The actress says the journey of her weight loss has been an emotional one.
Her debut film Dabangg opposite Salman Khan set cash registers ringing at the box office, almost immediately making Sonakshi Sinha one of the most sought-after faces of Bollywood. With films like Farah Khan's Joker in her kitty, the now svelte actress shares her story of battling a whopping 30 kilos and says how determination and discipline are key to staying in shape.
As someone who championed the weight-loss cause, what does fitness mean to you?
Before I embarked on my weight-loss mission, fitness to me was only about being thin. However, with time I've realised fitness is actually a combination of physical and mental wellness. It's an entire lifestyle change that combines feeling healthy from within, choosing the right foods, exercising regularly and thinking positive. Till the time I took up fitness seriously, I felt these were only best written about in fancy magazines and something my mom spoke about all the time, but had no practical value. But once I took it up, I realised the truth.
Given that you were far removed from fitness, what motivated you to finally embark on your weight-loss mission?
I had been built on the heavier side right from my childhood. During my growing up years, things got only worse. I hated going to the gym, hated every kind of physical activity and survived on junk. I turned a deaf ear to my mom every time she reminded me about my expanding waistline. In fact, as an act of rebellion, I would gorge all the more those very days. While mom was concerned about the way I looked, dad was more concerned about my physical health. But nothing mattered.
I loved my sedentary lifestyle, I loved my food and made every possible excuse to not exercise. Then suddenly, I found my mom had stopped nagging me completely. While it felt great initially, but I gradually found something missing. My conscience started pricking me. This was around the same time when I was finishing my fashion designing course.
In the meantime, Salman(Khan) too had dropped by a couple of times asking me to lose weight and give films a serious thought. Finally, I woke up one fine morning and decided enough was enough. I just had to shut people up from nagging me about my weight all the time.
So what was the regimen you followed?
As a person who had never been to a gym all her life until then, I had to have a plan that would have elements to keep me motivated initially. My trainer chalked out a plan high on variety combining cardio, weight training and spinning exercises. This apart, I was also made to do squats and abdominal crunches. The initial days were extremely difficult. My body would ache so much so that I would have difficulties waking up in the morning.
But I was determined to stick to my schedule and religiously worked out for close to two hours twice a day. Since there was so much fat to lose, I lost almost three to four kilos in the very first month itself and I was super kicked about it. Thereafter, it was almost magical to see sizes drop with every passing month.
And before I knew it, exercising and staying fit was the foremost thing on my mind. Suddenly, the weighing machine was my best friend. I loved keeping track of how much I lost each day. And even a 500 gm weight gain would get me worried and make me put in more effort.
But being the foodie you were, how did you conquer your love for food?
While eating healthy is an important part of every weight-loss programme, for me that was the most difficult part. Subject to peer pressure, I had earlier tried every possible fad diet in the world, only to go back to eating double the amount beyond a week. This was the first time I was put on a healthy diet plan where I had to cut junk completely, reduce my intake of carbs and incorporate healthy fats.
I was put on a high protein-low carb diet that had room for just one of my favourite foods as long as I watched my portions. And I gradually realised eating healthy is a prerequisite for leading a good life. Honestly speaking, I don't even have the urge to binge now. Yes, I do satisfy my cravings once in a while. But in that case, I also spend 20 minutes more on the treadmill. Unknowingly, fitness has actually become a way of life for me.
Now that you've lost your extra flab, has there been a change in your fitness regime?
Since I have a tendency to put on weight easily, I really cannot go easy on my workout. So, no matter how busy I keep, I have to make time for workouts and lead a disciplined life. I am now training with Yasmin Karachiwala and work out four to five times a week for an hour and a half with her.
Since I am now focussing on losing a little more weight and toning myself up further, my workout is high on cardio exercises and functional training. This apart, I also do spinning exercises and have recently incorporated cycling and swimming in my regimen as well.
What is the biggest learning from your weight-loss journey?
Weight loss is not just about shedding kilos, it's actually an emotional journey. I've had to give up on a lot of my favourite things to achieve my targets. But now, when I look back, I realise it's worth every bit to feel good about yourself. I now firmly believe nothing is impossible if you truly feel you want it.
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