Mukherjee and husband Saurabh run a company called Health Total, which owns a chain of slimming clinics in Mumbai and markets health food. The clinics at Bandra, Andheri and Colaba are frequented by celebrities from the world of entertainment and fashion, among others. Doctors and consultants have been recruited to provide expert guidance.

Mukherjee, who is a columnist for many Indian publications, worked on the Miss India contestants too. Only her task there was slightly different. The girls had been eating so little in order to maintain their hourglass figures that theywere undernourished. ``Their eyes were sunken, their hair was dry, they felt weak, and didn't feel active enough for anything,'' says Saurabh, who looks into the marketing of Health Total. The programme charges are subjective. Usually, the weight-loss programme lasts as many weeks as the number of kilograms a person wants to lose. Mukherjee charges Rs 5,000 for a five-week course during which a person can lose a whopping one kilogram of body weight per week. Wouldn't doctors have reservations about this crash course? ``Oh no!'' she counters. ``It is universally accepted that losing up to one kilogram a week is okay.'' Saurabh adds, ``We want people to eat right: shun rich, oily food, and all those preservative-rich items.''

``And our charges are not heavy for someone who wants to reduce,'' he goes on. ``We provide a period of free maintenance where the client can come back to us in case he has a problem. If you keep this in mind, the cost works out to a mere Rs 1,000 a month. And Anjali's weight lossprogramme actually works. Unlike other programmes, where people quickly gain all the weight they had lost within a few days after their diet programme ends.'' So it never fails? ``Well, I'd say that it hasn't worked for only about 7 or 8 per cent of the 10,000 people she's treated so far. And that is for reasons outside her control,'' he shrugs. ``Otherwise Asiaweek magazine wouldn't have nominated her among six people doing path-breaking work in the field of health.''

Health Total markets snacks that are light on the body. Their food technologists have worked out biscuits prepared from wheat bran, millet and soya, and garlic sticks apart from the familiar bakery items. Obviously these don't contain preservatives? ``Well, yes,'' says Saurabh, and adds hastily, ``But only within prescribed FDA limits. But that's not important. The important thing is to market them well.'' In her turn, Mukherjee asks, ``Is it possible for foods to have a shelf life if they don't contain preservatives? The body can take acertain amount of preservatives without coming to any harm. Look, we're not saying that these snacks are substitutes for natural foodstuff like fruits. But they are better than the samosas and burgers Indians love to snack on, and in any case, you can't begin at the highest level of nutrition.''

Most products being marketed by Health Total are available at the local bakery, too, so what makes the Mukerjees' stuff different? ``For one, we list the ingredients that have gone into their preparation,'' answers Saurabh. ``And of course, there is a certain credibility attached to the name.''

That's what it's all about. Metabolism, anti-oxidants, free maintenance, everything, there's just one thing to be distilled. Eat as you like, only cut down the fat.