I am always conscious about my weight: Jeetendra
Jeetendra on weight loss, staying fit at 70-plus and learning to love oneself
At 75, Jeetendra, father of Ekta and Tusshar Kapoor, doesn’t look his age. And he credits it to a strict workout and diet regimen and... organic ghee! Thanks to that last ingredient, which he started eating after 50 long years, he hasn’t put on weight at all.
While he is reluctant to talk about his weight maintenance, he admits, “You must have the willpower to avoid what is bad. It’s simple: If you indulge, you will develop a bulge. Exercise leads to only 15 per cent of weight loss. By diet control, I don’t mean starving, but just eating the right food. When I started out in Caravan, I looked plump, but that looks fine when you are young. But as you age, you put on weight, it looks obnoxious, you slow down and carry a paunch.”When we quiz him about his new diet, which includes having dollops of ghee in his food every day, parathas included, Jeetu finally opens up...
The ghee guyHe shares, “Let me tell you that for the last 50 years, I have never had ghee or deep-fried food. I always thought that consuming ghee is unhealthy and leads to putting on too much weight, but I was proved wrong. Recently when I was at the Ambaji temple in Gujarat, I met a gentleman from Dubai who told me that he breeds cows, who feed on organic grass. Out of the organic milk, he makes ghee. He asked me to try it and I liked it so much that I had a lot of ghee after 50 years. I didn’t put on weight, but my cholesterol went a bit high. So now, I have to be a bit careful. Also, organic cow’s ghee is very light and not rich like the ghee made from buffalo milk.”
In moderationJeetendra says that while earlier he used to have ghee seven days a week, he has now restricted himself to three days. “My basic philosophy in life is: Learn to love yourself and good health will follow. One habit that I have consistently maintained always, before eating, after eating, before exercises, after exercises, while going out, I am on my weighing machine. I am always conscious of my weight. It doesn’t cost you much to do that.”