Food Habits
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Calories make up Sandeep's daily lunch a healthy, vegetarian meal. He finds solace in Tamaatar and Shimla Mirch, that keep him slim Pic/Vishal Kelkar |
Wifey Victoria just chuckles at her husband's vanity, but these men don't think it's laughing matter.
If you had to single out 10 young, hip professionals in their 20s, and pack them off to a restaurant today, it's likely that half would check for salads, and low-fat recipe options on the menu. "I want my clothes to fit better," admits 27 year-old Manish Jagwani, co-owner of Tisya Jewels. Like several others, he has opted for a lifestyle change instead of following a rigid one-off diet. Manish has banned fried foods and maida, eats six mini meals a day, makes smart choices while eating out, and rarely dives into dessert. He says today's man lives a high-stress social life, works long hours, and if there was no discipline, he'd end up old, haggard, and probably burnt out by the time he hit 35.
What's driving them?
It may be strange for a girl to sit across a guy who picks on a salad, while she devours a cheese-loaded pizza.
But women don't like pudgy men, either. A cinematographer and entertainment company director, 26 year-old Varun Kumar thinks today's work scenario lends itself to the motivation that's driving men to stay fit. "Personal profiling, if you can call it that, is important in most industries. There is an image you need to maintain in the social market, especially since a lot of jobs are inclined towards the entertainment sector, these days," says Varun, who exercises a light, vegetarian, maida-free diet. "I stop at three drinks when I am out clubbing, and mix my drink with half Coke, half soda," he adds, telling you he hates the bloated feeling.
A copywriter, 21 year-old Chintan Shah, lost oodles of weight after he fell ill with jaundice, and then decided to keep off the kilos for good. "Once you've tasted blood, you don't mind going that extra mile," says Chintan, referring to how he loved looking in the mirror to see a lean guy staring back at him. "There are good-looking people plastered all over television and in magazines. None of them have bulky waistlines, do they?"
But, Chintan doesn't deploy Nazi rules in his diet programme. After taking a Personal Trainer's Course at a Santacruz-based gym, he's learnt what his body needs. He switches gyms once every eight months, so that he can stay abreast with the latest in fitness. Another workshop at a Bandra-based gym made it easier for him to chalk out his own diet and fitness routine.
He has a 450-cal diet lunch
Thirty four year-old Sandeep Mathur doesn't deny that a diet coupled with exercise, can do wonders. The Senior Relationship Manager with an international bank, orders a medium Calorie Care dabba for lunch at work, and hits the gym three times a week. "My lunch limits me with an intake of 450 calories, and if I have to eat out with clients, I watch the portions I consume," explains Mathur. He fears waking up one day to see himself ballooned, looking worn out, not to mention saddled with health complications. "When you have a hectic professional life, what you eat is easier to regulate since a time crunch makes exercising at the gym, a luxury. If he sheds a few more kilos, and shows no signs of a paunch, he will be content, he says.
Feast today, fast tomorrow
The fitness-conscious brigade has found yet another way to stay toned without killing themselves; many of them exercise the feast-today-fast-tomorrow rule. "If I indulge in a pizza today, I will compensate the next day, by eating light, or fasting," says 24 year-old Gaurav Bafna, who runs a manufacturing business of imitation jewellery. He avoids eating out at night, and prefers meeting friends over lunch. "If I crave for Vada Pav, I'll make sure I don't eat it after 4 pm."
With hectic work schedules, it becomes difficult to hit the gym regularly. It's easier to control what you eat
Sandeep Mathur, 34, Senior Relationship Manager at a bank
I want my clothes to fit better.
I avoid naan and rice when I eat out. I stick to Tandoori Chicken
Manish Jagwani, 27, Co-partner, Tisya Jewels
Chintan Shah and Gaurav Bafna lost oodles of weight by following "smart" eating habits and working out regularly
We are loving it : girls
"Frankly, girls don't want to date guys with pot bellies," says 22 year-old Mallika Noorani, Service Manager with a bank. "I am okay with a man who wants to stay fit, only as long as fitness doesn't rule his life," she quickly adds. Though it would leave chicks feeling awkward, if the guy they were with, turned vain. "It would drive me up the wall, for instance, if he refused to drink cola at all, if Diet Coke wasn't available at a restaurant," says 25 year-old make-up artist Pakhi Mohanani, who admits to facing a tough time whipping up a variety of healthy meals for her husband.
40% of my clients are male
My male clientele has increased two-folds, and the current six pack craze in Bollywood, has a lot to do with it. I even treat bulimic male clients, in their 30s and 40s, who eat out at parties to be polite, and throw up minutes later. The media is portraying a much slimmer, skinnier man. In fact, some companies are turning down overweight candidates, says nutritionist Naini Setalvad.
Male models aren't pumping iron
Tips from ramp model Iggy
"It is a misconception that beefed up guys look good. The lean look leaves them with a naturally fit image.
They appear more approachable. Running and swimming are your best bets; work out 4 hours a week (approximately 45 minutes every day). Add yoga and stretches to your workout, and dedicate only 15 minutes to weight lifting. Trainers at gyms encourage you to spend hours lifting heavy weights, which is unnecessary.
You needn't go on a fad diet, either, if you are running/swimming regularly. Eat smart, and use the right oil for cooking. Observe and understand what your body can handle, and what it can't," says popular male model Ignatius Camilo.
Bollywood is beefing down
Known as one of the fittest actors in Bollywood, Akki donned a new, leaner look for the film Singh is Kinng.
Ranbir Kapoor shed a few kilos, and traded the bicep build of Sawariyaa for a lean frame in Bachna Ae Haseeno.
Three years ago, foreign brands like Dior started designing lines for a slimmer man. The trend is now prominent in India. We are looking for an athletic-looking man with a slim waist and medium built shoulders, not a brawny body-builder. An A-shaped body is ideal
Media and consumer culture play a role
Today, it's not enough that just one half of a couple is good-looking. People compliment the family as a whole, so, it is important that the husband also make an effort to look good. Thanks to men's products available in the market, and a plethora of men's-only magazines, the urban Indian male has joined the race to look gorgeous.
Today, women are looking great and confident. Men realise they need to match up
Chhaya Momaya, Life Coach and Image Consultant
