How to look 5lbs leaner and lighter

We’ve all been there. Even after putting in serious time at the gym, skipping carbs and foregoing dessert (and wine!), you’d still feel better if you could shift an extra pound or two. Maybe it’s wedding season or you have a beach getaway looming – whatever your motivation, these tips and tricks will help.

Even when you’ve been dutifully spinning or hitting up HIIT classes, your weight-loss efforts can plateau. But there are still ways to move the needle, says celebrity trainer David Kirsch. “Add a five-minute full body plank to your daily routine, or an express plyometric workout, such as squat jumps, or 20 reps of burpees with Spiderman push-ups (alternating bringing your knees up to your shoulders after lowering yourself down for the push-up).” Tack these on five minutes post-workout to supercharge your regular routine.

Tackling excess fluid can make a huge difference to your silhouette, says medical herbalist Daniela Turley of New York’s Urban Healing store. One easy trick? Increase your potassium intake. “This helps the body to excrete sodium and excess fluid,” she says. “Foods that are high in potassium include tomato, white beans, parsley, oranges, spinach, avocado, broccoli, sweet potato, peas, zucchini and watermelon. You can also drink high-potassium herbal teas, like nettle leaf and dandelion. Drinking three to four cups a day will help speed up the process.”

Intermittent fasting “puts your body temporarily into ketosis and reduces insulin levels, triggering a fat-burning state that allows you to lose weight more easily,” says Turley. “The easiest way to do this is to eat in an eight-hour window, having nothing for the remaining time.” If that sounds too restrictive, another tactic is to coddle your liver. “The liver is one of the highest metabolic organs in the body, even at rest,” Turley says. “Give your liver a boost by avoiding alcohol for two to four weeks to allow regeneration of liver cells. Taking herbs like milk thistle that boost glutathione production can also stabilize the liver membrane.” Make sure you’re getting enough protein, B vitamins, selenium and zinc “to support detox pathways,” she adds, and expect an extra bonus: “Giving the liver a break also helps with skin, energy, and mood.”

“The saying is: ‘If you can’t tone it, tan it,’” says celebrity tanning expert James Read. “Self-tan makes your body look more toned, and allows you to highlight the areas that you love.” Read’s suggested strategy is to apply a DIY self-tanner all over on day one, then on the second day, “stand on a towel in front of the mirror and mist a bronzing spray down the sides of the calves, just above and below the collarbone, and along the biceps. After three-to-four hours, shower it off. This adds a slight depth to the skin, which creates the effect of highlights and contours.”

Want a lasting change? A new non-invasive procedure, BTL Emsculpt tackles diet- and exercise-resistant fat with electromagnetic energy – and has zero downtime. “This is ideal for people who work out regularly and have good diets, but still have little pouches they can’t get rid of,” says Bruce Katz, MD, of New York’s Juva Skin & Laser Center. Electromagnetic energy is delivered via a single panel placed over the abdomen, love handles or derriere during each 30-minute session, which not only blasts away fat cells, but “tightens and tones muscles at the same time.” Four treatments are recommended over the course of two weeks, and improvements continue for up to two months afterwards.