Mindy Kaling: Health is more important than looks

For comedian Mindy Kaling, maintaining health is a long-term process.

"When I was younger, I wanted to lose weight for vanity reasons. Now I want to lose weight or maintain my weight because I want to prevent things like diabetes," she said in an interview with Bustle.

As the mother of three children, Kit (8), Spencer (5) and Ann (2), jokingly added, she wants to "live at least another 20 years."

However, the 46-year-old actress and author points out that, due to her public recognition, her physical changes often attract more attention than her health condition.

"I know people are very interested in my body and the changes it has made. And that's flattering, but sometimes too much," she added.

She also says that throughout her career she has experienced both sides of that pressure and criticism for her appearance and comments after the changes.

She recalled a period in the mid-2000s, when in one scene it was suggested that another colleague's character tell her character that she should lose 15 kilograms.

"That was my biggest insecurity and someone just said it out loud. It was really devastating."

On the other hand, she was also criticized when she lost weight, as if she was disappointing the audience who accepted her for who she is.

"Sometimes it's not pleasant when one of your favorite actors loses weight. People have an image of them that they're used to, and that's what has attached them to them," he points out, adding that This feeling is close to her as someone who follows pop culture herself.

However, Kaling says she's focused on her own journey and doesn't give too much importance to outside comments. She's spoken out on several occasions about her approach to health and exercise.

"If I've learned anything about exercise, it's that I always feel happier and better after a workout."

After the birth of her first child in 2018, she says she changed her habits.

"Finding small windows of time and making the most of them has completely changed things for me. I go for a two-mile walk after I drop my kid off at school and catch up with friends along the way. It doesn't feel like a workout, but it really is," she explained.

"In my twenties, I had a very strict idea of ​​what it meant to be fit. I thought you had to run a fast mile, have a very specific diet. It took me a while to realize that there are many ways to be fit," she said.