The most recent NBA trend is shedding weight in the offseason. LeBron James put up a skinny Instagram picture, and Carmelo Anthony follow suite a week later. Dropping pounds is a smart idea because it can help prolong athletes' careers. LeBron lost the weight by cutting carbs and working out a lot. He is super serious about it, even turning down a dessert on his vacation in Greece that the restaurant brought out to him for free. Carmelo's trainer, Idan Ravin, explained to the New York Post how his client dropped all the weight this summer. While Ravin said there had not been a specific diet for Anthony, cutting carbs and eliminating empty calories had been key: Making fundamentally sound choices, eating smart calories, not wasted calories. We go out to eat, he’s making good choices. And there's no juice cleanses or crash diets involved this time. Ravin said while that might cut weight quickly, it would not make long-term changes. As for his workouts, they have been intense. Ravin told the Post: He’s just tenacious with his training. He’s working out very hard, ramped it up, being even more meticulous. He’s been super diligent on his diet, extra cardio, rest. A lot of amazing people were hired [by the Knicks] and he’s excited about it. It’s another example of Melo trying to be super prepared.’ While Carmelo has slimmed down, Ravin said he was still not skinny, saying that it was more important for the basketball star to drop body fat and gain muscle: “It’s weight loss along with other things. We’re not talking about this being ‘The Biggest Loser’ contest. He dropped weight, yes. Is he skinny? No. He’s a world-class athlete. He’s very fit." With two of the NBA's biggest stars being fitter than ever, we're definitely in for a good season. Join the conversation about this story »