Issa Rae gained ‘new money weight’ after success

For Issa Rae, the onslaught of success came at a price: weight gain.

Talking candidly about her health habits and exercise routine to Women’s Health, the “Insecure” creator and star says that after her 2011 web series “Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” took off, she began to notice a difference in herself.

“When the web series started, I was very, very broke,” Rae, 34, said. “Then more opportunities began to come. I was gaining New Money Weight.”

She packed on the pounds because food was plentiful in those early days, adding, “When you get a good job you’re like, ‘I can afford to eat at restaurants all the time!’ That adds up in weight.”

Recognizing a difference in her appearance, Rae began to tweak her daily habits but found it difficult to stick with the routine.

“Time to work out is limited, but when I first started seeing myself on TV, I was like, ‘I gotta make time.’”

Despite her best efforts, Rae learned that it’s not super easy to adopt a new workout routine.

“I’d have spurts of trying to work out and be good,” she explained. “Then once I fell off, I’d be like, ‘Well, there’s always next year. Let me make it my New Year’s resolution.’ But even then, I would still be eating wrong while exercising vigorously.”

Today, she’s on a “paleo-leaning” diet and takes her workouts a bit more seriously as she is also the face of Covergirl.

“I exercise for, like, an hour each day,” she said. “My neighborhood has a bunch of hills, so it’s walking up hills. Then I alternate between walking and jogging. I hate jogging – you’re going in circles, but I recognize that it helps.”

On one jog, she lost an earbud which forced her to shut off the music and look inward.

“I was forced to be alone with my thoughts, and I was like, ‘Oh, I need to do this more often.’ Those moments are the most creative. I think finding those moments while also nurturing your body is important.”

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