Pathaan actor Akash Bathija shares his incredible weight loss journey; recalls co-star Deepika Padukone’s diet on sets
Did you know that now chiseled actors were previously stereotyped as fat characters?
In an exclusive chat with Etimes lifestyle, Akash, who will next appear on Made in Heaven Season 2, shares his weight loss secrets that have helped him lose an estimated 40-44kg.
Talking about almost all the key characters in Pathaan being very fit, he said, “So when we were cast, one of the prerequisites was that you should have a certain level of fitness, and we trained for about a week or 10 days before filming. . We used to have two-hour workshops every day,” he added, “You can’t have anyone with a bad physique tell them okay, we’ll do it. It’s not going to happen. You actually have to have a decent level of fitness, I think I have a sense of touch.”
Akash further recalled what Deepika Padukone ate while filming “Pathaan”. “One day when we were having lunch on set, I saw that Deepika apparently had his own chef, and he was making this delicious salad.”
Of her meals, he added, “It's very low in carbs, very low in fat, stuff like that. I'm like, Is this every day? She's dieting every day. It's her way of life. You know , these guys aren’t dieting first and then dieting. They’re in 24×7 shape. They fit 24×7. They have 24×7 abs.”
Talking about his incredible weight loss journey, he shared, “I say proudly, but also a little embarrassed, I was 126kg and now I'm about 84kg. So it happened in two years about 40- 44kg drop.”
Emphasizing that physical transformation takes a long time, the actor added, “We tend to underestimate how long it takes for physical transformation. You know, we're like, yeah, this is going to happen in three months, six months. It won't Happening. It's such a slow process that no one is prepared for how slow it is.”
Revealing how he lost so much weight, he shared, “My trainer said, Akash, we're not going to go crazy. We're cutting 100-150 calories a day. Dead, I'm starving” time. I want to jump on food when I see it. No such thing. Basic lifestyle, basic diet, close to my lifestyle. So you can't go on no carbs, only salad Chicken Diet.”
“What worked for me was to take it slow. As we progressed, you increased the calorie deficit throughout the training and increased my cardio because your body gets used to it. The body is super smart. And then a little bit more Shake up the body, cut more calories, increase cardio again. So over two years, I lost about 500-700 calories a day, and I trained about 1000-1500 calories a day, ’ he explained.
As for how he maintains his fitness level, Akash revealed, “The best way for me to stay in shape is to do about half an hour of cardio every day. Then I do about 45-50 minutes of weight training without fail.”
“Monday through Saturday I follow a clean, raw diet, very clean. But on Sunday, I eat whatever I want. It’s not a cheat day. It’s more of a cheat meal because once you make it Cheat day, and no one can stop you. I only decide on Monday to have Chinese food, pizza or dessert on Sunday. One meal. Rest, my eggs, salad and everything else stays the same on Sunday. You stick to that, And keep working hard. You'll keep your physique. It's the only way to stay in shape,” he signed off.
