11 Top Fitness Trainers Reveal the One Weight Loss Trick They Tell All Their Clients

Stop giving yourself excuses

A large part of the battle of getting on track to lose weight is in your head. Fitness and lifestyle consultant Ashley Borden says you need to “get over your story about why everything doesn’t work. We all have a ‘story’ about our reason.”

From “I’m not a morning person” to “I can’t stay on track” and “I don’t like water,” you need to drop the story that’s preventing you from accomplishing your goals. Borden, who has worked with Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling and Nick Swisher, claims that once you stop believing the story you’re telling yourself, you’ll be able to get more done. “I promise your actions will catch up with your mind!”

Your diet is the most important aspect of weight loss

“You absolutely can not outrun or out-exercise your diet, even if your diet is good,” says trainer Holly Perkins who has worked with Karlie Kloss, Adrian Grenier, Howard Stern and Billy Crystal. She explains that if your goal is to drop weight, it’s all about diet. “What this means is you have to be expending more energy than you’re taking in—another way of saying this is you have to eat less food, then you’re burning off,” says Perkins.

She says one of the best ways to achieve this is to be strategic about how much protein, fat and carbohydrates you eat. “The biggest mistake I see women make is they are out of balance on their protein-to-carb-to-fat ratio. And what this does is it throws your blood sugar out of whack, and when your blood sugar is out of whack, you won’t burn fat as effortlessly,” says Perkins. According to Perkins, your goal should be that 40 to 50 percent of your daily calories come from carbs.

She also suggests using a food tracking app. “Research has proven that if you’re trying to lose weight, you have to document what you’re eating. It automatically increases your odds of success,” says Perkins.

Be mindful

Shedding pounds could be as simple as being present and mindful when eating. “I’d say the most important thing is to be mindful of everything you put in your mouth,” advises trainer David Kirsch who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum, Kate Upton, Kerry Washington and Anne Hathaway. “Chew slowly and savor every bite.” He adds that avoiding added sugars, processed foods and saturated fats will also help you lose weight.

Don’t go out to eat hungry

“I’m all about living a full life, and I refuse to miss out on all the good food any city has to offer. But it doesn’t mean I need to eat the whole menu,” says trainer Erin Oprea who has worked with Kasey Musgraves, Marren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and Carrie Underwood. She suggests having a healthy snack before heading out the door.

“Think of it as having your appetizer before your meal. That way, once you hit the table, you’re not starving,” and you won’t overorder. “Socialize, enjoy the vibe, just don’t let overeating ruin all that hard work you do all day!”

Be consistent and patient

Personal trainer Kehinde Anjorin says her “number-one weight loss trick is consistency, effort, and patience.” She points out that too many people end up giving up after a few weeks, but it takes time to see progress. There is no quick strategy that will magically help you meet your weight loss goal overnight, notes Anjorin. “Focusing on fundamental principles a healthier long-term relationship with our bodies” for sustainable results.

Eat what’s right for your body

Victoria’s Secret model’s trainer Justin Gelband advises his clients to eat what’s right for their body and blood type. He suggests following Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s Blood Type Diet. Although Gelband feels that weight loss is very individualized, he also has some general tips. He suggests limiting sugar, salt and fats during the day if they’re interfering with your daily food intake, refrain from cheat meals and binging and have your largest meals in the morning and lightest meal at night before 8 PM.

Drink more water

This is a simple tip. As easy as it sounds, drinking more water can truly make a huge difference in your weight loss journey. “Drinking a glass of water can suppress your appetite, which leads to fewer calories consumed,” explains trainer Rhys Athayde who has worked with Ryan Seacrest, Victoria’s Secret Angels and more. “Water also helps move waste in the body.” Waste can build over time and lead to dehydration and constipation. “Expelling this waste from our body will shed some weight and reduce any bloating you may feel,” says Athayde.

Cut processed food and workout five days a week

Fitness trainer Anna Kaiser, who has worked with Shakira and Kelly Ripa, says you need to “workout 30 minutes a day, five days a week and cut out anything processed from your diet.” She suggests starting simple and committing to a routine, keeping in mind that it takes 40 days to solidify a new habit.

Change your goals to exclude weight loss

With a client list involving A-listers like Katy Perry and Rihanna, Harley Pasternak’s fitness advice is straightforward and celebrity-approved (even Kim Kardashian West has sought out his help!). “First, throw out your scale,” he says. “Rather than making a number your goal, make the process your goal, and as a byproduct, you will lose 10 to 25 pounds.” Translation: Switch your goals to exclude a weight-loss objective and instead focus on things that you have quantified control over.

“[Goals] shouldn’t be ‘I want to lose twenty pounds,’ they should be ‘I want to take twelve thousand steps a day,’ ‘I want to get at least seven hours of quality sleep a night, or ‘I want to eat protein and fiber five times a day,'” he says. Because these are all things you have direct control over, they’re much easier to achieve.

Don’t restrict yourself to solely doing lengthy workouts

In the realm of digital fitness, Rachel Brathen is quite the celebrity, spreading a much more wholesome and forgiving approach to fitness than many other trainers. “I think small habits are what eventually ends up changing your lifestyle. It’s the more sustainable thing,” she says.

“Practicing yoga for me has been a really life-changing thing. The idea that it doesn’t have to be this 90-minute super sweaty vinyasa class at a studio every day but instead rolling out the mat or keeping your mat rolled out and starting every day by stepping on the mat and seeing what comes up,” Brathen explains. “If you have five minutes that day, be okay with that. If you have an hour and a half, be okay with that. I think just getting into a routine of having that time—no matter how short—for yourself every day is super life-changing.”

Incorporate Small Changes Into Your Routine

“I give my clients the NW30, which is when you do 30 crunches in the morning and another 30 crunches right before bed for at least five days a week for a month,” says Nicole Winhoffer, trainer to stars like Madonna and Kate Hudson. The “second thing I tell my clients to do is drink at least three 1.5 liter bottles of water a day. Usually, people overeat because they are either thirsty or tired,” Winhoffer explains. So, by reaching for a water bottle before you eat, you’ll cut down the chances of binge eating when you’re really just thirsty.

“The last most important thing is sleep,” Winhoffer adds. “It’s important to get at least six and a half to eight hours of sleep a night.” Winhoffer’s go-to trick for ensuring you get enough shut-eye is to write down a pre-set bedtime and wake-up time into your schedule in order to adhere to a consistent time frame. “I think people schedule what they have to do in their lives in a calendar, but they rarely schedule in self-care.”