4 Tips for Debloating Before a Big Event

When awards season rolls around, it’s crunch time for Hollywood stars. They have one thing on their mind: getting red carpet ready. Although celebrities usually undergo months of preparation, the last few days can make or break how they feel when they hit the carpet in those gorgeous looks.

How do they always manage to look flawless on the carpet? It starts from the inside out. We turned to nutritionist Keri Glassman for her tips on banishing the bloat before a big night. For the record, these aren't get-slim-quick schemes, because no one needs to get slim. Your body is beautiful the way it is. What we're talking about is debloating, not losing weight.

Keep scrolling for four expert-approved tips to help you de-bloat, stat.

Drink Liquids and Diuretics

Banish bloat by consuming diuretic foods like celery and fennel and digestive-friendly foods like asparagus. You’ll also want to rid yourself of that puff by pushing fluid out with—as counterintuitive as it sounds—fluid! Drink at least eight glasses of water and two cups of green tea a day. The day before your special occasion, drink a cup of dandelion root tea as well.

Drinking water throughout the day will reduce bloating, flush out toxins, hydrate your skin to achieve a healthy glow, and keep your digestive organs in good working order. Green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and dandelion tea acts as a diuretic, further reducing toxins and bloating.

Avoid Processed Foods

Eat whole, real foods and no packaged, processed foods as those are usually loaded with sodium and chemicals that your soon-to-be cleansed bod does not want. Glassman also tells her clients to get their greens, as they're loaded with antioxidants for glowing skin and packed with water and fiber to ease digestion and keep you full. Choose your fruit wisely as some are more easily digested. Papaya and pineapple are a couple of faves.

Move Your Body

Get 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and at least 15 minutes of weight training each day the week before your event. Alternate days between different muscle groups to allow muscle recovery and growth time, says Glassman. For example: Isolate your shoulders, triceps, calves, and hamstrings one day. The next day, focus on your back, biceps, quads, and abdominals. (Reminder: Muscle burns more calories than fat, and lean and strong is sexy.)

The morning of your big day, Glassman recommends doing some good ol’ classic pushups and crunches to boost blood flow and invigorate you for the night. Most people find more muscle definition in the hours immediately following their workout, which is a nice bonus for your strapless ensemble. Exercise also helps with circulation, giving your skin a glow good enough to compete with Jennifer Lopez.

Don't Sacrifice Your Sleep

Glassman says that you should aim for eight hours a night of zzz’s and settle for no less than seven. We tend to sacrifice sleep to fit other things into our busy schedules However, adds Glassman, sleep should really be prioritized the same as drinking water (and getting your eyebrows done), especially when we want to look and feel our best. They don’t call it “beauty sleep” for nothing.

While we sleep, our body’s natural antioxidant melatonin, a sleep hormone, fights off free-radical invaders. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you’re reducing the amount of time that melatonin gets to fight off wrinkles and those bags under your eyes will only get worse. By getting adequate sleep, you’ll not only look and feel well-rested but your immune system will be strengthened.

The Bottom Line

The tips that Glassman has outlined will work wonders in helping you debloat before any event. But they're not going to help you lose weight or "slim down" overnight. We share these tips to help relieve the pain from bloating—and, yes, to save you the heartache of a dress fitting a little too tight. We don't, however, share these to say that everyone needs to be a size 0. After all, that's not what fashion—or red carpets—should be about.

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