Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis obviously has too much on his plate. But that has not deterred him from losing 18 kg in three months.
The flabby Fadnavis is determinedly following a disciplined metabolic treatment: a mix of medicines to enhance metabolism, a targeted diet as per his body type and activity level, and a weekly two-hour regimen.The results are just becoming conspicuous.
From 122 kg when he first consulted a doctor in December, Fadnavis is now going on 104. His target to get that lean-mean look is 8890 kg. If he keeps at his diet-exercise regimen with the same vigour he has had since February when he started it, he should achieve success in three more months.
His doctor, Jayashree Todkar, a metabolic and bariatric surgeon, said, "His evaluation went on for two months; we learnt his metabolism was flexible and could be enhanced by medical intervention. We started him on the medicines which had a collateral result, in clearing his problem of sugar intolerance."
When Mumbai Mirror contacted Fadnavis, he responded with, "Sorry, that's too personal.Would not like to speak on that."
His wife Amruta, who inspired him to shed the flab, was happy to talk. "He had lost weight earlier but gained it again due to work pressure and erratic schedule. After I started my weight loss programme and lost about 5-6 kg, he was inspired," said Amruta. She vouched that losing weight increases one's vigour and energy to work.
Todkar told Mumbai Mirror that he was simultaneously asked to use a pedometer to gauge his activity level. "While he has an erratic work schedule involving a lot of travel, it turned out that his activity level was pretty good. He not only goes above the required minimum of 10,000 steps daily, but also walks briskly," she explained. She said his weight gain was mainly because the diets he was prescribed earlier had not been helping him; according to sources, he has been one of the biggest names in the business including Bollywood faves for shedding weight.
Holistic health guru Mickey Mehta was also roped into the regimen. He is training the CM in physical activity, which involves two hours a week of a lot of breathing exercises, agility-and-strength training and sport stretches. "He gets merely four to five hours of sleep. The breathing exercises help in taking care of the sleep deprivation," said Mehta, who is also training Amruta. "We are aiming to get back his athletic body by end of this year," Mehta added.
According to Todkar, understanding metabolism is the crux of weight loss. "Metabolism is a chain of events in the body which needs to be studied closely. It involves understanding the hunger pattern and satiety level and the process of breakdown of energy after consumption. With bad metabolism, the body begins storing things resulting in problems like obesity, cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes, and all these ailments complicate each other too," Todkar said.
His diet regimen is as per his palate and nutritional requirements.
"Studies have shown that the hunger hormone graph shows elevation thrice in 24 hours. So three healthy meals in a day are enough to be energised and suffice the nutritional requirements of a person," said Todkar.
Fadnavis now has three meals a day. His regimen has been fluctuating for the past three months but his current chart involves a balance of proteins and fats, minimised carbohydrates and fibre.
Since he doesn't have a sweet tooth, he has been allowed the luxury of one cup of tea a day. But Fadnavis prefers sugar-free if he decides to sip on chai. His proteins involve a mix of vegetarian (paneer, lentils) and non-vegetarian (chicken, fish).His carbs come from bhakri, chapati or wholewheat bread. His sources of fibre are green vegetables and low-glycemic fruits like pomegranate, apple, jamun etc. He doesn't have to cheat to have butter or ghee; he is allowed both, though in moderation and not in dollops.
"If you see his chart, he is allowed to eat all kinds of food. What is important is how the food is prepared. He is neither allowed outside food nor junk food," said Todkar.
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