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Mindy Kaling’s Weight Loss Story: Leafy Vegetables, Walking, And More
Unlike most celebrities, Mindy Kaling’s weight loss journey didn’t involve any crash diets, surgeries, or Ozempic. Here’s how she shed extra pounds healthily!
One is seldom likely to relate to the health and fitness journey of a celebrity, considering the typical extremities in their diet and exercise. Mindy Kaling’s weight loss is an exception! Her approach to her health and body has been refreshingly realistic, underlining moderation and long-term commitment.
While her physical transformation hasn’t been too dramatic, we have seen her get fitter and healthier over the seasons of The Office. In 2022, she hit a jackpot with her weight goals, and the Instagram photos of her healthy, toned-up body attracted much public attention! We have to admit that the mother of two looks more stunning than ever.
That said, critics haven’t refrained from making accusations of Ozempic use in Kaling’s case, either. To bust these myths and uncover the truth, let’s learn about her fitness and weight loss journey in detail. But first, here’s a brief recap about her career trajectory.
Who Is Mindy Kaling?
Born Vera Mindy Chokalingam, Mindy Kaling is a popular Indian-origin American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Owing to her impressive talents, Kaling has contributed immensely to the American television and entertainment industry, specializing in comedy, and has deservingly won several accolades — two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.
Most fans know her for her appearances on cult-favorite sitcoms — The Office (playing the role of Kelly Kapoor) and The Mindy Project (playing the role of Dr. Mindy Lahiri). Fans even adore her for Never Have I Ever, the recent Netflix show that she created and produced. Indian-origin citizens living in the US and Canada, particularly girls, related wholeheartedly to Kaling’s accurate representation of Americans with Desi roots, and the contemporary humor on the cultural diaspora they face.
Some of her other successful works include Champions, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and The Sex Lives of College Girls. She has even worked as a voice-over artist for cult-favorite animated films such as Despicable Me (2010), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Inside Out (2015), and the 2023 spin-off of Scooby-Doo, namely Velma.
Throughout her career, Kaling has worn many hats and has also inspired fans with her vibrant taste in fashion. Adding to the list is her recent weight loss journey, which fascinated her fans further. Let’s learn more about it.
Mindy Kaling’s Wellness Journey Over the Years
When Kaling was in high school, she was told by a friend that she would look very beautiful if only she lost a few pounds. So, to tackle this, she created a makeshift diet formula for herself wherein she would eat only half of what was in front of her while steering clear of desserts. By simply doing that, the producer managed to lose 30 pounds in just two months. She thought that getting thinner would discourage her high-school bully from bothering her — but it didn’t.
That said, The Office star had a healthy physique for most of her school life. However, she put on 35 pounds of weight in the first six months of her college freshman year. Since then, weight loss became sidelined in her list of priorities as Kaling still felt confident in her skin, whereas the men she dated, too, accepted her for the way she was without any criticism. Back then, the actress seldom had people around her telling her to lose weight or feel bad about her body.
Read More: Sophie Turner’s Weight Loss After Eating Disorder: Paleo, HIIT, And More
To anyone else, having a career in show business, facing the screen, while not fitting in the mold of Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standard may seem impossible.However, without limiting herself to the stereotypically “fat” friend for comic relief, Kaling thrives in her career as an actress (among the other hats that she wears). She explored various acting roles without seeing her physique as a shortcoming.
Kaling never liked restricting herself too much from eating what she liked. However, she developed an unhealthy habit wherein she would consume nothing but juice for weeks at a stretch if she were anticipating a shoot or award show. This was a bit similar to what her character Kelly Kapoor would do — go on extreme diets, consuming only water with cayenne pepper and maple syrup for a dramatic weight loss. Fortunately, Kaling found her way to maintaining a balanced diet.
There was a time during the shoot of The Mindy Project when she had to do a scene with James Franco in a whipped cream bathing suit. The actress opened up to a media publisher, saying that like every heterosexual woman or gay man in the country, she too found him to be a “mysterious and sexy weirdo.” Hence, she was very uncomfortable with letting him feel her bra-strap pudge. This was one of the few occasions in her acting career when Kaling felt the need to get slimmer.
Reflecting on her health journey over the years though, Kaling believes that she had made a lot of big mistakes. Hence, as a mother of two in the fourth decade of her life, she realized that it was high time she made her health and fitness a priority, and shedding extra pounds was a good place to start.
Successfully, in 2022, Kaling managed to cool off some extra pounds from her body. She made this public with an Instagram post in a white dress, wherein her waistline looked much smaller than usual. Curiously, unlike the response many other celebrities get on losing weight, Kaling’s fans were unhappy when she shed those extra pounds.
While the Never Have I Ever producer’s weight loss was purely an outcome of conscious lifestyle changes, critics were quick to conclude that she used Ozempic, the infamous diabetes drug, or a similar weight loss drug to lose weight.
To this, Kaling responded by saying that she appreciated the concern, but the speculations were untrue. She further added that people are taking her weight loss too personally, and while she understands why the public gaze is suddenly on her body, it gets a bit much at times. Moreover, the producer admitted that she hasn’t reached her goal weight yet, and still sees herself as a work in progress.
Kaling has stated that she never adopted any shortcut methods to lose weight. However, her weight loss should definitely be attributed to her reformed diet and fitness routine. Let’s learn about it below.
Insights from Mindy Kaling’s Weight Loss Diet
After making several mistakes with junk food consumption and crash diets, weeks before her shoots, Mindy Kaling made “moderation” the key to her healthy diet. This means that the TV producer does not restrict herself from eating what she likes, but keeps the quantity in check, and doesn’t overeat.
She also includes carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fiber in balanced quantities in her diet, which leaves her feeling energised, satisfied, full, and happy. The following are some insights that we have about her diet.
1. Grilled Salmon And Sautéed Spinach:
Two months after Kaling gave birth to her daughter Katherine, she had to shoot for a movie, for which she felt the need to reduce her baby weight. So, for the next three months, the star majorly only ate grilled salmon and sautéed spinach for her meals — getting in the protein, fiber, and antioxidants, while avoiding carbs.
Research suggests that following a low-carb diet is an effective strategy for rapid weight loss (1). However, depriving the body of carbohydrates for a very long time can have adverse effects on heart health, kidney function, optimal body-fat composition, and energy levels (2).
That said, this was a temporary dietary change that Kaling embraced. We’re speculating that she didn’t enjoy the diet much, as the star later made a statement that she is a foodie and doesn’t can’t be someone who eats nothing but spinach and salmon.
2. Toasted Corn Tortilla with Avocado And Turkey Bacon:
One of Kaling’s favorite meals to have is a hearty breakfast comprising a toasted corn tortilla, topped with half an avocado and some turkey bacon. Avocados are high in dietary fiber, healthy fats, and vitamins, whereas turkey meat is a good source of protein (3), (4). Speaking of corn tortillas, they are a great source of healthy carbohydrates and dietary fiber, which makes them better compared to gluttonous bread (5), (6).
3. Green Leafy Vegetables:
Leafy greens are very high in folate, vitamins C and K, manganese, dietary fiber, and flavonoids, which makes them essential for daily consumption (7). Mindy’s diet is plush with these healthy greens, packing a punch of antioxidants and roughage in most of her meals. Consuming them also makes her feel full, detoxified, and energized.
4. Limited Consumption of Red Meat:
Kaling swears off red meat due to the negative health effects associated with it. Research suggests that red meat is high in cholesterol — to an unhealthy level — and can cause several ailments such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease if consumed excessively. Moreover, there’s a weak link between red meat and high mortality (8), (9).
5. Limited Consumption of Dairy:
Avoiding milk and dairy products in one’s diet has been a recent health fad, and many celebrities have been following suit. While The Office star hasn’t steered clear of dairy entirely, she consciously keeps the consumption to a minimum.
Now, avoiding milk and dairy if you are intolerant to lactose is pivotal. For those who are an exception to this, research underlines the numerous benefits of dairy, such as healthy protein and fats, reduced risk of type-2 diabetes and heart diseases, and improvement of bone health (10).
Considering that plant-based milk such as soy, almond, and oat are strikingly different foods from dairy milk, using them as direct substitutes may not be a good idea for everyone. One should only eliminate dairy from their diet if they’re able to replicate the numerous health benefits it provides, such as calcium, through plant-based foods (10).
6. Limited Consumption of Desserts:
It is no news that desserts aren’t exactly great for health, especially those containing huge amounts of sugar, simple carbohydrates, and trans fat. Hence, Mindy Kaling is very mindful about consuming them on a regular basis and treats her sweet tooth only on occasion.
Read More: Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Weight Loss: Slamming Body-shaming Trolls
Now, that we’ve reviewed the foods Kaling likes to include in her diet and the ones she likes to limit, let’s take a look at some foods she is averse to —
1. Coffee:
According to the Velma star, the fact that she doesn’t drink coffee is one of the most off-putting things about her. Coffee is an exceptionally common beverage consumed in the US, and hence, is an important part of people’s culture and social lifestyle. Plus, considering that coffee is loaded with antioxidants, many health enthusiasts and celebrities are in favor of it.
However, like some celebrities such as Sydney Sweeney, Kaling doesn’t like drinking coffee. This may be a good thing for her, as that eliminates caffeine dependence from her lifestyle.
2. Overnight Oats:
Seeing a recipe on Instagram, Kaling had tried out overnight oats one time as they looked delicious. However, when she made it herself, she found oats to be “slimy and disgusting,” which made her swear off it ever since. She mentioned in an interview that she has no idea how people eat them.
That said, overnight oats are an incredibly healthy breakfast choice. Soaking the oats all night in skim milk, with or without add-ons such as fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. retains the low glycemic index and insulinemic impact of oats, according to research (11). Oats are rich in beta-glucan, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds, which makes them excellent for health (12). Further, the addition of fruits, seeds, and nuts can boost the meal’s nutritive properties.
Now that we have some information about her weight loss diet, let’s learn a bit about Mindy Kaling’s exercise regime.
Mindy Kaling’s Exercise Routine
In her 20s, Kaling believed that working out was only effective if it was very punishing. She used to associate exercise with something you hated, only practiced in solitary but had to be done anyway because you look a certain way after exercising.
However, as her health journey matured, Kaling understood that exercise doesn’t have to be exhausting — it can be exhilarating, too! Moreover, it shouldn’t look like having a whole sedentary day with just a one-hour burst of activity. Instead of that, the actress incorporated short bursts of exercise multiple times a day.
To support this lifestyle, she spends almost all day in workout clothes so that she can get going at any time. Especially, as a mother of two, the actress doesn’t like her active lifestyle to take a hit because of the unpredictabilities associated with her “mommy duties.” Having said that Kaling doesn’t see the extra addition of “exercise”.
Furthermore, Kaling is very open to different types of exercises. Any workout that gives her body a chance to move is a win for her, regardless of the duration of the sweat factor. She also likes workouts that are a bit outdoorsy, giving her a chance to absorb fresh air and sunshine. This has helped her improve her overall physical health, in addition to the weight loss success.
In several interviews, Kaling was found talking about her “little secret workouts,” which she records on her fitness tracker at the end of the day. Additionally, she is a big fan of cardio exercises, such as walking and hiking, and logs about three to four miles a day, which translates to 20 miles every week.
For strength training, Kaling’s trainer encourages her to engage in weightlifting exercises, which has helped her increase muscle mass and tone up. However, what The Mindy Project star finds even more challenging than lifting weights is Pilates. According to the actress, the workout has been among the hardest things she has ever done!
She also engages in vibration plate classes, where one moves on a vibrating platform or plate (as the name suggests) to increase the intensity of the workout. Kaling’s workout routine is flexible — sometimes she likes splitting her workout into four different parts throughout the day. And, any time she has a 10-minute break on her hand, she chooses to go on a walk instead of sitting down and checking Instagram.
Moreover, working out helps Kaling get better sleep and mental clarity. Hence, other than just improving her appearance, getting active has positively contributed to her lifestyle in many ways.
Mindy Kaling’s Before And After Weight Loss Photos
Before:
( Image Credit: Getty Images)
After:
Mindy Kaling’s weight loss story is super-relatable for most of her fans, and hence incredibly inspiring! Her honesty, realistic expectations, and commitment to fitness make us deeply admire her health journey and approach to fitness. What’s even better is that even when Kaling used to be slightly overweight, before getting to her current shape, she was ever-so confident about her body, would wear what she wanted, and epitomized health in its true essence. Perhaps it was that optimism and self-love the star possessed, which helped her get fitter and healthier, without taking any extreme measures of consuming weight loss drugs!
Sources:
1. Low-Carbohydrate Diet - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537084/
2. Low-carbohydrate diets: what are the potential short- and long-term health implications? - PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14672862/
3. Hass Avocado Composition and Potential Health Effects - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/
4. Role of poultry meat in a balanced diet aimed at maintaining health and wellbeing: an Italian consensus document
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462824/
5. Functional and Beneficial Properties of Corn Tortilla
6. Comparison of nutritional properties and bioactive compounds between industrial and artisan fresh tortillas from maize landraces - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7473334/
7. Green Leafy Vegetables - an overview | ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/green-leafy-vegetables
8. Red meat consumption and risk for dyslipidaemia and inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9563242/
9. Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof study - PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36216940/
10. Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5122229/
11. Glycaemic and insulinaemic impact of oats soaked overnight in milk vs. cream of rice with and without sugar, nuts, and seeds: a randomized, controlled trial - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326951/
12. A Review of Health-Beneficial Properties of Oats - PMC
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