Weight watch: Expert opinion on actors struggling with the scales

Method acting. It’s when actors completely transform for roles — not with the usual wigs or CGI trickery. The most recent examples of method acting are from two of our movie industries — Bollywood and Tollywood — with Aamir Khan and Anushka Shetty, both piling on the pounds for their roles in Dangal and Size Zero. And rumours claim Anushka, who had put on 18 kilos approached a top specialist in Hyderabad, who turned down her request for a drastic weight loss programme or Bariatric surgery.

You see, the actress had just a few months between Size Zero and Baahubali 2 (for which she had to get back in shape). Apparently, she then consulted a US specialist for a “special weight loss programme”. And Aamir, too, is having his share of problems and is reportedly facing breathing trouble. Experts say the constant dips and rise in weight is not easy on the body. And when it comes to losing that weight in just a matter of weeks, it’s another world of issues.

There are special procedures too but doctors insist a quick drop in weight is nearly impossible. Dr K.S. Lakshmi, Bariatric Surgeon from Global Hospitals explains: “For reducing 18 kilos, nobody will suggest Bariatric surgery. They need to have excess body weight for them to lose. The Bariatric procedure is for those who need to lose above 25 kilos of weight. One could reduce 18 kgs just through diet and exercise. I agree it would take time but when you undergo Bariatric surgery, you don’t lose weight in a day either. It would take six months to a year. Your metabolic rate changes and the excess fat is removed. For someone who wants instant weight loss, safe medicine doesn’t have anything to offer.”

Dr Venugopal Pareek, Bariatric surgeon, Max Cure Hospital, says that surgery should be the last option for anyone. He says, “Bariatric surgery will only help if you have tried various options to lose weight like exercising and still couldn’t lose.” He adds, “We do Bariatric surgery to remove the unwanted fat stored in the body due to the extra calories we consume. But with Bariatric, we don’t expect weight loss in a month. In fact, it’s a gradual process. On an average, you could lose 7 to 10 kilos in the first month and every month henceforth, the weight loss is between 3 to 5 kilos for the next eight to 10 months. The side effects are less because it’s a slow process. If you are on a diet, you lose weight and then the moment you eat again, you tend to regain. In Bariatric surgery, you don’t tend to gain weight again, but you need to maintain an active physical life.”

Talking about the effects you could have after the surgery, Dr Rajasekhar Reddy, Bariatric Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, says, “It causes severe iron, calcium, mineral and vitamin deficiency and the person will have to be on nutritional supplement all their life.”

However, Dr Lakshmi adds that the advantages of Bariatric surgery are many and it overshadows the disadvantages. “Those with morbid obesity have many health problems like high blood pressure, sugar, joint problems, not being able to breathe properly, female infertility etc. Once they lose weight, all these problems are resolved by 70 to 80 per cent.”

She adds, “If a person doesn’t keep a check on his or her diet and doesn’t exercise, he or she could even die. The body is meant to function at a certain comfort level, if you abuse it beyond that, it will cut your life short. Those who are fat have to put in a lot of effort to exercise even for an hour. Carry 10 kilos of bags and walk for 10 km and tell me if it is easy for you. If not, how can you expect someone carrying 25 to 30 kg above their ideal body weight to exercise daily and reduce that weight?”

Dr Venugopal also agrees that significant weight loss and weight gain in a small period of time causes severe damage to the body. “If you tend to gain too much of weight for a movie, say 10 to 15 kilos and then you try to lose in the next couple of months, there is a lot of muscle-loss as well. The past weight gain happens only with the help of a diet and when you are starving to lose weight, you tend to lose muscle mass and bone strength. There may not be significant immediate side-effects but in the long run, it is very harmful,” says Dr Venugopal.

But Dr Rajasekhar stresses that non-surgical ways of losing weight should be opted. “If you have the willpower, stick to dieting and reduce carbohydrate and sweet intake, exercise and eat a lot of green vegetables. There are tablets to lose weight too, where you don’t feel like eating more.” Dr Venugopal adds, “Proper diet and exercise schedule should be followed. You could start doing isotonic exercises to build up your muscles during weight loss.” Dr Lakshmi, however, adds that you need to take a step when you are gaining weight and not wait till you are obese to act.