5 Ways to Lose 5 Pounds—From the Guy Who Gets A-Listers in Shape

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This article was written by Cathryne Keller and provided by our partners at Fitbie.

When you first started to overhaul your food and fitness habits, it probably felt like you were slimming down faster than a new celebrity mom. But now that you're getting closer to your goal, the scale is no longer cooperating. What gives?

RELATED: 7 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight 

Part of the problem is that bigger bodies burn more calories, so the smaller you get, the harder you have to work in order to drop pounds. But that doesn't mean you have to starve or kill yourself at the gym to lose more fat.

We called up celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak (responsible for such impressive slim-downs as Jessica Simpson's) to find out how to push past your plateau and finally reach your weight-loss goal. Here are the 5 Poundsauthor's top five tips for losing those last five pounds:

1. Stop working out so much. 
Yes, you read that right. There's nothing wrong with intense workouts, but if you're focused solely on traditional exercise, you may be getting less activity than you think.

"There are 168 hours in the week, says Pasternak," so if you're exercising for only three of those, then there are 165 hours of the week that you're not active—sitting at your desk, sitting in the car, sitting at dinner. That shows you the importance of staying on the move all the time." Pasternak's recommendation? Invest in a fitness tracker. "I tell all my clients to get aFitbit to monitor how much—or how little—hey move throughout the day," he says. "There are several studies that show that people who take at least 10,000 steps a day have more success losing weight than people who actually go to the gym."