Ashish Chanchlani, the popular content creator known for his comic timing, is making headlines for his incredible transformation. Having shed nearly 40 kgs, his fitness journey is nothing short of inspiring. In an exclusive interview with HT Lifestyle, Ashish opened up about his diet secrets and shared valuable weight loss tips that helped him achieve his fitness goals.  

Excerpts from the interview:

We know diet plays a huge role in fitness. Did you follow any specific diet, like keto or anything else? And since you're a foodie, how did you stick to it?

See, first of all, I just realised that I have to eat anything that is fuel for my body. First of all, I made sure that my diet is rich in protein and it constitutes the majority of the pie chart of my diet. Then fiber, then carbs was my last priority on my list. Carbs is also very important.

I would say fat was at a better position than carbs in my diet. I had more fats than carbs. Because fat, especially good fats, is also very important for everything—for your brain functioning, for your skin, for all the reactions that happen in your body. I'm telling you, I've studied everything. And carbs are important, but our Indian diet is very carb-rich. We take carbs, we fry it in fat and have it, which is a deadly combination. A very deadly one.

I would say French fries—which I love the most. I love the most. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I'm in a toxic relationship with French fries. I love it, but it's a red flag for anyone out there. Obviously, you can have fun with it, you can enjoy it on weekends—it's good—but it's a no-go. Any carb that is fried in fat will just increase your fat for sure.

Can you share more about your daily meals? What does a typical day of eating look like for you—what did you have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and how did you structure your diet?

I used to start my day with eggs—around six boiled eggs or an omelette. Then I used to have sprouts. Sprouts is something I really like. Sprouts, I used to eat for fibre. And I used to put some salt and mirchi in it to make it exciting.

Then for my lunch, I used to have one roti with 200 grams of chicken cooked at home. Chicken being the staple of my diet every single day. I was calculating the amount of protein I was getting. So 200 grams of chicken at around 3 p.m. Then at around 6 p.m., I used to have a scoop of whey protein to give myself more protein.

And during lunch, I forgot to tell you, I used to have this cucumber and celery juice. It helps a lot with your digestion. It gives your gut good fiber. Your gut needs to have good fiber so that everything gets digested very well.

And around 8 p.m. would be my last meal. Again, just chicken—no roti, rice, anything. So if I would look at my diet, I was daily consuming 150 or 160 grams of protein. It's very important for anybody who has to build muscles or lose fat that whatever your body weight is, you take the kg out and put grams. That amount of grams of protein is minimum and very important for your body. So, for example, if you're 80 kgs, then 80 grams of protein in a day is a must. And also very important for all the readers—your body can't digest more than 40 grams of protein per meal.

There are many myths and misconceptions when it comes to weight loss. Like, we have seen people saying that you have to cut down on sugar, you have to sacrifice your favourite food. So what's your take on that?

Absolutely not! In fact, people don't believe me when I tell them I've had gulab jamun and rasmalai during my weight loss journey. I love sweets. Okay, I love sugary chai too. Once a week, I would indulge. Gulab jamun and rasmalai are my absolute favourites. Sunday nights used to be my treat—I'd have two gulab jamuns.

Here's the trick: I made sure to adjust my calorie intake. For instance, I'd sacrifice something like a roti during the day for those two gulab jamuns. Everything was within my calorie deficit. A single gulab jamun is about 150–200 calories, so two would be around 350 calories. My daily intake was around 1,800 calories, which was roughly 1,000 calories less than what my body required. So even after indulging in gulab jamuns, I'd still remain in a calorie deficit.

It's a huge misconception that you have to give up everything you love. Some people go all out with self-control, which works for them, but not everyone has that kind of willpower. And let's be honest—we Indians love our food, especially during festivals or vacations. We tend to ignore dieting altogether.

So, my advice is simple: stop thinking you have to sacrifice everything. Have something sweet once a week or whatever you love. And trust me mentally you will be very happy, you haven't sacrificed anything. And after eating next day you will also feel guilty that oh my god I had sugar, now I have to work hard. So you need to give yourself the guilt as well as the pleasure. So I used to do that, I used to take that mindset.

So you used to have regular cheat days as part of your routine?

Yes! It's very important for your mental health. I'm telling you, people don't understand that. People are like, oh my god, sugar is the villain. No, it's not. Ultimately, overeating is the villain. I'm trying to send this message to everyone through my followers, through my journey, that please stop eating more than it is required. Please, your life will be so much better if you realise and count your calories. People don't know what they are eating.

Like for example, I'll give you an example. One tablespoon of peanut butter. Usually people eat it. It's not even one tablespoon. It's almost two, two and a half tablespoons. Just because it's a spoon and it's a peanut butter. On weighing machine you need to weigh everything properly. Okay, 10 ml of sugar is this much, 10 ml of olive oil is this much. Then your life will be better.

Do you used to count calories every day?

Yes, every single day. I used to weigh everything I ate. After about three months, it became second nature. I could just look at my plate and know if I was eating more calories than needed. For instance, if I was having chicken curry at home—something my mom made—just by looking at the bowl, I could tell if it was over 200 grams. It becomes that intuitive once you start counting and weighing your portions.

There are foods that are ridiculously calorie-dense, and most people have no clue. Take almonds, kaju, or badam for example. Yes, they're a great source of healthy fats, but the problem is excess. People think they're healthy and overconsume them. Did you know a single kaju has around 10 calories? Now imagine eating 30–40 kajus in a day—that's 300–400 calories just from cashews! I've seen people munching on these by the handful, not realising that it's all fat going into their body. Moderation is key.

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