EXCLUSIVE: Sara Ali Khan’s weight loss process revealed by her fitness and nutritional doctor; read on

Sara Ali Khan has become the current heartthrob of the nation. The stunner apart from her absolutely stunning genes has also had her fair share of a journey with struggles. Sara as we all know was heavier during her childhood and college days. She confessed that she totally obsessed over pizzas and just couldn’t do without it. Sara’s journey has been extremely inspirational and one which motivates a lot of youngsters to not lose hope or confidence. 

Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, celebrity fitness and nutritional scientist and co-founder of Food Darzee was the one who helped Khan with her magnificent transformation. In a one on one chat with Pinkvilla, Dr. Bhargava reveals all the details about the royal’s healthy transformation and how can one deal with PCOD. 

Tell us how you brought about the major transformation in Sara Ali Khan’s body? 

To be very honest, more than what a coach does its always what the individual does and it’s the same with Sara. She is very responsible with her nutrition and her fitness. The best part about her is that she’s extremely intelligent and very mindful about her body. She knows what is good for her and what’s not. I have been training her, changing her nutrition based on the way she needs her body to look and being there for her as a coach to guide her always. Motivate her when she is not feeling it, push her when I feel she can do more and counsel her on days when I know she should stop.

What are the lifestyle and food habit changes did you recommend? 

She had given up junk, the main reason why she had put on so much weight to start with. She knew she had to start eating healthy and working out. The changes were very simple. Increase the amount of protein to stimulate more muscle growth and tone. That would increase her overall metabolic rate and help sustain the weight lost. Eat healthy food because that would help with her hormonal profile . And lastly, choose the carbs smartly which were low glycaemic index and less insulin spiking. With respect to exercise, changing the notion of doing only cardio was important. She had to make weight training a part of her life.

What is her current food diet like?

In terms of nutrition, she usually eats a good portion of protein be it chicken fish or eggs every single day. On her vegetarian days she eats paneer for protein. She includes good healthy fats like avocado and seeds and nuts in her diet too. She loves eating fresh vegetables for my fibre.  She usually eats carbs before her workouts and her mid-day snacks are either berries/ yogurt / seeds and nuts. She won’t take cheat meals if she is actively preparing for a shoot but otherwise once in two weeks she haves a cheat meal.

How did Sara Ali Khan tackle PCOD? 

She tackled it very maturely and systematically. She is never used it as an excuse. She only speaks about it to motivate other young women because this problem is solvable with the correct guidance. She knew that the only answer to treating it losing weight which she did. She’s lost 45 kgs and now her PCOD is well under control. Also the correct nutrition and exercise protocol while losing the weight is very important because yoyoing is not a great idea. So once you’ve gotten rid of the weight, it’s important to keep it off.

The exercises that one should follow when they are going through PCOD? 

The exercise protocol is very simple.

Weigh training – with varying intensities (this includes conventional weight training, time under tension training, and low intensity weight training like Pilates)

Cardiovascular training – steady state cardio and high intensity interval training

Rest and recovery -This is the protocol that needs to be followed. The details of each of these workouts differs from individual to individual and body type to body type.

How long does it take to get the transformation? 

The period varies greatly. It depends on the starting point. It could be a couple of months to a couple of years but one must stay motivated because taking shortcuts is not the answer. You don’t want to yoyo at all. That greatly reduces the metabolism and is detrimental. The transformation also isn’t only aesthetic. It encompasses losing fat, getting rid of symptoms and regularising the menstrual cycle. But 4-6 months is usually the trend.