Mindy Kaling reflects on weight loss transformation with throwback snaps

Nostalgia for 2016 is taking Instagram by storm, with actress Mindy Kaling buying into the trend by reflecting on how her body has changed in the last decade.

Social media is teaming with throwback photographs from 10 years ago, with many reminiscing on food favourites, such as the dominant rise of açai bowls, and Deliciously Ella continuing its ascent among the ‘clean eating’ community.

Kaling, 46, revealed she almost didn’t share snippets from her life in 2016 because of how ‘different’ her body looks these days.

She wrote: “I saw this 2016 trend and loved it and almost didn’t post because I look different but these pics are too fun not to share. (I wonder if anyone else can relate lol) but I loved this time and all my memories from then, so had to post! enjoy!!!!”

Mindy Kaling said she almost didn't share her 2016 highlights because of how 'different' she looks (Instagram/@mindykaling)

The Mindy Project star has previously been candid about her weight management journey, revealing in a 2022 interview that she used to follow an unsuccessful ‘restrictive diet’.

"If there was an awards show or I was shooting something, I used to be the person that was like, 'I have to stop eating this food or six weeks beforehand I'm only going to juice,'" she shared, adding that the regime would only work ‘30 percent of the time’.

The other 70 percent? Well, she admitted she ‘couldn’t stick’ to her grand plans.

"I am never going to stop being a foodie,” she confessed. “I'm never going to be someone who can just have spinach and salmon every single day."

Instead of banning certain foods from her diet, The Office star now tries to eat in moderation.

“For me, at this point in my life, I feel like I know what I’m supposed to be eating—you know, more leafy green vegetables and keeping red meat to a minimum—and for me personally, I also try to keep dairy at a minimum,” she admitted to Prevention.

The actress has been candid about her diet and workout routine in the past (Instagram/mindykaling)

But that doesn’t mean she’s adverse to a sweet treat.

Previously, the Dartmouth College alumna revealed she was on Tom Cruise’s Christmas cake list, sharing a picture of the coconut wonder on her Instagram Stories in 2024.

A year before showing off her dessert, Kaling said she’d gotten her fitness routine on lock.

In an interview with People, she remarked how she’d made a ‘big commitment’ to her health and was finally ‘confident’ in her skin.

“I know people are really interested in my body and the changes in my body, and I think it's flattering and sometimes it's just a little much, so I don't try to tune it in too much,” she explained. “The truth is that I spend so much time and energy trying to be healthy.”

Where workouts are concerned, the mum-of-three tends to prioritise weight-lifting and tries to run or hike around 20 miles per week.

“When I was younger, I had a very specific idea of how working out needed to be. It was like 45 minutes on the treadmill, seven minute mile, it needed to be punishing, I needed to hate it," she added.

Her workouts now consist of walking, hiking, and strength training (Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images)

Now, the Massachusetts native goes on walks when it’s convenient. This includes after dropping her children off at school, where she uses the opportunity to chat to her friends on the phone.

“It doesn’t feel like I’m working out, but I am, and I enjoy that I get to socialise too,” she previously explained to E! News.

She also told the publication that you will always find a jump rope in her bag when travelling.

The Never Have I Ever creator admitted that ‘jumping rope is just about the hardest workout you could imagine’, and that her Crossrope jump ropes are ‘cool and very easy to pack’.