Sister guides Randeep Hooda through extreme diet

Randeep Hooda is almost unrecognisable these days. The actor has lost a tremendous amount of weight — 18 kilos to be precise — for his role as Sarabjit in the latter’s biopic. Helping him through the mega metamorphosis is his sister, Anjali Hooda an obesity consultant and clinical nutritionist in Delhi.

Says a proud sister, “Randeep is a very motivated actor, he was determined to lose weight and look like a prisoner who wasn’t fed well. I couldn’t imagine what Sarabjit and his family have gone through and Randeep wanted to experience at least a part of that to bring out the right emotions. He always gets into the character of the part he has to play.”

So what did his diet look like “He was put on a low calories diet (LCD) followed by very low calorie diet (VLCD). He didn’t have much fat to lose, so we had to lose lean muscle as well as weight. Exercise was not allowed on such low calories since he had to conserve all the energy.”

Apart from the diet, “First training was to cut off socially — no parties, no functions and no temptations with regards to food or alcohol. Chewing food was another part of training. Eating slowly was very important, as there was not much to eat. Vitamin supplements and small amount of protein was a part of diet. Frequent blood testing of electrolytes and blood pressure and ECG were also a part of his regimen.”

Having said that, Anjali admits that it’s not good for the body. “Extreme makeovers are more common in Hollywood and give your acting an edge. Health wise, it can be very dangerous, especially the weight loss part. It depends on how much and how soon you have lost the weight. Lots of weight lost in a short span can be deleterious.”