Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 24, 2018)

Three days ago, Ranveer Singh sent social media into a frenzy by sharing an image of his lean avatar from his upcoming drama, Gully Boy. That his dramatic transformation follows his stint as Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat, which saw him pack on several pounds of muscle, makes it noteworthy.

While the actor was training under the guidance of celebrity coach Mustafa Ahmed while shooting for Padmaavat, he embarked on his weight-loss journey without assistance. A source says Singh shed 12 kilos over three months to acquire the chiseled look of a street rapper. Shedding light on his regimen, the source says that the actor put down his weights and took to the streets to burn calories. "While Ranveer had taken to heavy weight-lifting during Padmaavat, he returned to his usual routine comprising two hours of intense cardio sessions. He would kick-off the day with an hour-long bout, and follow it with another in the evening."

The cardio sessions involved running and swimming, the latter justifying his multiple spotting at Bandra's Otters Club recently. Even though the actor kept an arm's length from the bigger weights, he performed moderate weight-training exercises, coupling them with functional movements like push-ups, burpees and squats, to maintain his physical fitness.

Like his fitness routine, Singh took charge of his diet too. He kept a watchful eye on the consumption of sugar and salt, continuously attempting to minimise the latter. "His meals were cooked in less salt. He also eliminated sugar from his diet. Given that he has a sweet tooth, and harbours a love for chocolate, this was tough." Singh, we hear, reduced his carbohydrate intake, which helped him shave off the kilos faster. "He had a high-protein diet, comprising egg whites. At breakfast, he accompanied that with fruits. For lunch and dinner, he consumed meat or fish with a bowl of stir fried vegetables."

It was no sugar, no alcohol, not even his fave, Nutella, for the actor while he filmed his upcoming romance in the scenic French capital
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 4, 2016)

Ranveer Singh admits that his biggest addictions are caffeine, Nutella and music. In fact, he calls them his "bare necessities".

But the 30-year-old actor has been away from his first love, Nutella, for the last three months with his trainer watching over him like a hawk to ensure that he doesn't cheat!

London-based fitness trainer and transformation expert, Lloyd Stevens, who first worked with Ranveer in 2013 for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela, admits that the actor is absolutely not allowed to dip into Nutella. In fact, he's been off sweets, aerated drinks, junk food and alcohol, as he films his upcoming romantic-comedy.

Lloyd had flown down to Paris and was travelling with him as they worked together towards maintaining this athletic look.

In 2012-13, another UK-based trainer, Kris Gethin who was responsible for Lloyd's own personal transformation in 2010, was in Mumbai training Hrithik Roshan for Agneepath and later, Krrish 3. He informed Lloyd that a budding actor, Ranveer Singh, was looking for a trainer to help him prep up to play 'Ram'. Lloyd decided to take on the challenge even though Bollywood was alien territory to him.

"I had only watched Hollywood moves all my life but Ranveer is passionate about his work and entertaining to be around, so it was fun. Today, he's a big star and a perfectionist. He continues to be a natural born entertainer and is a great person to train with. Despite his phenomenal popularity, Ranveer remains grounded, especially with his fans," says an impressed Lloyd.

This time around, the training has been completely different because Ranveer had just a month-and-a-half to get out of his suave Bajirao avatar and become a more athletic hero. So sticking to a schedule is important.

Breakfast at 6:30 am is followed by an hour-long workout from 7.30 to 8.30 am. After that it's 12 hours of shooting, with meals every two to four hours, between 9 am and 10 pm. This is followed by a 30-45 minute cardio at 10.30 pm before Ranveer takes his last meal at 11.30 pm and trots off to bed an hour later.

The meals are prepared by his personal chef, Mohit Savargaonker, and nothing can go into his mouth without Lloyd's approval.

"Chalking out Ranveer's favourite workout is difficult. He enjoys working out all muscle groups but likes to work his shoulder and abs first," says Lloyd, adding that he replicates Ranveer's lifestyle, including his diet, when he is with him to keep him motivated. "There's a definite fitness craze trending in India thanks to the Bollywood celebs setting an example. Obviously Ranveer's the fittest of them all! Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Shahid Kapoor are also extremely fit. I saw Aamir Khan go through an impressive transformation recently, and now, some of the actresses are in great shape too."