The Post Pregnancy Diet That Helped Shilpa Shetty Kundra Lose All The Extra Weight

Her Instagram bio line says — "Mother, Actor , Entrepreneur, Fitness enthusiast and an Eternal Positive Thinker." While we can totally sum it up in TWO words: Wonder Woman!

Shilpa Shetty Kundra, an ageless beauty and a mother of a 4-year old, has killer looks, a gorgeous mane, a svelte figure...and the list is endless. One of Bollywood's fittest actors, she revolutionised Yoga, and introduced the world to its immense capabilities as a weight loss agent. Sporting an enviable body, Shilpa Shetty never failed to give us #BodyGoals.

New to motherhood, everyone wondered how she would deal with post-pregnancy weight and its various nuances. She said, "I have always been known for my body, health and fitness. However, for five months after Viaan was born I didn't think of my weight. I was not able to do some things that I used to do earlier as I had put on 20 kilos. I realised this one day when I bent to pick up Viaan. More than about not being fat it was about being fit. Fortunately, I had a good trainer. After five-and-a-half months of exercise I had lost 18 kilos."

She generously shared a before-and-after photo of hers on Instagram to share with all her fans on the ah-mazing body transformation she pulled off, in such a short time and that too, without anything OTT.

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Besides following a rigorous, but well-devised workout plan, Shilpa credits her diet as the prime game-changer, instrumental in boosting her weight-loss. Everybody knows how immensely unnerving and depressing it can be for every woman to shed her postpartum weight, and keeping that in mind, Shilpa decided to share her journey towards health and fitness with the world by launching a book she co-authored with nutrition and fitness expert Luke Coutinho titled—THE GREAT INDIAN DIET.

In an interview with India Today, the actor delved into the archives of her mind, and revealed endearing nuances from her childhood, which made her addicted to Indian food, in the first place. Simple dal-chawal with two spoons of ghee, a fish fillet and a veggie—and her lunch is sorted! Shedding some light on the same, she quoted,

"My palate is very middle class, my lunch has to be Indian food no matter where I am and what I'm eating otherwise. I spent most of my first five years with Amma(maternal grandmother) as my parents were both working at the time. She had magic in her hands and the simplest food she cooked was simply delicious. She'd make the most mouthwatering tomato saar (curry) and even a simple serving of steamed French beans with just a chaunk (tempering) of mustard seeds and curry leaves, with some grated coconut on top—had such a generous dose of love that it tasted amazing!"

Being married to a typical Punjabi household didn't help her simple palate much, and she was loaded with all fatty food items during her pregnancy—aloo parathas, galgal ka achaar,and sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, topped with generous helpings of white butter or grated jaggery. By the time she had given birth to her son, she realised she had put on an extra 32 kg she now had to now LOSE ASAP!

However, the fitness inspiration detests dieting, and in the introduction to her book, she shares why—"The word diet makes the mind believe that the body is being deprived, and this deprivation leads to cravings. For instance, during fasts, I start to crave all kinds of things. It's in the mind."

Instead, her mantra is carbs that fuel her body, and are low in GI (glycemic index). Basic steps like opting for brown alternatives instead of white, refined carbs; avoiding aerated drinks, and the most important one—to always have ONE cheat day, so that all cravings are at bay. Smart right?

On a usual day, Shilpa Shetty Kundra's diet chart looks something like this:

Breakfast

• Starts her day with hot water and a plate of papaya with lemon on empty stomach.
• Shilpa whips up different juices every day, such as red juice (pomegranate, apple carrot, and beetroot, tomato and green apple), green juice (cucumber and spinach).
• Cup of milk tea.
• Porridge or two whole eggs – omelette, boiled or scrambled.

Lunch (her heaviest meal of the day)

• Rice or two rotis ( made of 5 different kinds of grains ) with two teaspoons of ghee, vegetables, dal, fish (she has quit chicken due to the fear of the birds being fed with toxic antibiotics and steroids) or egg bhurji. She ends her meal with a piece of jaggery

Evening snacks (if time permits)

• Snacks such as makhanas sautéed in ghee with salt and pepper
• A glass of slim dahi buttermilk.
• Two eggs, if the day starts early.
• Or just a cup of tea with brown sugar (Shilpa can't live without two cups of tea daily)

Dinner (before 8 pm)

• Sour Soup for proteins.
• Stir-fried vegetables or paneer.
• Turkey slice / Salmon steak.

Her 'Cheat Day' is SUNDAY, when she indulges sinfully, yet wisely, in all her cravings be it sweet or savoury. Now that does not sound so hard, does it?

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[instagram ]https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_O6tqBMjM/[/instagram]

To conclude, she adds her final pearls of wisdom on the whole journey of shedding all the baby-weight, to help all mothers who are struggling with it.

"When I was losing weight after my pregnancy, I would eat nearly four eggs a day. Eggs keep your stomach full for longer. When you are trying to lose a lot of weight, you always stress about not getting to have food. This results in your body producing extra cortisol, slowing down metabolism. Eating has a lot more to do with your mind than your stomach. Don't tell yourself that you are dieting.Make a change in your life to be healthy not because you want to fit into a dress or because you have a party to attend. Weight gain is a natural process and you must take your time to nurse the baby. If your schedule doesn't allow you to exercise, it is still possible to lose 75 per cent of the baby weight just by eating a balanced diet. But aim for it only after the first four months of delivery."

With inputs by Dr. Seema Nanda and Be Fit and Fine.