16 Weight Loss Secrets of the Kardashians
How to get fit like a Kardashian
Here's How Much it Will Cost You to Vacation Like a Kardashian
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Fuel up with an energizing breakfast
Kendall has said she likes to kick off her days with eggs, avocado, and oatmeal (all of which have landed spots on our list of the 20 Best Foods to Eat for Breakfast). Kim also opts for scrambled eggs or oatmeal, or a protein shake with fruit.
The sisters are doing mornings right. Health’s contributing nutrition editor, Cynthia Sass, RD, is a big fan of beginning the day with an energizing breakfast to support your metabolism, as long as your a.m. meals are rich in protein, healthy fat, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber (in other words, not that sugar-laden blueberry muffin from the coffee shop).
She recommends a veggie, herb, and avocado omelet with a side of fruit or a smoothie with fresh greens, other veggies, fruit, protein powder, almond milk, and fresh ginger root.
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Buddy up for workouts
The sisters frequently sweat it out side by side—at their homes, on family vacations, and during private sessions with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson. Khloé considers Kourtney to be an awesome sweat companion, telling Health that "I didn't work out with Kourtney for so long, because I had always thought she was a baby, and I cannot work out with whiners. I'm badass. But then I worked out with Kourtney, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, she's super badass, too. She's a beast.'"
Having a dedicated workout buddy can have big benefits: "A workout buddy makes you accountable," Sam Eastwood, a personal trainer and the creator of the digital workout program Get Set Body, recently told Health.
Eastwood also encourages partnering up with someone even a bit fitter than you are. "They'll be able to do things you can't, which gives you natural goals to work toward," he said.
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Cut out sugar
Kourtney has said that she always tries to avoid sugar, especially refined sugar, for better energy and smoother skin. "Sugar is addictive and I notice that after I eat it, I need it," she wrote on her website. "Sugar doesn’t sustain you when you actually need energy, like for a workout. Also, when I eat sugar, I find that more cellulite appears."
RELATED: 6 Really Good Things That Happen to Your Body When You Quit Sugar
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Drink in moderation
Not all of the Kardashian sisters are into drinking, which may be helpful for their waistlines. "Kimberly does not drink alcohol whatsoever. Pregnant or not, she's just never been into it," Khloé shared with Elle last year. "Kendall and Kylie are not into it."
Kourtney, on the other hand, has spoken out about how she imbibes in a controlled way. She typically skips any cocktails that have sugary, hangover-inducing mixers and sticks to basic beverages. "When I do drink, I go for either tequila on the rocks, beer, or wine," she said on her app.
RELATED: How to Drink Without Gaining Weight
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Have healthy snacks on hand at all times
The Kardashians make an effort to sidestep processed chips, candy, and packaged treats and reach for healthy munchies to avoid energy slumps and empty calories.
"I always have healthy items available to me when I’m hungry, so it’s available quickly,” Khloé told People. "I’d rather eat a cookie than cut up vegetables, but now I don’t have an excuse."
If Kim needs to tame her sweet tooth, she said in a previous interview with Harper’s Bazaar that she will eat "those Justin's peanut butter packs; the almond butter is also really good. I'll just eat it plain." Kylie is apparently also a fan of these nut butter packs.
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Embrace fat
In Kourtney’s kitchen, you’ll find whole milk and full-fat cheeses. It may be a wise way to consume dairy: Studies have shown that when people cut back on fat, they tend to compensate for it by eating more carbs and sugar.
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Skip soda
Kourtney swears, "I don't drink soda—ever! I drink a ton of water during the day." (Khloé also once revealed her big sis doesn’t allow any soda in her house, including diet.)
Cutting out diet soda (and regular, of course) is a superstar weight loss move. While zero-calorie drinks may seem healthy, diet blends contain artificial sugar substitutes that are often more intense in taste than real sugar, keeping you hooked on the sweet stuff. Plus, they have no nutritional value.
RELATED: 10 Reasons to Give Up Diet Soda
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Repeat a healthy salad
The famous sisters are always eating a certain bowl of greens on their reality show. Kim tweeted, "On KUWTK everyone asks where our salads & yellow drinks are from—it’s a place in Calabasas called Health Nut. Chef salad w [sic] mango iced tea."
Megan Roosevelt, RDN, founder of HealthyGroceryGirl.com, confirmed to Health that their go-to order "seems to contain lots of veggies and protein, and I love the addition of avocado for healthy fat."
Also good: Repeating the same healthy meals you love may help you eat fewer calories, research has shown. Why? It’s possible that choosing the same healthy meals you enjoy helps to streamline your diet and prevents you from making snap decisions about what to eat or order.
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Avoid workout boredom
You probably won’t see these women sporting bored facial expressions on the elliptical for an hour. Khloé, Kim, and Kourtney regularly share videos on Snapchat of themselves slamming battle ropes, balancing on BOSU balls, punching it out in boxing gloves, pushing weighted sleds, and more.
Switching up your exercise regimen can help you avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau and help you build muscle and burn more calories. Plus, a fresh new routine or piece of gym equipment gives you something new and fun to look forward to.
RELATED: 7 Moves Khloé Kardashian Does to Sculpt Her Killer Body
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Sweat outside
Kendall has spoken in the past about her love of running outdoors. "You can go on a run on a treadmill but it’s really not the same," she told People in a previous interview. "You’re always like stuck inside, you’re always in a gym, or you’re always in your phone or whatever."
Kendall may be onto something: Stepping out of the gym and into the sunshine may actually help you burn more calories, according to a study published in the journal Gait & Posture. The researchers found that people tend to run more slowly when they're on a treadmill compared to outside (even though they think they're going just as fast).
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Allow for indulgences
The Kardashians don't swear off sweets and treats every single day. Kim admitted she indulges in fast food and churros from time to time. Khloé also shared a photo of herself eating Popeye’s on a private jet, writing in the caption, "Cheat day but it's so worth it!!!"
It’s actually smart and healthy not to deprive yourself of all of your favorite treats; doing so can lead you to binge later and have food guilt. But instead of planning and scheduling entire "cheat" days, try thinking of indulgences as "splurge moments" that happen naturally in your life. "I think it's better if indulgent moments pop up organically, like if a friend has a party and you decide to enjoy the cake," Robb Wolf, author of Wired to Eat, recently told Health.
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Stay active on vacation
When the Kardashian family goes on vacation, all healthy living rules don’t go out the window. Kim has said that during visits to Paris, she still works out at L’Usine gym. And last year, Kourtney also posted videos on Snapchat of her lunging (while in a bikini, of course) down a boardwalk in the Bahamas.
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Down apple cider vinegar
On her digital platforms, Kourtney has said that she drinks a glass of water mixed with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the morning and at night.
There isn’t enough scientific evidence available to prove that ACV is some miracle flat-belly elixir. However, the stuff does seem to help regulate blood sugar, research has shown. If you do want to give it a try, don’t drink it straight; undiluted shots of ACV can wear down tooth enamel and damage the esophagus over time, warns Sass.
Instead, she suggests swirling two teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of organic honey into a cup of warm water and drinking it once a day. Or simply use ACV as a main ingredient in salad dressing or in a side dish.
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Drink ghee first thing
"Ghee is the first thing I put in my body every morning," Kourtney said on her website, adding that she believesthe butter-like substance is full of vitamins and may aid weight loss. "I take one big teaspoon of ghee every morning and melt it on the stove in a pan and drink it out of a cute little ceramic white cup."
After drinking it down, she doesn't consume anything else for 20 minutes. After that, "I drink a glass of water before eating food."
So what is ghee, exactly? The trendy food originated in India and is a variation of clarified butter. The type of fatty acids in ghee may be better for your heart and digestion than those in regular butter. But there is no scientific evidence to show that eating ghee by itself has any health benefits. Ghee is still just fat; and while eating some amount of fat is good for you, having a big spoonful every morning is unnecessary.
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Get revenge (with a hot bod)
After her breakup from former professional basketball player Lamar Odom, Khloé used the gym to emotionally heal and better herself. She eventually turned her newfound love of fitness into the hit show Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian on E!.
But Health’s contributing psychiatrist, Gail Saltz, MD, warned against this tactic. "If revenge [over an ex] is the sole motivation, it probably won’t last," she explained in a previous post. "People who lose weight for external reasons usually cannot maintain it.”
That said, if one of life's curveballs motivates you to change your habits, it’s perfectly healthy to channel that good energy into getting fit. "I’m in favor of whatever might get you healthy, long as you’re placing the emphasis on feeling good, feeling healthy, and liking your body," Dr. Saltz said.
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Wear a sauna suit
Kim and Khloé have used sauna suits to sweat more during their workouts. (The garment locks in heat and makes you sweat like crazy.)
But many fitness pros do not endorse this: You can lose water weight in the short term, but you risk overheating and getting dehydrated (and you’ll gain the water weight back when you rehydrate!).
"Sauna suits can cause a rapid increase in body temperature, but because the skin is covered, sweating won't help evaporate heat," Lisa R. Leon, PhD, chief of thermal and mountain medicine at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Massachusetts, told Health.