Kareena Kapoor with Namrata Purohit at the pilates studio

Always in the limelight for her frame, hot momma Kareena Kapoor Khan on how accepting different phases of life enables her to stay fit
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 8, 2018)

It's a bridge she crossed twice -- shedding 20 kilos the first time around; then again dropping 32 after giving birth to Taimur. But while a journey like hers can rattle even the most determined, Kareena Kapoor Khan doesn't mind doing it again, should her career as an actor demand for it. "I mean, if I was in a Bridget Jones Diary, I'd gain weight again for it, and then go back to losing it. The script has to be amazing," she says of roles that have demanded such transformations from male artistes before.

It's not cumbersome to decipher why Kapoor is uninhibited when braving the fluctuations of the weighing scale. She has been able to get a grip of an essential that most women constantly battling the kilos, struggle with – the ability to sit back, analyse and understand their body. Also, she willing to accept -- even celebrate -- the fact that life happens. Talking about turning up at Namrata Purohit's pilates studio post-pregnancy as a "90-kilo girl" years after being in the limelight for her 'size-zero' image, she says, "I was bearing a child. It was obvious that I would put on weight. But I wasn't [rattled]. I enjoyed my pregnancy. I absolutely loved it. Losing the weight after that was another journey. I remember, sometimes, I'd wear tight pants, and people would tell me, 'You've put on so much weight. You're thighs are so big.' And I was like, 'I don't care because I'm working on losing it'. Honestly, I'm comfortable in any shape and size."

The toil was hers, but Kapoor is unrestricted when showering love on those who helped her reach here. It's hard to get past a few sentences without her crediting Purohit, or acknowledging the role that "food doctor" Rujuta Diwekar plays in her life. Her publicised weight-loss journey for Tashan (2008) had first brought attention to Kapoor's association with Diwekar. "The size zero phase was a result of a combination of yoga and Rujuta's meal plan. I was 68 kilos, and she brought me to down 48, which is when gave that bikini shot for Tashan. I took up that project as a challenge. Adi [producer Aditya Chopra] told me, 'You need to be super fit to be in this movie. Will you be able to do it?' And I said, 'Of course." To which he said, 'You're quite a heavy girl.' But I was determined. I was ready to challenge my genes, stand there in a bikini and show him that I can have amazing abs," she says, quick to add that the thought of delivering the "bikini shot", continued to be her motivation during the entire journey.

Convenient as it is to discredit toil, naysayers were quick to dismiss her effort, attributing her svelte frame to starvation instead. Kapoor too was rendered amused when news of her surviving on orange juice hit headlines soon after. "I'd love to make this fact clear that I lost weight the right way. I'm a Kapoor with a Punjabi built. I can't live without wholesome food and would not have been able to conceive, had I not eaten the way I did. Rujuta always had things sorted out for me, balancing the right amount of fat in my diet. I trusted her blindly, even when I was told to consume Parathas with ghee," says Kapoor, adding that even today, the nutritionist is only a call away to solve her woes. "Sometimes, I call her and tell her if I feel acidic after a string of late night commitments, or when travelling. Instead of prescribing medication, she'll recommend I have a glass of chilled milk with gulkand in it. On other occasions, she'll ask me to have water with kesar to flushes out toxins. Her methods work well for me."

Kapoor had a lot working in her favour when she underwent the physical makeover for the film, which paired her with now-husband, Saif Ali Khan. However, replicating the feat again after giving birth was never going to be the same. "Not only had I had a child, it had also been 10 years since Tashan released. Namrata made me repeat that journey even though [I had aged]. I had child-bearing hips and gained a lot of weight. But, she merely asked me to believe in her. She was set to change my body."

When chronicling her love for pilates, Kapoor makes it evident that going from strength-to-strength is turning out to be a cherishable experience. "We started our journey with me executing a mere eight repetitions in each exercise, because I had a weak back post delivery. Today, Namrata and I trained together, and executed a high-intensity class that involved 20-30 reps, one after another."

Kapoor admires the fact that Purohit doesn't keep her in the studio for more than 55 minutes "on the clock". "She always tells me, three-hour workouts are not needed. Even on the days that I'm not up to exercising, she'll ask me take a two-day break. I'm not the kind who'll train at 10 pm after a shoot. I'd rather go home, eat, and sleep. When you're body is exhausted, it's also the sleep that will help you lose weight. Maybe I won't have six-pack abs, but as long as I have a smashing body, I don't need to be in the gym for three hours." Prod her on suggestions she's partaken in 10-hour exercise sessions in the past and she says, "Even a robot can't train for 10 hours. For the past 15 years, I've trained in the gym for no more than one hour. I have a life outside of it."

It's evident that she had a string of professional help to guide her in her fitness journey, yet, a bout of childlike enthusiasm envelopes her voice when she talks about her army of girls who are also responsible for her success. "Best friend" Amrita Arora Ladak is credit repeatedly for holding her hand throughout this journey. "A special chapter in a book [on my life would] need to be dedicated to her. Without her push, and her constant care, this would not have been possible. She'd remind me to eat healthy, urge me to train, and even offer to do so together. She was always there while I was putting on my sneakers and fitting into my tights, telling me, 'C'mon, we have to do this."

As for her other besties, sis Karisma and Malaika Arora, Kapoor has some part of the blame to take for their fitness journey going awry. "Through my pregnancy, we would go to restaurants to eat. I'd eat two entire pizzas, and then the desserts, and eventually they would be tempted. They started putting on weight because of me. Every morning, I'd wake up and say, 'I want to eat samosas with motichur laddo'. And they'd be like, 'Oh God, we can't do that.' I'd urge them to eat, and eventually, they'd relent. So they've done that with me, and even brought me back to shape. Having a good friend is so important in this journey."

Kapoor confesses that, unlike Karisma, she has a heavy Punjabi built and must work on her frame. From being the person who cared little for fitness, to now barely going a day without working out, it's been a journey she's enjoyed. But her Punjabi upbringing is reiterated before she says, "Food is my biggest love." It's tough competition, she says, to pick one between "Saif, Taimur and food". "I'm passionate about my meals. Even at home, although we have three different types of meals made – vegetarian for me, non-vegetarian for Saif, and baby food for Taimur – it's all healthy. My meals are as basic as doodhi sabzi, karela subzi, one roti and bowl of rice. Dinner can be different versions of soups. But that doesn't mean I will deprive myself of things I love."

Pizzas and pastas, it is evident, seamlessly melt her heart. "Because we work, we don't have dedicated weekends to cheat. But, if we have a few days off, we call friends over, boil spaghetti, throw in some tomato, crack a bottle of wine, and unwind." And unlike it does to many weight watchers, a cheat meal doesn't have her scrambling to schedule her next workout session. "I'm at peace after cheat meals. I'm the kind of girl who says that if you eat what you want, and you're happy about it, there's no guilt and no calories. You have to nurture your body, and have fun."

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 21, 2017)

Taimur Ali Khan has received a rather unconventional present for his first birthday —a e forest named after him from mom, Kareena Kapoor and her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar as part of a community farming initiative in Sonave, 50 km away from Mumbai.

“A little boy can never have enough of birds, bees and butterflies so we have put together a small forest as a birthday gift for Taimur on the outskirts of Mumbai,” Rujuta shared. “The forest thrives on intercropping and I hope Taimur will grow up to celebrate a diverse society where people live together despite their distinctions,” she says.

The forest has around 00 trees on a 1000-square-feet plot, including three jamun, one jackfruit, one amla, 40 banana, 14 moringa, one kokum, one papaya, five custard apple, two persimmon and two lemon trees. Plans are afoot to grow three types of pulses, and spices, besides green leafy vegetables and the marigold flowers.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 2, 2017)

Within months of giving birth to Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, Kareena Kapoor Khan had already shed her post-pregnancy weight and was back to her svelte shape — just in time before her next, Veere Di Wedding, went on floors in September in Delhi. Now, mid-day has learnt that Kapoor is sporting two distinct looks in the Shashanka Ghosh-directed film — while certain portions see her in a voluptuous avatar, the first half will have her sporting a lean frame. The actor, we hear, is currently following a high-intensity workout regimen to drop a few more kilos to achieve the lean look. A unit hand reveals, "Kareena has been working out for nearly 10 hours a day over the last one week. A special Pilates machine has been set up for her in the Delhi hotel where the cast is put up, on which she works out for an hour every day."

Kapoor has taken it upon herself to whip into shape before they start shooting the portions in question next week. The source adds, "There have been days when she has been on set for almost 14 hours and followed it up with a few hours of intense workout in the night. Even on her day off, she sweats it out at the gym."  While she has changed her workout regimen, the actor has been following the same low-calorie, high-nutrition diet that has been specially designed by her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar.

A source close to the actor says, "Bebo has been sticking to the diet and the results are showing. At the recent Ambanis' bash, she received many compliments for her toned body."

After a three-month break, Alia Bhatt is back in action with three films and prepping for long night shoots with nimbu paani, khichdi
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 30, 2017)

Alia Bhatt is candid enough to admit that she’s a far cry from what she looked like two years ago. She’s healthier, happier and still has her fair share of sugar and salt. But the years of feeling bloated and constipated are behind her and today the 24-year-old style icon is happy to bust food fads for young girls. “Trust me, no boy is worth starving for!” she exclaims.

On Wednesday, she spoke to fans across age groups from New York and Dallas to Dubai and parts of Africa, with dietician-nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, on how to stay fit and fine. She looked radiant despite being up since 3am and attributed it to right snacking, no gaps between meals, regular workouts with walking and cycling thrice a week.

“Everyone’s talking about gluten-free pizza, brown bread and red rice, about reducing their carb intake, and I’m eating white bread and butter at 4am. Rujuta showed me how local food eaten in moderation can be healthy,” she informs.

Alia who has been on a three-month break after her last release, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, in March, has been learning different dance forms and travelling in the interim. She will now return to action with three films in quick succession Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi, alongside Vicky Kaushal, Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boys opposite Ranveer Singh and Ayan Mukerji’s Dragon with Ranbir Kapoor.

“Her schedule and hours will keep changing. She will have rigorous dance sessions, action shoots and emotionally taxing days. She needs to look fabulous through it all,” points out Rujuta, who shocked the actress by suggesting she add a spoonful of sugar and saffron instead of honey to her daily dose of nimbu paani. “Ever since Rujuta told me that the drink is great for my hair too, I don’t skip it. Not having sugar or salt gave me cramps, it’s harmful to give it up entirely,” she warns, revealing that her sister, Shaheen, who is an insomniac and has low blood pressure tops her food with salt because she craves it. “Eating anything in excess directly affects your health.”

Rujuta explains that sugar is a coolant and an actor needs to cool down their body temperature after rigorous workouts so that they can run the extra mile on the set. So, she has advised Alia to drink lots of lassi and chhaas. The milk is strictly organic and her mother, Soni Razdan, has it delivered in glass bottles as opposed to plastic packs.

“I make my paneer and dahi from that milk too and consume it fresh. It works as a natural fat burner and gives me a good skin tone. It’s my job to look fabulous,” Alia announces, eager to start bingeing on her paneer bhurji waiting for her at home.

Joking that she owes her radiant skin to make-up, she points out that carbs are her best friend when she’s unwell or suffering from acidity. “Dal khichdi and curd rice are my favourites with a spoonful of ghee,” she says, while Rujuta points out that air-frying is a myth and far more harmful than deep-fried food. “But make sure the oil you use is peanut, mustard or coconut,” she insists.

A few weeks ago, Alia took to Instagram to share a picture of herself downing a glass of sugarcane juice. When her Udta Punjab co-star, Kareena Kapoor, spotted this she called Rujuta, who is her nutritionist-dietician, and asked if Alia was on the same diet that she is. Rujuta accented and when the two actresses bumped into each other at a party, Kareena looked at Alia and crooned, “Rujju Rujju”. It was her way of telling the younger actress that she knew her secret. “So now, I do the same with her. We’re going around spreading dietary joy,” Alia laughs.

She insists that actresses are not saints and don’t stay hungry to fit into a bikini. In fact, she shares, that when on a holiday she eats burgers and at weddings relishes rasmalai. “But once I am back, I wrap up dinner at 8:30 pm and sleep for eight-10 hours. I have different diets for when I am travelling and shooting at night,” she says.

Don’t Bollywood celebrities often take off to a certain Austrian spa to “detox”? Alia rubbishes this, saying, “When at a spa, you read, go on hikes, spend time with nature. I love spas but don’t go there to detox and binge. I do everything in moderation,” she emphasises, adding that her stomach can be quite sensitive to climate changes.

Rujuta steps in to explain, “That’s where the concept of ‘Food Miles’ comes into play. The lesser your food travels, the smaller your stomach looks. So Alia’s on a diet of jawar in summer, bajra in winter and nachni and raagi during the monsoons according to the heating and cooling properties of the food.”

Worried about how you'll get fit after the birth of your baby? Follow Kareena Kapoor's footsteps to 
get in even better shape than you were before
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 16, 2017)

After powering through her pregnancy without a maternity break, actor Kareena Kapoor is back about town looking as radiant as ever. The 36-year-old-actress who turned first-time-mum on December 20 is already back in her yoga and pilates class and, she's even confident that she'll be back in picture-perfect shape in seven months. Kareena aims to drop the 18 kilos she gained during her pregnancy in this time.

But, she does admit, this has been the most challenging journey of her life. "After you've delivered a baby, even getting onto a treadmill takes a lot of strength. It's impossible at first," she points out between sips of her large cup of coffee. "Rujuta has allowed me two cups a day. But, she'll lose her cool if I have a third. And, the rule is that coffee can never be the first thing I have in the morning. I have to begin the day with a fruit," she tells us.

Her dietician-nutritionist of 10 years and celebrated author, Rujuta Diwekar, seems delighted to see how well Kareena remembers the rules she's laid down. "Everyone's talking about Kareena's looks because she's already started dropping the weight," Rujuta beams. "A lot of women wait too long to start working on weight-loss; then, it takes longer and requires a lot more effort. Don't put off exercising for after the birth of your child. Healthy eating and exercising should be a part of your lifestyle before you get pregnant. For instance, Kareena has been eating right for the last 10 years. When you've always maintained a fit regimen, your body goes into auto-pilot when it comes to recovering post-pregnancy too. It just makes it that much easier." She adds with a smile, "I am proud to be Kareena's dietician, she's an inspiration. I take complete credit for her slim waist. Often, I take credit for her glowing skin and good looks too — it's all related to what she eats, of course."

Don't expect holidays when you're expecting
Rujuta says that you cannot take a holiday from walking (20-30 minutes a day, she assumes, is a fair amount that everyone does engage in) just because you're pregnant. Neither should you start running for an hour on the treadmill at this time — that would simply not be sustainable. "But, in a healthy pregnancy you can easily exercise right up to a week before your delivery," she highlights, "Kareena was up-and-about right until even two days before she delivered," Rujuta says.

Expecting mums need support
While Rujuta's focus has been on Kareena's meal plans and on devising her long-term goals with a view to sustaining a fit bod, Kareena says that it's also critical for expecting mothers to have a strong support system — she's grateful that she does with her large Kapoor khandaan and bunch of girlfriends. It helps the anxiety and resultant nausea, she explains. "I enjoyed my pregnancy and it was out there for the world to see. I was flaunting my double chin, knowing that I was being photographed from every possible angle. Now, Taimur is a very good looking baby and, of course, he has the Pathan genes, but I feel some of that also had to do with his mother enjoying a lot of ghee and parathas," she smiles.

"We all want to see supersonic results but you have to give your body time to recover after the birth of a child. You have to be disciplined — two slices means two slices," Kareena says.

No cake-walk
Shortly after she delivered, Kareena took to walking, even if it meant just walking around the house for 20 minutes with her son cradled in her arms. This is a mandatory part of her daily routine. "Walking is the best exercise, and it gives me time with my baby too," she says.

The actress recalls her sister, Karisma Kapoor's pregnancy in 2009, during and after which, she ate healthy. "Karisma had gained 26 kilos and it took her one year to lose the weight. But because she did it right, it has stayed off," Kareena observes. "What's best is that she looks better now than she did before — her hair's got a lot more volume, and her skin is always glowing."

Eating through pregnancy
Throughout her pregnancy Kareena had a tall glass of milk at night and her diet consisted of vegetarian meals, including dals, khichdi and fresh fruits. "Portion control is crucial. During my pregnancy, sometimes I had hunger pangs or was tired and my blood pressure dropped. I'm sure it happens to many expecting mothers. Rujuta gave me a list of home remedies that energized instantly. I'd have these and feel much better right away. What really worked for me, I found, was gud with ghee," Kareena shares.

Rujuta emphasises that the plan was never to stop Kareena from eating anything. She's eager to bust the myth that the intake of dairy products or even caffeine needs to be stopped in order to lose belly fat. Rujuta explains, "Women complain about not being able to get rid of stubborn fat from areas like their stomach, hips or thighs. But, dairy is not to blame — in fact, it helps you burn fat from those very parts. You have to eat fat to burn fat."

Nothing drastic
Crash diets are a common practice post-pregnancy, but Rujuta cautions against these, saying diets like those are one of the major causes for the thyroid problems that many newmums in India develop. "You are forcing your body to slow down its metabolism because you are reducing calorie intake by unnatural eating habits. In the long term this leads to hair-fall and you'll gain the weight back in three months anyway," Rujuta says.

Eating right is the exact opposite of counting calories. "Women often gets confused with conflicting information on what to eat and how many calories to consume. The safest and most sensible thing to do is to focus on eating wholesome food - fresh, local and home cooked. This is what the latest nutrition science is talking about. Making food-based guidelines and not nutrient or calorie-based guidelines. This is the path Kareena followed too - eating home cooked regular khana," Rujuta says, "I even ate pizzas when I craved them once in a while," adds Kareena. Both, Kareena and Rujuta urge women who are grappling with their post-pregnancy weight, to not avoid ghee. "The body needs those calories. I learnt that in one pregnancy, a woman loses five years worth of calcium from her body. So don't give up on the milk either. I love milk, and would often enjoy a spoon of ghee with bajra rotis too," Kareena beams.

Three steps to fitness
Rujuta chalks out a "mental meal plan" to follow after the birth. "This achieves weight-loss in general, in just three steps," she says. "Visualise how much food you want to eat on a plate. But, only take half of the three helpings you visualised onto your plate when it's mealtime. Take additional helpings only if you're still hungry." Rujuta adds, "Eat every three hours, and eat right. Diet rules are stricter post-pregnancy."

Kareena urges that it is important to know your body and encourages expecting mothers to reach out and seek professional help in order to look and feel good. Kareena says that the award-winning nutritionist counsels her on more than just how to get back in shape. "The word 'dietician' doesn't give you a true picture of the extent of her knowledge or the role she plays. I have the same problems that all women do and often telephone her at odd hours with questions about everything from dark circles around my eyes to irregular periods. She generally prescribes natural fats," Kareena says.

"We've laid the ground work and I am now working to strengthen my stomach muscles and get back into great shape," Kareena says, adding with a laugh, "But don't let anybody tell you that you shouldn't be wearing those leggings because your thighs are still fat. Enjoy it!"

Upala KBR (DNA; September 15, 2015)


Says the actress, “I don’t believe in health spas at all. I have always got all my nutrition from a proper diet and it has always been a special one given by Rujuta (Divekar). These days, I eat lots of vegetables especially beetroots, spinach and corn.”

She adds, “I think these spas first figure out what a person is allergic to and then give them a special diet. My allergies (if any) have been figured out, so I don’t need to go. I am not looking to lose weight like Arjun or Parineeti, but just stay fit and do things naturally. I enjoy my food.”

And helping her stay fit is best friend Amrita Arora Ladak. Says Bebo, “I exercise all the time. With Amrita working out with me, it’s great fun! We push each other to stay fit. That’s the normal way.”

Adds the actress, “Amu is into healthy foods like quinoa and kale and put me onto them. She has forced me into trying different kinds of healthy food as she’s very health-conscious. She reads up on a lot of stuff and we both try out new health foods together. I have become more toned because of her strict monitoring.”

She concludes, “Thanks to Amu, I am eating a lot more fruits and protein-rich foods like eggs. We work out together at a gym in Bandra and I have lost weight because she drags me there everyday. So, you see, I don’t need to go to a spa abroad when I have such a wonderful friend like Amu at home making sure I stay fit and toned.”

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 18, 2014)

Esha Gupta in an interview to Mirror (July 2) admitted that she'd warned her father, an ex-army officer, not to watch her just-released film, Humshakals, as she knew he wouldn't be able to "bear it". Now, her co-star, Saif Ali Khan is equally dismissive of the crass comedy and his triple role which has received flaks, both from the critics and the paying public.

Speaking to Mirror hours before he flew out to London for the last schedule of the Kabir Khan-directed Phantom, Saif admitted that he had "surrendered" himself to Sajid even though he was uncomfortable with the content. "The film didn't have a script as such, it was all there in Sajid's mind. I did whatever he asked me to," said Saif.

He acknowledged that stepping out of his comfort zone and putting his faith in someone else's convictions was a mistake he regretted today.

"I did the film thinking that it will help me expand my market, but obviously that wasn't a clever idea," said the actor, thoughtfully looking out of the window as his car zoomed towards the airport.

"I was trying to be someone I'm not. The humour was not the kind I enjoy. My upcoming film, Happy Ending, is closer to the comedy I believe in and am known for."

It's past midnight and the roads are dark and deserted. Rain lashes the city and thunder booms ominously. Saif's frown is just as dark as you touch upon the topic of negative reviews and the adverse audience reactions. Was he aware of the backlash? "I was and I can understand it. The film was very regressive. In fact, while watching it, I asked myself what I was doing in it. I knew I had let my fans down and underestimated their intelligence," shuddered the "shaken up" actor.

He solemnly promised he would never do such a film again. "I've been introspecting a lot and will never repeat a mistake that was Humshakals," he asserted.

Casually dressed in a pair of track pants, in preparation for the long flight through the night, Saif stretched out in the fast speeding limo and assured that now the focus is on content-driven, progressive films. He's upbeat about Raj and Krishna DK's next in which he plays a successful writer. "Looking back, I can see today that I didn't enjoy a single minute spent on the Humshakals set. I only enjoyed Sajid and Riteish's (Deshmukh) company but that was when we weren't shooting. I won't blame anybody but myself for this," he vowed.

But isn't he doing one more film with Sajid -- a project backed by a leading studio and announced ahead of Humshakals' release? "My consent depended on how this film performed. Now, obviously I'm not going to doing a second film with Sajid," he stated, without mincing his words.

Known for his refreshing candour, he admitted that even his wife Kareena Kapoor had expressed her disappointment after the trial show. "She told me that this wasn't what people expected from me. But she kept her opinions to herself and that was sensitive of her," he pointed out, a faint smile touching his lips as his thoughts veered towards his gracious begum.

The priority right now for the nawab is to wrap up Kabir Khan's Phantom, a 26/11-inspired terrorism drama. There are two schedules left, one in London and the other in Vancouver. "I really enjoy working with Kabir. He puts so much effort into making every frame beautiful. The drama is intensified as he takes the story forward," he maintained.

It's obvious that the actor has put Humshakals firmly behind him and is looking ahead to other projects, and one of them is Reema Kagti's next with Kangana Ranaut. He is all praise for Reema's beautifully-written script which has touches of melancholy. "Kangana and I play totally flawed characters who complete each other without even realising it," he reveals. "I'm teaming up again with Farhan and Riteish who I worked with in Dil Chahta Hai. It's a joy working with them for their technical and creative proficiency."

After Humshakals Saif has decided never again to target box-office figures and would rather do films he believes in. "There's no need to moan, life goes on," he concluded, jumping out of the car and heading towards the departure. The ghost of Humshakals is behind him, another Phantom looms ahead.

Saif sticks to the rules

Before flying to London for the schedule of Phantom, Saif Ali Khan spent an hour taking notes. No, it was not research for the role; the actor visited his dietician Rujuta Diwekar's Khar office for a detailed food regime. Diwekar says that as the actor does not like her hand writing and is not tech-inclined too, he wrote down 15 pages of instructions. "The diet will keep him lean and is a guideline to what he can eat locally in London and Vancouver, and even on the flight," says Diwekar. Such is Saif's dedication that he clocked in a long workout too before heading to the airport. 

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; May 7, 2014)

Saif Ali Khan is about to begin shooting for the next schedule of Kabir Khan’s film, Phantom. And since some scenes in the film need him to flaunt a muscular body, the actor has embarked on a new fitness regime. A source says, “In the next schedule, Saif has to do some high-octane stunts. Keeping that in mind, he has been working out twice a day. The actor even cut short his lunch break on the sets of Humshakals in a bid to make more time for exercise. He does not want to take it easy now; rather he is very keen to get a muscular body in time for the Phantom shoot.”

The actor has also been following a strict diet. “Apart from exercising in the morning and in the afternoon, he also does yoga at least thrice a week to make his body more flexible. He has been given a customised diet plan by Rujuta Diwekar, the dietitian he shares with wife, Kareena Kapoor. His personal fitness trainer, Kunal Dhandore, too accompanies him on his outdoor schedules to keep a check on his workout sessions. Saif has been working out religiously,” says the source.

Saif ’s spokesperson confirmed the news.

DNA (April 11, 2014)

Many would give an arm to have a hot bod like Kareena Kapoor Khan. She is a role model for all those who want both a healthy and hot physique, hence it comes as no surprise that her husband is adopting her lifestyle and eating habits. Saif Ali Khan, who is known for his hard-core non-vegetarian food habits, is eating vegetarian food these days — something that his biwi has been doing for years now. Interestingly, Kareena fell in love with veggies while she was dating Shahid Kapoor. Saif is also consulting Kareena’s nutritionist-dietician of many years Rujuta Diwekar. A few years ago, the actor started doing yoga with Bebo’s yoga teacher Payal Gidwani. Now, that’s called influence.

A source close to Saif says, “He has adopted a strenuous workout regime to strengthen his fitness and stamina as he wanted to sport a beefed-up look for Phantom. Saif has been working out twice a day, seven days a week. Kunal, his personal trainer also travels with him on his shoots to ensure that he doesn’t miss out on a single workout. Saif cuts short his lunch breaks to workout. He works out every single morning and later hits the gym during his lunch break. If that wasn’t all, the actor also does yoga thrice a week with a customised diet.”

Rujuta says, “Saif told me he wanted to have a fit and lean body. He’s a very sincere, keen and disciplined person who does everything I ask him to do and is very regimental even with his eating habits. I guess Bebo’s discipline has rubbed off on him. He had seen me working with Bebo and asked me to chalk out a diet for him. What really appeals to him about my diets are that they are doable, real and the best thing is that it leaves him feeling very happy and energetic. I have been working on his diet for almost two months now. In fact, Kareena says jokingly that I am the other woman in Saif’s life.”

However, the dietician says that she makes sure that like Kareena, Saif doesn’t stick to the same diet. “He is travelling to different places and the diets are according to the local delicacies. His image is of a meat-eating person but he has almost turned a vegetarian. This too is Bebo’s influence. He’s a dominant vegetarian now. Saif is very studious and keeps asking me why I give what I do. He’s very disciplined like Kareena and once he’s made up hs mind, he just follows it.”