Cynthia Bailey got real with HollywoodLife about her 20-pound weight fluctuation during quarantine. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, 53, admitted that once the COVID-19 pandemic hit — which caused stay-at-home orders across the globe — “my happy place became food.” Cynthia spoke exclusively with HollywoodLife about her weight gain and loss during an episode of TVTalk on Instagram Live on September 7.
“When I returned back to Lake Bailey by myself, I was able to kind of manage my food a little bit better — because I didn’t have my family with me and honestly some days I didn’t even eat as much as before,” Cynthia said about returning to her new lake house in Georgia, after quarantining in LA. “It just wasn’t an issue when I came home, because I was just eating for myself, so I was able to control what was in the refrigerator,” she said, adding, “I was able to control my snacking and all of that kind of stuff.”
Upon returning home from LA, Cynthia’s weight loss sped up with the help of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting involves eating during an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 hours, according to nutrition expert Jorge Cruise. “I started out just not eating anything until after 4 (p.m.), which was easy enough. I’m pretty busy during the pandemic now with work stuff, so that was pretty easy for me,” she explained. “Then, I would just eat maybe two healthy meals later that evening and that was it — and I just started slimming down. It was pretty awesome! I didn’t realize how good I actually looked until I put on a two-piece. I was like, ‘Wait a minute! I actually look OK!'”
As for what Cynthia eats daily? — “I’ll try to do salads, but not like a boring salad, like a loaded salad; a loaded baked potato kind of salad with everything in it,” she revealed. “After that, I might kick in again around 8:30/9 and try to eat something light. Despite keeping a close eye on what she eats, “I’m not really depriving myself too much,” Cynthia said.
Although she doesn’t have a sweet tooth, Cynthia admitted that her love for tasty cocktails has been an “issue” in her weight loss journey. “I’m a little stressed out so I’ve been drinking a lot of cocktails. And, I have a wine cellar so I have tons of wine in here. I think the alcohol is my weight issue right now, but I can’t stop,” she explained. “I think between filming and planning a wedding, I have to relax and not stress out.”
While her diet is mostly in check, Cynthia admitted that she’s not working out as much as she’d like. “We’re shooting a TV show, and I get tested for COVID every week; so, I don’t want to go into a lot of public places right now,” she explained. “The gyms just opened up back here, but we weren’t sure if it was safe to go,” Cynthia said in reference to her joint gym sessions with fiance, Mike Hill, who’s now with her at her lake house. The couple is currently gearing up for their wedding day, which Cynthia confirmed is still set for October 10, 2020.
“So far at the venue where I’m having the wedding, we’re good to go! It’s really happening, so now it’s really real,” she gushed, revealing that “the invitations are out, people are confirming and we’re getting gifts every five seconds.”
As her wedding day quickly approaches, Cynthia’s goal is to lose at least 10-15 more pounds. “I’m definitely trying to be a lot healthier and get my exercise on until the wedding to get all this fineness in my wedding dress — because I am a little concerned,” she admitted, noting that she’s “nervous” because her dress “is not stretch material, and I have to fit into it!”
When it comes to her wedding guest list, Cynthia revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some important people to decline the event. “There are a few people that Mike and I would’ve loved to be here for our big day, but because of everything that’s going on in the world, some people are still not flying,” she said, explaining that some guests, “don’t really feel comfortable because Atlanta is a little bit of a hot spot” for the coronavirus.
Cynthia explained, “We didn’t want our friends to feel left out and so far the response actually has been pretty overwhelming considering the state of the world. The wedding is still going to be at least a couple of hundred people. Now, we’ve incorporated indoor and outdoor,” she revealed. “I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s going to be masks and shields and all kinds of stuff going on so that people feel comfortable, but even with that, some people don’t feel comfortable coming and I have to understand that and just respect that,” Cynthia continued, adding, “All we can do is just make sure people feel safe and enjoy themselves.”
Cynthia told HollywoodLife that her wedding will be filmed for The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It’s unclear who will officiate the ceremony, although many fans are calling on Steve Harvey, who introduced Cynthia and Mike, to take on the gig. “I think his wife’s birthday is on our wedding day, actually. I don’t know. I was texting back and forth with her [Majorie Harvey] and we’ll see,” Cynthia said, noting,”The invite is open to them.”
Cynthia’s “The Bailey Wine Cellar,” where she got engaged to Mike, is currently open for business under COVID-19 guidelines. Additionally, her CBVior Kids clothing line, which features casual wear for kids, is now available.