There’s no avoiding the festive spread this season, with Bakri Id today and Diwali not far off. While the variety of sweets and savouries is tempting, the pull of it all could prove to be a nightmare for every weight watcher. If it’s impolite to refuse to eat especially when invited over or even at home where one may standout as a killjoy, offending family and friends in the bargain, it’s a lonely road burning off those extra kgs piled on. We check with city celebs on how they manoeuvre around these tricky festive corners.
M N Poonamma
Hockey player
I eat everything and I particularly enjoy sweets. During Diwali, I certainly enjoy the festive preparations without worry. The reason for this is that I regularly train for my game. I jog every morning and evening. This discipline with my exercising and training makes it alright to absorb a few extra calories here and there.
Pooja Gandhi
Film actress
I eat everything. It’s festival time after all. What I do is ensure that I don’t miss out my cardio exercises. When I can, I swim for 45 minutes. If I am invited out, I eat sensibly. For instance, if I have had starters, I skip the main course. Or if I have to, I have just a spoonful of every thing. But it all comes down to making sure you do some physical activity to make up for the feasting.
Wanitha Ashok
Body transformation expert
My mantra is to indulge in moderation. That’s an art one must cultivate to not spoil the festive mood or gain weight. First of all, I make sure I drink plenty of water throughout the day. That not only keeps hunger at bay, it also detoxes and keeps my skin hydrated. I also squeeze in exercises here and there to burn some calories. For massive dinner invites, I make sure I land there with my stomach half full so that I don’t pounce on the spread.
Zoyeb Yusuf,
Director, Prasad Bidapa Model Management
Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth and with festivals around it’s difficult to resist. Even if you do, during such times, elders at home, family members and relatives expect you to join in the feasting and you have to respect their wishes. So what I do is I taste it all. You don’t have to have every last bit of the desserts. What I ensure later is that I exercise a bit more than usual. Typically, I run longer to burn the calories.
Padmaja Suresh
Bharatanatyam dancer
There are so many observances and customs during this festive season that on one hand need to be respected and on the other altered to suit current lifestyle. So where I use less oil, coconut or jaggery in some festive preparations, others I leave as it is. After all, there only a few occasions when we indulge in some food items and if we change everything tradition will be lost. It’s the activities during the festivals that help me burn off the extra calories. I display dolls during Dasara and spend long hours reading mantras and reciting japas which is tiring in itself. Since one has to bathe early, I miss out on my aerobics and swimming but I make sure to do my suryanamaskars. Especially as a dancer, I have to practise yoga. I have a performance in a week’s time, so dancing too helps me stay fit during the festivals. Another thing I do is compensate a heavy lunch by eating more fruits and boiled vegetables for dinner.