Sonakshi Sinha, daughter of superstar Shatrughan Sinha, is a well-known Bollywood actress who debuted in 2010 with the blockbuster film "Dabangg" opposite Salman Khan. Her performance garnered positive reviews, and she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. However, before her Bollywood debut, Sonakshi Sinha embarked on an inspiring weight loss journey, shedding almost 30 kg to fit the role. Her journey from "flab to fab" serves as an inspiration for anyone looking to lose weight and embrace a healthier lifestyle. This article delves into the details of Sonakshi Sinha's weight loss tips, exploring her diet, workout routine, and mindset.
The Initial Transformation
Before stepping into the world of Bollywood with "Dabangg," Sonakshi Sinha weighed around 90 kg. Realizing the need to transform, she committed to a rigorous weight loss plan. She managed to lose 30 kg before her role in Dabangg. This initial weight loss significantly boosted her morale and set the stage for her journey to a fitter self.
Diet: The Cornerstone of Weight Loss
Sonakshi Sinha understood that diet played a vital role in her weight loss journey. She made significant changes to her eating habits, giving up junk food and high-carb, high-sugar foods. Instead, she embraced a healthy eating plan that focused on nutritious meals. She started eating healthy meals to shed the extra kilos. She followed a low-carb, high-protein diet and still follows it.
Key Dietary Changes
- Eliminating Junk Food: Perhaps the biggest challenge for Sonakshi was to give up eating junk food and start eating healthy.
- Low-Carb, High-Protein Diet: She followed a low-carb, high-protein diet to support her intensive workouts.
- Early Dinners: She has her dinner early and does not include any carbs in her dinner.
- Hydration: She also drank several cups of green tea throughout the day and kept herself hydrated with adequate amount of water.
Sample Diet Plan
- Breakfast: Cereal and milk or whole wheat toast
- Mid-morning: Some dry fruits and a cup of green tea
- Lunch: Home-made roti and sabzi with salad
- Evening: A fruit or a cup of green tea
- Dinner: Dal, chicken, egg whites, and fish
Sonakshi balanced her meals with a focus on proteins and mindful snacking. Carbs were usually wrapped up by lunchtime, while dinners were kept light and protein-based. "Fried foods, sugar are avoidable. Luckily, I don't have much of a sweet tooth… almonds, walnuts or bananas are my go-to snacks if I get hungry between meals," she added.
Workout Routine: A Blend of Cardio and Strength Training
Alongside a healthy diet, Sonakshi Sinha incorporated a rigorous workout routine into her daily life. She ditched all her favorite food, followed an intense workout session twice a day for two hours daily to achieve the level of fitness she now has. She went to the gym twice a day and trained for at least two hours. She was doing a lot of cardio and heavy weight training in that period. She trained with celebrity fitness trainer, Yasmin Karachiwala who advised her to keep herself hydrated at all times and avoid eating carbs after 6 pm.
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Elements of Her Workout Regime
- Cardio: CardioWeight trainingCyclingTennisSwimmingSpinningTMFunctional training
- Weight Training: She incorporated heavy weight training to build strength and tone her muscles.
- Hot Yoga: Thrice-a-week, she also did hot yoga. She practices hot yoga in a temperature controlled room.
- Pilates: "I started doing Pilates about six months back and it's really suited me. There are thousands of exercises that you can do on those machines so it's never boring; you can do something new every day… I love working out on the Pilates reformer. There are so many variations of exercises you can do on that," she said.
Sonakshi's mornings almost always began with exercise. Her go-to was a mix of 30 minutes on the Stairmaster followed by 20 to 25 minutes of brisk walking on an empty stomach.
Now she trains for one and half hour 4 times a week to stay toned. Her trainer Yasmin Karachiwala made her work out initially twice-a-day and later four to five days in a week for an hour-and-half.
Mental Fortitude and Body Positivity
Despite losing 30 kg, Sonakshi was still categorized as "heavy." However, her confidence remained unshaken. She continued her workouts with determination. She took a stand against the size-zero craze, advocating for body positivity and self-acceptance.
A few months ago she shared an image of a skeleton and added, To all those who keep commenting on my weight, whether its a full picture, or a close up where you cant see jack. Take a good look at this picture. Now get this: 1) this aint ever gonna be me 2) get over it. 3) i wish u could see which finger i hold up for shallow and idiotic people like yourself. This was her taking a stand against the size-zero craze which requires one to look extremely skinny.
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
Being fit and staying in shape involves following a daily routine and not achieving a one-time goal. In her recent movie appearances, Sonakshi looks leaner and toned as fitness is now a part of her daily routine. Since she has a tendency to put on weight very easily, she works out regularly to maintain it.
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Key Principles for Maintaining Fitness
- Regular Exercise: She works out regularly to maintain her weight.
- Balanced Diet: Her daily meals are balanced and healthy.
- Mindful Indulgence: She does occasionally indulge in her favourite junk foods but her daily meals are balanced and healthy.
Sonakshi's Advice: Consistency and Lifestyle Change
Sonakshi believes that there's nothing like quick weight loss, it's a process that requires time, consistent effort and a major lifestyle change, especially for those who are overweight. So, if you are looking to drop a few pounds, don't resort to shortcuts, just make up your mind and get going. That's a great piece of advice, Sona!
Inspiration and Motivation
In a recent interview with Devang Bhatt, Sonakshi shared, “As a child, I was always on the heavier side which is why it never occurred to me to act in movies. I started losing weight because of health issues. At the age of 16, I would get breathless while climbing stairs and therefore, I decided to shed the extra weight and become fit. That’s how my makeover started and finally on Salman’s insistence I signed Dabangg. In fact, I was never given a choice; I was just told by him that I have to do the movie which was another reason to get in shape.”
She had to lose about 30 kilos to flaunt her rustic look in the movie and fit into her role. She took her weight loss very seriously and worked on a strict diet. “Salman helped me a lot, he made sure I went to the gym every day after the shoot and not got lethargic about it,” she says.
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