Living Large With Fat Girl Hedonist

{Nutella, meet your enemy}

She hails from Hialeah, meng. Her love for Panther Coffee knows no bounds. Her Instagram feed may give you diabetes. We’re talking about Cari Garcia of fatgirlhedonist.com fame, my peoples! Below, I chat up the face behind my fave food blog whom is currently seeking the next best donut and ever-lasting love (I may have made that up).

I know, you can take a girl out of Hialeah, but you can NEVER take the Hialeah out of the girl — are you still a Hialeah chick? I’m still in Hialeah. I know, I know. With the exception of my time spent in graduate school, I’ve lived en la ciudad que progresa my entire life.

Food blogging aside, what do you do to “pay the bills”? I’m a full-time therapist, providing mental health counseling to the adult mentally ill.

What inspired you to start food blogging? Back in 2011, I was working in a locked-down psychiatric facility and needed a way to blow off steam. It was a very stressful and demanding job and I desperately needed a release, a hobby, a something. I tried scrap booking and that lasted about 5 hours. Then, I tried jewelry making and that lasted about 4 days. A few friends suggested trying my hand at a food blog since I always liked going to weird and different restaurants. Begrudgingly, I gave it a shot and 2.5 years later it’s still my hobby.

Single or taken? Ecstatically and enthusiastically SINGLE.

Fave burger ever. GO! It really depends on my mood. If I need a burger on-the-go, then Shake Shack is my choice. If I want a burger with a funky twist, then I’m headed to Pincho Factory. If I want a great classic burger, I’m going to Blue Collar.

A dessert so good, it makes a grown man cry? The chocolate cremoso from Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink or the Chocolate Chip Cookie from Harry’s Pizzeria. Both are made by one of my favorite pastry chefs, Hedy Goldsmith.

What pasta dish is so good, it makes you wanna slap yo’ mama? Don’t judge me, but I’m obsessed with homemade beefaroni. Y’know, the stuff that you used to get for school lunch as a kid? Yea, that. My version is homemade meat sauce, macaroni pasta topped with ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

Miami’s best-kept secret? If I tell you then it won’t be a secret!! If you’re going to twist my arm, then my vote has to go to Gusto Fino Italian Deli. Absolutely delicious Italian subs, pasta and salads. It’s a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Coral Gables that’s only open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday,  

Where will you NEVER eat again? Pride & Joy. I had an awful experience and after my blog post I received hate mail from several of the employees warning me to never return.

Your blog has taken on a life of its own. What’s the greatest thing to come from it? I have made some truly amazing friends as a result of the blog. People that have become like family to me and I couldn’t picture my life without them. In many ways, this blog has changed my life and opened doors I never thought possible.

How about the worst? The Twitter drama and cyber bullying. My career is stressful as it is, so to have to deal with come mierdas attacking, subtweeting and slandering you online is very disheartening. It’s absolutely ridiculous to see “adults” act like they’re minds are developmentally stuck somewhere in 10th grade.

Agreed. Your Instagram feed makes me crave Pincho Factory burgers and Blue Bell ice cream. How do you manage to not balloon to 604 pounds? All in moderation! I never eat every single thing on my plate. The meals you don’t see on Instagram are usually Greek yogurt, rice cakes, grilled chicken with brown rice and the occasional salad. Plus, I work out 3 to 4 times a week. It also helps to have best friends with ravenous appetites that help you finish whatever you didn’t eat.

You told me at a recent event that you lost a lot of weight a few years back. How many pounds did you lose and how did you shed it? At my heaviest, I weighed 320 pounds and was a size 24. The only pictures I ever saw of myself at the time were selfies from flattering angles. Although I was morbidly obese, I didn’t really see it. The person in the mirror was lying to me, I saw what I wanted to see and I figured “I’m chunky, but I’m still cute!” It wasn’t until a trip to Colombia in 2006 that I really saw what I looked like to the rest of the world. I saw a photograph of me standing next to my 5-foot-one 102 pound aunt and I realized I looked like an unrecognizable monster. It was then that something clicked. I was done and it was time to change my life. I didn’t follow any formal diet and just used my “common sense.” I cut out sodas, fried foods and sweets, ate 5 small meals a day and slowly started incorporating exercise.
 
Bravo! The apocalypse is tomorrow. Where are you having your last meal on earth? Mami‘s house! Nothing beats her masitas de puerco, arroz blanco and frijoles negros made from scratch.