Revealed! Diet And Fitness Secrets Of Some Of Delhi's Top Nutritionists

We all go to dietitians and nutritionists to get the perfect shape and body. They give us the best fitness tips for men and women to lose weight, including what to eat, what not to eat, how much to exercise, things to follow religiously and things to completely avoid. But have you ever wondered what these nutritionists and dietitians themselves do to stay fit and healthy? For instance, Rujuta Diwekar is a celebrity nutritionist and health expert who ran the much talked about fitness project on Facebook. It is with the help of the weekly guidelines of her fitness project that we got to know that Rujuta is someone who believes in eating seasonal, local and regional. Follow her on social media and you would know that Rujuta is not someone who looks at food as carbs, fat and protein. Food should be seen and eaten according to the culture, ecology and economy is what she truly believes in. Speaking of work out regime, Rujuta does everything from sprinting to vigorous weight lifting and yoga. Her idea of exercising is to do it regularly and with the right technique.

 

Also read: Rujuta Diwekar Tells Just The Right Way To Progress With Your Strength Training Routine

In this article, we talk about the fitness and diet regimes of some dietitians and nutritionists, and what is it that they exactly follow to stay fit and healthy. Let's take a look.

Sapna Puri, diet coach

Sapna Puri is a diet coach based in Delhi, who is dedicated in helping people lose weight and gain better health and confidence. Ask her about her own diet regime and she says, "I follow cyclic keto diet, in which you follow the keto diet for some period of time and then go off it. Also, I follow the practice of intermittent fasting. My water intake is extremely high throughout the day."

According to Sapna, exercising plays 20% role in keeping a person fit and healthy. "I do include some kind of cardio in my fitness regime for around half an hour for 5 days in a week. I refrain from doing intense cardio," she mentions.
 

Also read: Keto Diet For Weight Loss: Who All Can Follow And Why? Our Expert Tells

No matter how much we try, we all feel like indulging in our cravings and give in to a cheat meal. But does a diet coach who prepares diet plans for people who want to lose weight, give in to cheating? "Well, I do cheat! But my cheating times are limited from 11 am to 5 pm. Whenever I want to cheat in a meal, I combine it with a cup of coffee and do cheat. I do take some coffee as coffee reduces craving for food."

Speaking of things that she completely avoids, Sapna says that aerated drinks, soda and fruit juices are a complete no-no for her! "I am not fond of foods like samosas etc. Also, I take weekends off from exercising. I try to complete all my goals from Monday to Friday. I do take 2 days off from exercising, which can be in between the week as well," she concludes.

Sapna's routine seems simple and convenient, yet effective enough for weight loss.

Rupali Datta, nutritionist

Dr Rupali Datta is a Delhi-based clinical nutritionist. She is 43 years old and follows a fitness routine which makes her feel happy and healthy above everything else. "To keep myself fit and healthy, I exercise every day. I eat reasonably and I make sure to keep a gap of 5 hours in between meals. I have good amount of protein and include adequate milk and fruits in my diet," she says.

 

For exercising regularly, she agrees that she has to kick herself out of bed every morning. If she is not on a holiday or not attending any special occasions, exercising for 5 days in a week is must for her. And, what are the exercises she practices at this age?

"I work out on the tredmill and cross trainer and also do exercises for different parts of the body on different days. These include exercises for abs and even weight training. I also do yoga once or twice a week," she tells.

"I do have my indulgences in which I give in to every alternative weekend. If I am on a vacation, I don't follow any rules and make sure that I have fun. I don't regimentalise my body to such an extent that it gets boring. And when I really have the urge, I give in to it," she says.

Dr Rupali's fitness regime is definitely more realistic, and fun. This is especially because many people are unable to continue with their fitness regimes only because they are too stringent and unrealistic. The ultimate key to fitness and good health is to adapt to the changes slowly and steadily. You must enjoy the journey.

Also read: A Cup Of White Tea Could Help You Lose Weight; Here's How

Pooja Malhotra, nutritionist

Pooja is a nutritionist who believes that discipline is the key to fitness and good health. She follows a routine where she makes sure she gets good sleep and eats meals within fixed timing. "The secret to fitness lies in disciplined living, discipline in eating, exercising and sleeping" says Pooja.

 

Explaining about her fitness regime, she adds, "My meal times are fixed. I consume regular balanced meals, include all food groups in adequate amounts, eat at regular intervals and never ever ignore the fullness signals that my body gives. Portion control is my biggest tool."

An essential part of Pooja's diet is her water intake and keeping a check on her hydration levels. "I keep myself well hydrated by drinking plenty of water, nimboo pani, nariyal pani, chaas and sattu. However, I never drink my fruits, I eat them. I relish seasonally available fruits and veggies round the year and I love my rotis, paranthas, idlis, dosas, chilas and rice," she says in a delight.

 

Pooja's stance is merely a testimony to the fact that you needn't cut down on the basics of food that you have always been eating. Many people ditch their rotis, rice, paranthas and idlis simply because they are rich in carbs, and this can interfere with their weight loss. Dietitians like Pooja and Rujuta are both of the belief that instead of ditching these basics, you should ditch packaged food, refined flour, biscuits, etc.

Pooja says, "The one food I completely avoid is refined flour and anything made of refined flour. I prefer my meals to be prepared in my kitchen rather than being proceeded in a plant."

Also read: Expert Opinion: This Is The Best Time To Eat Fruits

Furthermore, Pooja ensures her good health by getting regular blood tests done periodically and taking nutrient supplements as well.

Her fitness regime includes yoga, power yoga, some cardio exercises and regularly improvising on her weight training.

Lastly, she loves sleeping! "I love my sleep too and never trade it for anything. Sleep deprivation reduces your work efficiency. Continuous sleep deprivation also wreaks havoc on health," she says.

 

Monisha Ashokan, nutritionist

Monisha Ashokan is a clinical nutritionist based in Delhi. She begins telling about her fitness through an excerpt from Jennifer Nicole:

The better I eat,

the better I feel,

the better I feel,

the better I eat.

I like this cycle.

-Jennifer Nicole

Monisha is in complete belief of the above philosophy. "The food that you eat affects your health, energy level, mood, behaviour and physical appearance."

She says that most important task of her day is planning her meals.

Her diet regime

"I plan my meals at least a day in advance. When you don't know what you want to eat, you end up eating anything that is served. My breakfast typically comprises 1 paratha, or toast and eggs, or oats in milk with a fruit. I carry 5 dabbas to work which consist minimum two servings of fruit, one giant serving of salad, high protein food (chicken/ eggs/ lentils/ tofu/ cottage cheese) and my essential carbs (roti/rice/idllis). My workout ends with a protein rich snack or a scoop of protein supplement, followed by a light yet wholesome dinner. My dinner usually consists of carbs (daliya/oats/rice) with protein and some greens/salad."

However, Monisha agrees to having an active social life and having cheat meals in restaurants. But what gets her back on track is her workout regimen.
 

Monisha's workout regime

Hasn't it always been a dream to know about the exact workout regime of a fitness expert? Monisha is generous enough to share her workout routine with us. "I workout daily thinking about how it will make me feel afterwards. I am in it for the how it will make me fee internally rather than externally. The happy hormones (endorphins) released in my body post workout can interact with my brain and keep me calm and stress free. It's a very competitive era we are living in, and stress can affect various aspects of our lives. I am a sucker for the post workout endorphins!" Monisha honestly reveals.

Maybe, if all of us exercise with the same thinking in mind, exercising becomes much easier and a fun task to do!

Moving on, Monisha tells about her motivation and how she maintains consistency in exercising. "I start my week with only one goal in mind - to be consistent for six days. Consistence is the keyword here," she stresses.

But the level of her workout depends on the energy level on that day. Monisha too is of the belief that there is no point in unnecessarily pushing and injuring yourself when the body is not allowing to exercise.

Also read: Weight Loss: What Is More Important For Weight Loss - Diet Or Exercise?

Monisha has been a Zumba instructor for the past 6 years, and thus dance workout is an essential part of her fitness regime. "Three days a week, I take high intensity zumba classes which improves my cardiovascular endurance. Joining a group activity is the best thing you can do for yourself. It not only keeps you disciplined due to fixed class timings, but also helps you create a fitness community which makes the fitness session exuberant! I also have a training session with my personal trainer 3 days a week. We assess the progress every week, spot the weaknesses and work on making them stronger. I do a mix of weight and endurance training to ensure I strengthen each body part to optimise my physical ability. I sincerely feel that if we don't put our health on priority or make time for exercise, we will have to make time for illnesses!" she signs off on an inspiring note!

Now you know what fitness endorsers themselves do to maintain the perfect shape that they are in. There is no better inspiration than this, indeed!