How To Lose Weight Like a Movie Star

No actors were harmed in the making of this guide

If like me, you have often wondered how an actor can transition to and from entirely different body types with ease, somehow having the ability to morph from a Greek god’s physique into a bucket of lard and back again in a matter of months, then these 4 reasons will explain everything.

Because there is nothing more infuriating than working hard to say no to the foods you desperately want to eat, and then watching as the newest superhero to fly onto our screens claims to eat pizza and hotdogs every week.

It is demoralizing and, worse than that, dishonest.

Excellent Nutrition

Whilst a lot of Hollywood royalty may indeed use a nutritionist, it is by no means all of them; and even more so, why do you need someone to tell you to eat more protein and fewer carbs — I hazard to think we have all learned that by now.

Fittingly, the first step to successful fat loss is always better nutrition. It fuels our workouts, drops the fat from our hips and sets us on the path of success. But, in the absence of a famed nutritionist, you have to do this yourself and devise a plan — your very own a bible of meals and foods that you will eat, and those that you absolutely will not.

First on the list should be your main proteins, this doesn’t mean they have to be meat, many vegetarian/vegan alternatives can be just as good, and, depending on what research you read, perhaps even healthier than meat. Protein will ensure that any weight you lose from muscle loss is minimal, as well as boosting any muscular gains you get from exercise and keeping active.

The next step is creating a list of accompaniments that compliment your taste buds without antagonising your calorie goals. Examples such as brown rice, sweet potato and various varieties of legumes are excellent choices. But, only write down the ones you intend to eat, otherwise creating a meal becomes a tiresome game of avoiding the bad choices. And of course, add the green stuff.

The important thing about developing a food bible is that you adhere to its rules, the primary reason celebrities can drop those kilograms and tone up is that they are desperately motivated, after all, wouldn’t you be if you had a large paycheck at the end of it?

Lose Weight Like a Movie Star With Exercise

This one is tough. The correct answer to “How much should I exercise” depends on you, and only you, however in most cases it is more than you think. During my research, I read many stories of Navy Seals eating more than 6000 calories a day, and yet still losing fat and building muscle.

The answer to how I hear you ask? 5 hours of vigorous training exercises in tandem with these enormous meals. A similar thread is uncovered when we look towards our favourite TV icons, especially those with the largest physiques.

Look at any actor’s exercise regime, and you will see one major similarity — they have all had morning and afternoon workouts. Not content with just one burst of fat-burning activity, they double up and do it all over again. Whilst many of us struggle to find the motivation to exercise once a week, these people are out here exercising 10–15 times in the same amount of time.

They know that the only way to decimate their goals is to try harder than anyone else is; Hollywood breeds competitiveness in its auditions and callbacks — it’s only natural that this made the jump to the rest of their lives. So get yourself a personal trainer, but a special one that lives in your head. You don’t need the perfect regime so that your abs can look great in studio lighting, all you need is the fundamentals to build enough muscle to pass as an Avenger.

Research for yourself what kind of physique you want to train for, what muscles you should be hitting regularly and what to skip until next week. Doing this will help you understand how you are training yourself, as well as why. Because the difference between an amateur at the gym and a pro is simply possessing the knowledge to know when to switch it up.

Lose Weight Like a Movie Star With Meal Preparation

The most unobtainable technique that big-budget stars use is private chefs, however, it is also the least helpful.

After a long and arduous day at work, how often do we come home and see that we still have to cook and sigh so hard we fall right into ordering take-out? It’s not our fault, it is sometimes just so convenient that you can’t avoid it. Unless you have someone whose only job is to prevent this exact thing.

After spending so long getting their nutrition at the perfect stage, it would be unthinkable for an actor to reset back to the start and have to redo the entire process again — and so they hire someone to keep them on track.

But how can we be expected to retain a personal chef for our weight loss journey? We become the chef, mon chéri.

Working from your food bible, you can easily create seven days worth of meals that will curb your hunger, as well as protect you from slipping and ordering something regrettable.

And before you think that you could never match a bespoke meal from a qualified chef, turn your attention to the plethora of recipes and inspiration you can find on the internet. Entire communities are doing just this with thousands of recipes for meals to fit any diet. And I guarantee you aren’t as picky of an eater as the chef’s celebrity muse.

Lose Weight Like a Movie Star With Motivation

Finally, we come to the final requirement — a deep and fierce level of self-control.

It may surprise you that when negotiating a contract for an appearance in a movie, there are physique requirements and rules for how an actor, or actress, can eat and exercise leading up to their role. Some studios go so far as to outright provide a nutritionist and personal trainer that they must use, but that doesn’t mean that we should all rush out and do the same thing.

This is all born from an overabundance of caution from executives who need to be able to rely on the stars to produce results, not a desire to look better on the beach — my preferred motivation.

When chasing their desired figure, every actor (and actress) does so with the promise of fame and fortune as well as a helping hand from those in Hollywood, however, we are unfortunately not so lucky and have no such gilded promises. Instead, we have to manifest our own reasons for sticking to our commitments.

The solution is to create your very own pot of gold at the end of the weight-loss rainbow, Start thinking hard about what you desperately want but have been delaying because it was too expensive, or a big purchase you didn’t really need it and place that directly on top of your final goal.

Without a reason to push forward, you will inevitably fall into the trap of losing sight of the end. And this is where I can provide no assistance, no help or advice because it has to be fundamentally yours and yours alone.

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I can tell you that I would choose a puppy — I am pretty sure I would lose an arm just to reach the weight I needed to buy one, and any goal you are willing to risk dismemberment for is sure to keep you going on those difficult days.