Everyone wishes they could be an Instagram influencer, and if you say you don’t, you’re either on the wrong site or lying. But, like, who has the money or time or willpower? Turns out, looking good on Instagram might not be as impossible as you think. We wanted to get to the bottom of what fitness influencers eat, so we spoke with fitness influencer Mariam Chubinidzhe, aka @newyorkfittie, about her diet and exercise habits.
Hi there! So quick info on me: My name’s Mariam Chubinidzhe, I’m 22 years old, a born and bred New Yorker. I started my Instagram account June 10, 2015 (I was 19), just 10 days shy of attending my first ever Kayla Itsines boot camp in NYC. I originally started with the username @bbgmar—mostly for accountability. When I left to Amsterdam for my study abroad junior year of college, I changed my username to @newyorkfittie, since the BBG program (Bikini Body Guide) was not the only form of exercise I did.
How did you get a big IG following?
I honestly don’t know. LOL. It kind of happened when I moved abroad and through an organic progression. Back when I started my account, people would post for like, #motivationmonday or #flexfriday or #womancrushwednesday, and I’ve been honored a few times by a few of my close girlfriends I met off Instagram to get reposted! So that definitely brought me followers—but now honestly I post when I want, I chat with almost everyone who DM’s me. Since law school started, I think I must have lost about 1500-1800 followers. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It’s their loss.
What do you typically eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks?
So, onto my typical day of eating. I try to stay fairly clean, so it might be like a 80-20% scale? Depending on the season (finals season), I might be cleaner or not as clean, haha.
Breakfast is either hot oatmeal or overnight oats with fruits, maybe crumbled Square Organics protein bars, a nut butter, almond milk, etc. Or eggs with veggies! Lunch is probably a salad daily. I love packing it with veggies and a simple lemon, olive oil, and red wine vinegar dressing. Dinner depends on where I am. If I’m at school, I’ll probably get a fish or a grilled chicken; if I’m home, it depends on what my mom makes/what I cook. It’s usually a type of meat with veggies and quinoa or sweet potato. My snacks are usually a protein bar, maybe a protein shake if I’m at home and can make one, carrots and hummus, celery, and a nut butter, apples, nuts.
Are there any food groups you avoid?
I’m currently trying to avoid dairy. I used to eat cheese and yogurt and milk all the time. Now I’m onto nut milk (mainly almond), and I avoid cheese unless it’s an older cheese or goat cheese. I don’t have yogurt as often as I used to. I typically have Icelandic skyr or a coconut milk yogurt. I tried to avoid gluten, but my willpower is not that strong.
How many days a week do you work out?
If I’m on a proper schedule, which I’m not right now, I work out 3-5 times a week. In the summer/winter it could be daily. But being in law school, I’m trying to still work out a balance. It try to at least once a week go to either Rumble Boxing or Swerve Fitness, maybe try other random classes here and there. I also loveeee yoga! I go to either Yoga to the People or I do my own flows at home. If I go to other studios, I love Y7 and Sky Ting Yoga.
What’s your philosophy about diet and exercise?
My philosophy is to listen to my body. I used to be very strict when I first started working out regularly, and I realized it didn’t make me happy when I lost some weight. I felt like I was missing out on stuff like brunch or dessert with friends, so I go with a more everything in moderation—because too much of anything can be a bad thing. I don’t have a cheat day, but if I’m craving something I’ll go for it. I try not to make a day of it—like let’s say I’m at brunch, I liveeeeee for avocado toast and an egg, so I normally get that. But if I go out for dinner, pasta is great. I won’t say no to dessert unless I’m full! It’s more of intuitive eating.
What’s your favorite workout?
My favorite workout…hmm. I love Rumble Boxing, because I love hitting the bag and feeling like a badass, and I also love their floor section, because BBG is circuit training and it’s just fun. You can totally switch it up and make it fun. I love bike riding—not like indoor cycling, but actually getting a real bike and biking around Central Park. I don’t do it often, but when I lived in Amsterdam obviously I biked everyday (thank god too, otherwise I would’ve gained so much more weight than I did). And I love love love yoga. Yoga is definitely my thing that I always go back to with such happiness.
Do you have any tips for taking a good Insta where you look really skinny/fit?
LOL I still don’t even know how to take good photos sometimes. I guess once you get really comfortable in your skin, you don’t think about it as much. Obviously, there are days I feel extremely bloated, and I have tinier friends and I try to stand sidewise versus frontal because I have wider hips, but sometimes IDK. I’m a typical girl. I expect you to take 10,000 photos and hope that at least 4 good candids can come from it. If you take one or two photos of me and I take 1,000 of you, you’re dead to me. (I’m kidding! But I’m not. But I am.)
Images: Marion Michele / Unsplash; Mariam Chubinidzhe / Instagram
