The Founders Of Georgetown Cupcake Explain How They Lost 100 Pounds
One of the biggest challenges of losing weight is actually keeping it off - especially if you're constantly surrounded by temptation, in the form of an endless supply of cupcakes. These aren't just any cupcakes, either. These sweets are so addictive that people plan road trips and gladly spend half an hour in line, just to try them. That's the reality for Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis Berman, the sisters behind Georgetown Cupcake.
And yet, two years after dropping a combined 100 pounds, they're still at their ideal weight. Without giving up the treats that made them famous. We spoke to the DC Cupcakes stars to find out what they've been doing - and why Coach Taylor has played a huge role in their success.
Netflix and Walk.
Initially, the sisters lost weight by eating smaller portions and walking six miles a day, five days a week. It helped them get results quickly (100 pounds in 9 months!), but once they hit their goal weight, the duo scaled back. They're still eating more balanced meals - "no eating late at night, or excessive snacking," Katherine said - but they now walk three miles at a time, and only once or twice a week.
"We're not gym people. We've joined a gym and spent six months trying to cancel our membership, so we needed to do something we could stick with," Sophie explained. "You can get in three miles in an hour; that's like watching two of your favorite shows on a treadmill."
Often, the two get together and walk while they binge-watch their favorite shows, like House of Cards, Big Little Lies, and classics like Friday Night Lights.
"Friday Night Lights came out in 2007 or 2008, so I completely missed the whole series because I was so engrossed in launching our business," Katherine said. "I'm a huge fan of Kyle Chandler [AKA Coach Taylor], so I watched it, got hooked, and got Sophie hooked too. We'd watch and wouldn't want to stop walking!"
Make Peace With Your Scale.
It's become common health advice to throw out your scale, but Katherine and Sophie keep theirs front and center, weighing themselves daily. "There's no better tool to hold you accountable," Sophie said. "It's like looking at your credit card statement to check your spending; weighing yourself keeps you in check, so the weight doesn't creep up on you."
She speaks from personal experience: "I had gone too long without weighing myself, and one day, I stepped on the scale and realized I gained 40 pounds," said Sophie. "I literally had a freakout attack, like, 'How did this happen?!'"
It was the catalyst that got her to change her lifestyle completely.
Get J.Lo-Levels of Real With Yourself.
Katherine and Sophie own a cupcake company, and they weren't about to ban sweets, so they knew their diet had to incorporate treats without derailing their health.
"We know we'll eat cupcakes at our job, so we try to avoid something super-sweet for breakfast, and we don't have dessert that often," Katherine explained.
Typically, they'll start the day with plenty of protein - either scrambled eggs and whole-wheat toast, or an English muffin with avocado and an egg on top - and have a salad or sandwich for lunch. At dinner, they'll go for fish or chicken with vegetables and often, some kind of starch, like rice or a potato.
No food, however, is off-limits.
"We're all about having a very balanced approach to eating and exercising," Sophie said. "If you're going to have pizza or pasta for lunch, have something lighter for breakfast."
Snack Responsibly.
In addition to walking while they watch TV, they gave up another aspect of binge-watching: mindless snacking. The sisters rarely snack at night, and they try not to during the day, either - save for the occasional bite while they're recipe-testing or working.
"We'll definitely sample here and there, and over the course of the day, it probably adds up to one cupcake," Katherine said.
Don't Punish Yourself.
When Katherine and Sophie committed to losing weight, they were adamant that they didn't want to diet. They knew they needed a lifestyle change, and one they could get behind. They keep their walks at a casual pace - roughly a 20-minute mile - and have realized that sustaining your goal weight all comes down to one concept: Go easy on yourself.
"Once you make yourself miserable, that's when you fall off," Sophie said. "That's what makes people gain the weight back."
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