celebwell has rounded up some of the most inspiring, motivational, and rational advice stars have given regarding shedding pounds . Read on for weight loss secrets from celebrities—including Rebel Wilson, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, and Kate Hudson—that can work for you, and the photos that prove they work for them. And to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bikini Photos!
1. Carrie Underwood: Count Macros Instead of Calories
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Country darling Carrie Underwood ditched calorie counting and instead started keeping track of macros. “I would ‘fall off the wagon,’ then feel terrible and repeat the cycle,” she explained to Women’s Health about her struggles with trying to stay slim in her younger years, sometimes eating as few as 800 calories per day. “Your body is screaming ‘I need more calories. I need more carbs!’" The “wannabe vegan” works with nutritionist Cara Clark, focusing on maintaining a healthy balance of 25 percent protein, 45 percent carbs and 30 percent fat. "I love rules," she admitted to Women’s Health.
2. Jennifer Lopez: Work Out “Harder and Smarter”
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Jennifer Lopez has adapted her fitness regiment over the years. However, instead of working out more, she is smarter about her workouts. "In my 20s and 30s I used to work out but not like I do now. It's not that I work out more; I just work out harder and smarter,” she told InStyle. “And it doesn't take me as long as it did in the past. I do it more for my health than I do for looks, which is funny. When you do things for the right reasons, you actually look better!"
3. Vanessa Hudgens: Work Out with Others
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Vanessa Hudgens can afford to pay a personal trainer for one-on-one workouts, but opts for group fitness and workout buddies instead. "I'm the type of person that needs to be in a class," Vanessa told Popsugar. "I need someone telling me what to do, and I love being in a group environment because I'm very competitive, so it pushes me to work harder than I would if I was by myself." The 32-year-old is a devotee of The Dogpound, a hardcore boot camp style studio The Dogpound she regularly visits with her friends. "HOT GIRL SUMMER IN FULL EFFECT," the gym recently wrote on Instagram, sharing a video of sweating alongside GG Magree in an intense HIIT workout.
4. Rebel Wilson: Approach Weight Loss From All Sides...Including Emotional
Working out and eating right are only part of the equation to weight loss, per actress Rebel Wilson, who lost a whopping 60 pounds in less than a year. While she majorly revamped her diet and embarked on a fitness routine, it was the work she did on the instead that helped her achieve her goals. "I think because I approached it from all areas ... the biggest thing that I haven't ever worked on was the emotional side, what I suffered from, I guess, as classical emotional eating … so I really worked on that side," she told Extra.
5. Rita Ora: Focus On Strength, Not Weight Loss
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Instead of trying to lose weight or get to a certain clothing size, Rita Ora suggests putting your focus on getting stronger. "I didn't start working out to get skinnier—I started working out to feel better. And I think it's important for women to know that,” she told Shape. “Don't be obsessed with being thin. You just have to be fit, healthy, and strong," she said. "I love my shape because it's curvy. I have thighs. I'm a size 28 in jeans. And that's an average, normal size. I'm proud that I'm normal."
6. Kate Hudson: Move a Little Every Day
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Kate Hudson has always been devoted to fitness. One of her stay-fit secrets? She moves every day. "Now that Rani is getting a little bit older and her nap schedule is longer, I've been able to work out at least 30 minutes a day, maybe five times a week,” she told InStyle. “I make sure that I don't go a day without doing something for 30 minutes. I've been doing that since April and I've noticed enormous changes in my body."
7. Jessica Simpson: Get Your Steps In
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After tipping the scales at 240 pounds during her pregnancy with third child, Birdie Mae, Jessica Simpson started walking her way to a 100-pound weight loss with the help of trainer Harley Pasternak. He started off by setting her goal at 6,000 steps and then eventually upping it to 14,000. "It had to be more than just getting back from her baby weight, but how do I keep whatever I am doing now forever. That's why we are not a big fan of doing any extreme diet or radical forms of exercise,” he told E! about the weight loss strategy he developed for the star, which also included healthy eating, sleep, and full body workouts. “Woke up before all 3 kiddos to get my steps in and spend time with me, myself, and I. Move move move for your own mental health,” she captioned a 2020 Instagram post.
8. Halle Berry: You Have to Commit
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Halle Berry, 54, looks half her age. According to the star, her biggest secret to staying in shape is her commitment to healthy living, including workouts with her trainer, Peter Lee Thomas, diet tips, and healthy living mantras. “You just have to have the will and the desire,” she told Harper’s Bazaar about what it takes to stay fit. “And you have to make up your mind that it's important. That's the hard work that people have to do."
9. Nicole Scherzinger: Everything in Moderation
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"Don't deprive yourself of anything because eventually you'll crave it and then you might binge on it. Everything in moderation," Nicole Scherzinger told Women's Health UK about her dietary rule. "For breakfast I love eggs and toast and smoked salmon or bacon, or porridge. For lunch I like maybe some soup or some sushi. For dinner, anything from pasta to rice, and meats and veggies, to sushi. When I'm going to indulge, I love pasta, pizza, I love Mexican with lots of cheese. I love French fries, or crisps – salt and vinegar crisps. In terms of snacks: almonds, coconut water, bits of coconut, baby carrots."
10. Gabrielle Union: Don’t Commit to One Workout Only
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Gabrielle Union allows her workout routine to evolve. "As the workout phases come and go, I'll try everything," she previously told Women's Health. "Nothing, not one thing, has stuck. I've tried kickboxing, cardio barre, I've tried a SoulCycle class...I'm not a class person." In a 2019 Instagram post, she also revealed that her motivations for exercise are also evolving. “There are times I workout for a job or specific athletic goals but usually I workout to maintain my peace. Sometimes i grunt, grimace, scream...many times I've cried while training. I've cried due to frustration. I've cried from physical pain. Many times I've cried as my fears and anxiety leave my body. For me, I'm always working out my spirit and exercising my soul. This morning felt like the end of a week of taking Ls, but today I got up and reminded myself that even when I lose, I win because I'm committed to learning and evolving,” she wrote.