“Because I am not used to carrying it, I couldn’t even wear my shoes. I started wearing loose clothes so that nobody would know. They’d say, ‘You’re becoming bigger [more muscular]’. But, they couldn’t see my paunch. When they saw it on screen, it served as an element of surprise.”

Evidently then, Paul was eager to return to routine when he had to torch the additional fat. “When I had to return to train, I’d wake up at 4.30 am, and be in the gym at 5.30. My meals were professionally monitored so that I could shed fat and gain [muscle mass]. When I am on a regimen, my meals are taken care of [by a chef], who meets the requirements set by my trainer. He even dictates how much water I must have. When it comes to training the body, I believe it is made in the kitchen. As a Dilli ka ladka, [it was tough to be told] to not eat more than 2,500 calories. But, if a goal is set, I will stick to it,” says the actor, who also stopped consuming sugar for three months.

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“When I am on a regimen, I usually consume six meals a day. I had a lot of grilled chicken to shed the weight. If I am working on a project, I turn to salads. I love eggs, and will increase its intake as well. I enjoy vegetable juices too.” Over four days of weight-training sessions each week, Paul focusses on lifting moderately heavy weights, because “if I can see results while lifting 20 kilos alone, I am happy with that”. A fair share of free-hand exercises, including pull-ups and push-ups, make up his training sessions. “On the other three days, I take to cardio exercises.” He credits his wife Sanyukta for enabling him to keep up his peak performance. “My wife gets worried, because I am always hyper. She ensures I undergo a blood test regularly. In fact, I don’t even know when the concerned person will arrive for the test. Every five months, she will schedule one. There’s no heroism in saying, ‘Nothing will happen to me’, because, after COVID-19, a lot has changed with people’s health.”

10 Kilograms 
Weight Maniesh Paul had to gain for his series, Rafuchakkar

Paul’s top fitness tips

. Cardio is important. You don’t need to run, but, a 45-minute walk is [important]. It’s the best thing that you can do for yourself. You may not be able to lift, but you can walk. My father is 76-years old, and he continues to do it.

. Monitor your intake of sweets. You can’t even [comprehend] how detrimental sugar is.

. Health check-ups are important.

The Cheats Yuvika Chaudhary

What’s your cheat meal:
I don’t have one food to list here. I will eat everything that I crave.

How often do you indulge:
Every day. 

Cheat meal Vs cheat day:
I have one small portion every day.

Do you compensate for it:
I eat everything when I’mactive. During phases when I am not very active, I avoid consuming cheat meals, and eat healthy food instead.

In Hasleen Kuar's fridge

Eggs
Milk
Bread
Cream cheese
Chocolate

Fitness tip that works for

Milind Soman
Mental [grit] is everything. Everyone can run. The human species has evolved [to be] the best running species on the planet. There is no animal that can run for as long as we can, and at our pace.