Kareena Kapoor's Dietician Shares 4 Genius Ways to Make Motherhood More Fun

The whole nation got new reasons to be obsessed with Kareena Kapoor, all over again after her weight loss make-over for Tashan. The term, 'size zero' easily trended for the next couple of years and we've all been guilty of pursuing it. Rijuta Diwekar, the genius behind Kareena Kapoor's weight loss diet now and then, has released a sorted guideline for pregnancy and boy has it created a buzz!

Here's what you can expect to read about in Rijuta's book, Before, During & After, when you're expecting:

1. Planning your fitness regime before you get pregnant

Since 2007, I have made a conscious effort to eat correctly, exercise and generally lead a more disciplined life. When Rujuta Diwekar (nutritionist) and I started on this journey, marriage was not even on the cards, and pregnancy wasn't even a faint idea in my heart; it started with getting in shape for a role and evolved into a lifestyle. So, for you, if it starts with getting in shape for a wedding, job, holiday, choose your diet plan cautiously and ask yourself the big question — does it have the potential to evolve into a lifestyle? And if it cannot and is something that's just a two-day or a two-month affair, drop it. If I could shoot during pregnancy, walk the ramp and travel the world, it's only because my body was healthy. I look the way I do because I have been at it for a decade, and not because of what I did or didn't do in the last two weeks or immediately post my delivery.

– Kareena Kapoor

2. Considering pregnancy as a physiological milestone, and not as sickness

"Don't let the people around you, including your doctor, treat it like one. Do you have to be careful of hydration, meal timings or calcium intake? Yes. But do you have to give up on living your life and make it all about the pregnancy and the growing stomach? No. And this is exactly why a history of staying healthy helps.The one time when heaps of advice gets loaded on you is during pregnancy. Eat this, don't eat that. Don't drink this. Don't take up that role, etc. Emotionally also, it's the most vulnerable stage a woman can go through. It's the one time that you may actually consider every random advice coming your way and worse, implement it. A friend of mine went on doodhi juice, another stopped exercising, and we all know many who quit their careers due to their pregnancy. It's not the time to start or stop anything, it's the time to take everything in your stride, to go on. So keep up with eating wholesome food, don't let some random fool tell you that it has too much carbs or fat or whatever. Wear the clothes you want and don't limit yourself to mommy's section or whatever. You are alive, with another life inside you, so if anything, live every moment twice."

3. Mother Nature to the rescue

Just like pregnancy gives you a specific shape, albeit a round one, post delivery too, you are in a specific shape. Don't be in a rush to get rid of it. The extra fat is required for many important tasks such as lactation and protection of both the baby and the mom from infections and illnesses. If you have a long history of fitness and ate right through the pregnancy, then just like the body grew, it will also shrink back naturally. The key here is patience and compassion. Eating very little, or nothing, in a bid to lose that weight is just silly.

I remember specifically the conversation between me and Rujuta post my delivery when I told her to put me on a diet for Tashan. She said no, we have to be careful, compassionate, feed the body well or risk hormonal imbalances later. Karisma Kapoor was in agreement with Rujuta. She had knocked off some 25 kgs post her second delivery and famously done it eating rice and fish curry, and she in my eyes is the fittest mom out there. And Saif, on his part, told me women are inherently beautiful so they really shouldn't bother with losing weight, it's the men who really need to get their act together. Very sweet he is, I know.

– Kareena Kapoor

4. Don't forget yourself after you deliver

Give your body some recuperation time. Pregnancy is tough, delivery is tougher and the toughest job of your life, motherhood, is just about to start. It takes a village to raise a child, goes a famous African proverb. So surely allow your family to help you with the baby - the husband, maasi, older cousins, let them spend some time with the baby while you get some peace and time to yourself. Having your own life, staying healthy, keeping up with your work life is important for the baby. A baby who grows up around a healthy and happy mom can build a good life for herself and contribute towards society much more meaningfully. We even have science now backing this up: sons of working mothers are kinder and daughters are smarter. Not having a life of our own doesn't automatically turn us into great mothers, nor does being skinny. So be kind to yourself.

Based on an interview with TNN.