Meal Prep, Trainers, Snack Packs And More: How Stars Prepare For The Oscars

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty

PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty

With the Oscars rapidly approaching on March 2, so is the culmination of celebrities' hard work staying healthy and fit throughout the marathon that is awards season.At theGolden Globe Awardson Jan. 5, stars hit the red carpet running with striking looks;Kathy Bateswalked the red carpet in Sneex,showing off the 100-lb. weight lossshe’d achieved four months before, andPamela Andersondisplayed a fresh face, goingmakeup-freefor the show.And many of them worked on their glow starting months in advance. “It’s not something you want to just think about the day of or the day before,” said celebrity nutritionist and Solluna founder Kimberly Snyder.She said it’s best to start preparing a month in advance for a big event with probiotics, meditation and more. Then, two weeks before, she recommends cutting out sauces and other rich components from meals.Amy Sussman/GettySnyder also said stars should add vegetables for fiber and hot water with lemon to their diets, while cutting out salt and sources of sodium that cause bloating. She also said she recommends avoiding alcohol and late-night eating — though she noted that it can be tricky for celebrities to do so, with their awards season parties that seem to happen every night.Celebrity strategies to stay in shape includeJane Fonda’sconsistent daily workoutsat age 87,Miles Teller’s“one month per ab” ruleahead ofTop Gun 3and evenThe Bacheloralum Nick Viall’s“water fast.”Snyder said some people do better eating more frequently, while others can last without food for longer periods. Keeping some almonds or other nuts, a natural trail mix or a banana in your purse can be helpful, according to Snyder.“I have a lot of clients that pack things with them when they go out,” she said.How Celebrities PrepareAhead of hosting in 2023,Jimmy Kimmeltold PEOPLE he was “trying to lose some weight before the Oscars,” adding, “I don’t want to show up on stage looking likeCocaine Bear.”Kimmel’s plan included prepared meals delivered to his home in Tupperware containers, and he joked, “I never feel more sorry for myself than when everyone else is eating spaghetti and I’m eating some little tacos with no tortillas.”Denzel Washington, on the other hand, took a fitness-based approach to prepare for the Oscars in 2023. While Washington made history as themost-nominated Black actorat the 2023 Academy Awards, he said he wasn’t satisfied with his appearance on the carpet.“I was looking at pictures of myself and[my wife] Paulettaat the Academy Awards forMacbeth, and I’m just looking fat, with this dyed hair,” theGladiator IIstar toldEsquire.After seeing how he looked at the event, Washington, 70, said he determined, “‘Those days are over, man,’” and started working with a personal trainer thatLenny Kravitzset him up with in February.On top of working out and “getting strong,” Washington said the trainer prepared meals for him to slim down.Gilbert Flores/Variety/Penske Media via GettyRed Carpet Snack StrategiesOver the years, a variety of snacks have made their way onto the Oscars red carpet. At the show in 2020, 10-year-old actressJulia Butters, who appeared inOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywood,carried a turkey sandwichin her purse.After taking a bite, she said, “It’s the Oscars, there can’t be any regrets. There’s no going back.”For the Academy Awards in 2024,Jessica BielandJustin Timberlakeshowed thebehind the scenes of packing foodfor the carpet on TikTok.Jamie McCarthy/WireImageDressed in a blue gown, Biel chopped a cucumber in the video while declaring, “Got to be prepared,” and her husband agreed. She then swapped her clutch for a Ziploc bag loaded with food and told the camera, “This is my bag.“Meanwhile, Timberlake attempted to fit a KIND bar and his phone into Biel’s already snack-filled purse before holding up the granola bar and declaring to the camera, “I’m going to eat this right before we go on the red carpet.“In 2014, Jennifer Lawrencesaid onLive with Kelly and Michaelthat she tucked packets of Slim Jim beef jerky into her purse (‘Hot and mild, because I didn’t know what kind of mood I would be in,") as well as breath mints.And in 2023, Jimmy Kimmel anticipated that his audience might be hungry, and stashed snacks underneath their seats (with attendant donations to the L.A. Food Bank).The Final Snack StopFor stars who don’t pack food ahead and understandably find themselves hungry throughout the event, In-N-Out can be a post-show reward. Kimmel, who has hosted four times, saidIn-N-Out after the Academy Awards is a tradition, especially for those who are in L.A. just for the Oscars and want to hit the classic California burger spot.Kimmel told PEOPLE, “Nothing against McDonald’s, but on award show night, it’s In-N-Out.”Jamie Lee Curtistook part in the tradition in 2024,leaving the theater early for a burger and friesat In-N-Out. As far back as the 2008 Oscars,Jessica Albarevealed that, after presenting at the show while pregnant, In-N-Outwas the first thing on her mindwhen she got off stage.She told PEOPLE in 2024, “I was like, I just want my sweats and In-N-Out and so we left and immediately went to In-N-Out and skipped all the after parties.”

With the Oscars rapidly approaching on March 2, so is the culmination of celebrities’ hard work staying healthy and fit throughout the marathon that is awards season.

At theGolden Globe Awardson Jan. 5, stars hit the red carpet running with striking looks;Kathy Bateswalked the red carpet in Sneex,showing off the 100-lb. weight lossshe’d achieved four months before, andPamela Andersondisplayed a fresh face, goingmakeup-freefor the show.

And many of them worked on their glow starting months in advance. “It’s not something you want to just think about the day of or the day before,” said celebrity nutritionist and Solluna founder Kimberly Snyder.

She said it’s best to start preparing a month in advance for a big event with probiotics, meditation and more. Then, two weeks before, she recommends cutting out sauces and other rich components from meals.

Amy Sussman/Getty

Snyder also said stars should add vegetables for fiber and hot water with lemon to their diets, while cutting out salt and sources of sodium that cause bloating. She also said she recommends avoiding alcohol and late-night eating — though she noted that it can be tricky for celebrities to do so, with their awards season parties that seem to happen every night.

Celebrity strategies to stay in shape includeJane Fonda’sconsistent daily workoutsat age 87,Miles Teller’s“one month per ab” ruleahead ofTop Gun 3and evenThe Bacheloralum Nick Viall’s“water fast.”

Snyder said some people do better eating more frequently, while others can last without food for longer periods. Keeping some almonds or other nuts, a natural trail mix or a banana in your purse can be helpful, according to Snyder.

“I have a lot of clients that pack things with them when they go out,” she said.

How Celebrities Prepare

Ahead of hosting in 2023,Jimmy Kimmeltold PEOPLE he was “trying to lose some weight before the Oscars,” adding, “I don’t want to show up on stage looking likeCocaine Bear.”

Kimmel’s plan included prepared meals delivered to his home in Tupperware containers, and he joked, “I never feel more sorry for myself than when everyone else is eating spaghetti and I’m eating some little tacos with no tortillas.”

Denzel Washington, on the other hand, took a fitness-based approach to prepare for the Oscars in 2023. While Washington made history as themost-nominated Black actorat the 2023 Academy Awards, he said he wasn’t satisfied with his appearance on the carpet.

“I was looking at pictures of myself and[my wife] Paulettaat the Academy Awards forMacbeth, and I’m just looking fat, with this dyed hair,” theGladiator IIstar toldEsquire.

After seeing how he looked at the event, Washington, 70, said he determined, “‘Those days are over, man,’” and started working with a personal trainer thatLenny Kravitzset him up with in February.

On top of working out and “getting strong,” Washington said the trainer prepared meals for him to slim down.

Gilbert Flores/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

Red Carpet Snack Strategies

Over the years, a variety of snacks have made their way onto the Oscars red carpet. At the show in 2020, 10-year-old actressJulia Butters, who appeared inOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywood,carried a turkey sandwichin her purse.

After taking a bite, she said, “It’s the Oscars, there can’t be any regrets. There’s no going back.”

For the Academy Awards in 2024,Jessica BielandJustin Timberlakeshowed thebehind the scenes of packing foodfor the carpet on TikTok.

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Dressed in a blue gown, Biel chopped a cucumber in the video while declaring, “Got to be prepared,” and her husband agreed. She then swapped her clutch for a Ziploc bag loaded with food and told the camera, “This is my bag.”

Meanwhile, Timberlake attempted to fit a KIND bar and his phone into Biel’s already snack-filled purse before holding up the granola bar and declaring to the camera, “I’m going to eat this right before we go on the red carpet.”

In 2014, Jennifer Lawrencesaid onLive with Kelly and Michaelthat she tucked packets of Slim Jim beef jerky into her purse (‘Hot and mild, because I didn’t know what kind of mood I would be in,") as well as breath mints.

And in 2023, Jimmy Kimmel anticipated that his audience might be hungry, and stashed snacks underneath their seats (with attendant donations to the L.A. Food Bank).

The Final Snack Stop

For stars who don’t pack food ahead and understandably find themselves hungry throughout the event, In-N-Out can be a post-show reward. Kimmel, who has hosted four times, saidIn-N-Out after the Academy Awards is a tradition, especially for those who are in L.A. just for the Oscars and want to hit the classic California burger spot.

Kimmel told PEOPLE, “Nothing against McDonald’s, but on award show night, it’s In-N-Out.”

Jamie Lee Curtistook part in the tradition in 2024,leaving the theater early for a burger and friesat In-N-Out. As far back as the 2008 Oscars,Jessica Albarevealed that, after presenting at the show while pregnant, In-N-Outwas the first thing on her mindwhen she got off stage.

She told PEOPLE in 2024, “I was like, I just want my sweats and In-N-Out and so we left and immediately went to In-N-Out and skipped all the after parties.”

source: people.com