Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty was known as ‘the body’. Her curves and endless legs were much coveted, but things took a turn when she gained 32 kilos after having a child. She crossed 80 kilos after giving birth to Viaan, her son with husband Raj Kundra, in 2012.
Shetty went into self-imposed exile and refused to step out of her home because of the ruthless comments being made about her heavier frame.
“When you hear five women at a kitty party comment, ‘Oh, she hasn’t lost any of her pregnancy weight yet’, it was daunting. But I want to tell the women out there that if I can do it then any other woman out there can,” she tells Gulf News tabloid!. “I am synonymous with glamour and having a great body, so it is doubly difficult because I was a celebrity.”
Cut to 2015, Shetty is back to her ideal weight and has written a book, The Great Indian Diet, filled with lessons she learnt from her weight loss journey.
The actress, who was in Dubai last week for the launch of the book along with co-author and nutritionist Luke Coutinho, claims that she achieved her goal weight by sticking to healthy Indian food.
“I am a great believer in the power of Indian spices and food. There’s a lot of value in Indian food. But of late, we have begun vulgarising Indian food. In our curries these days, they put so much heavy cream. And why would you put olive oil while cooking Indian food? I just don’t get it,” she said.
According to her, the Indian staple meal of rajma (red kidney beans cooked) and brown rice is as good as the revered South American grain quinoa or the leafy green kale.
“We don’t have to look elsewhere for nutritious Indian food. Our traditional Indian meal takes care of all the nutrients that our body needs. We cook with spices like turmeric, cumin, ginger, garlic etc... these all boost our immunity. Our dal [lentils], roti [flat bread], sabzi [vegetables] combination can work wonders,” said Shetty. A tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter) during lunch is another must-have on her plate.
“Having said that, many people go wrong when it comes to exercise and food. They think it is 70 per cent about hitting the gym and doing intense exercises and just 30 per cent diet. I believe in the opposite. Weight loss is all about what you put in your mouth,” said Shetty.
A believer in yoga and using your own body strength to do exercises, Shetty said that nobody can ever out-train a bad diet. Coutinho, who Shetty met after giving birth in order to find out what she should be feeding her baby, said that their book collaboration sprung out of his admiration for Shetty’s need to keep things natural and organic.
“It is rare to find actresses in Bollywood who lose weight the natural way or someone who doesn’t use supplements. I was concerned about the message that we give out... but Shilpa is so disciplined. Even when travelling, she’s careful about eating nutritious food and keeping things simple,” said Coutinho.
The good news doesn’t end here.
Both aren’t carbohydrate haters. Shetty, who claims to have never starved or skipped meals to lose weight, believes that carbs in moderation are a good thing.
“The important thing here is too chose the good carbs. Did you know even veggies have carbs and you can have them? If you do the right things, then your body will automatically lose weight. But today everyone is doing the wrong thing. The basics such as well-balanced meals and quality sleep for seven hours does the trick,” said Shetty. Among the good carbs, she counts red rice, barley and wheat.
“The key is to not complicate your eating habits. My mum was working while we were growing up, but she made sure that she made high-protein dishes such as chicken or mutton curry and kept it in the deep freezer. And in the evenings, she whipped up a vegetable [dish]. That way, she ensured that we ate balanced meals at all times,” Shetty said .
Planning meals in advance and portion control are the key ingredients to healthy weight loss.
“If there is a slice of cake in front of me, I will eat a small piece. But I won’t have the whole chunk like some do. The key is to satiate what your body needs, but not over-feed it. It was tough to lose all those kilos, but it worked because I did it the healthy way. I even have cheat days where I eat what I like until 6pm. After that, I return to mindful eating.”
Go get yours
The Great Indian Diet is available at DC bookstores in the UAE.
