It’s safe to say that one of the most impressive and talked-about celebrity weight loss transformations has been Jelly Roll’s, and he recently got to show it off on a magazine cover.
The country musician is Men’s Health’s latest cover star, and got to put his 275-lb weight loss on full display for the world in a figure-hugging white shirt. In addition to his fit photoshoot, he also opened up more in-depth about his weight loss journey, including what inspired him to change, how he went about it, and how he’s feeling now compared to his previous struggles. Read more about his new photos and story below.
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Jelly Roll Flaunts His 275-Lb Weight Loss On The Cover Of 'Men's Health' & Opens Up About His Motivation
In honor of the new year, Men's Health just presented a highly anticipated cover star who millions of people were excited to hear from - Jason Bradley DeFord, otherwise known as Jelly Roll. The "Save Me" singer has had what many are calling one of the most inspiring weight loss transformations in pop culture right now.
For his cover shoot, Jason wore a long-sleeved white t-shirt that hugged his slimmed-down figure and had a big smile on his famously tattooed face. In other photos, he can be seen sporting dark gym clothes as he practices several exercises, like boxing with a trainer. For one snap, he's shirtless and sitting in a cold plunge, one of his latest favorite wellness techniques. You can see the photos here!
At the start of his cover story, the author describes his childhood, which consisted of a developing food addiction that spiraled as he became an adult who, unfortunately, became addicted to drugs and alcohol as well. Eventually, he surpassed 520 pounds, recalling the moment his scale could no longer register his weight, which was one of the many things that inspired him to change.
"The needle went past 520, but it didn't blow it down," he said. "And I would play with it—I would teeter the foot up, like, how low could I get it? I was mad optimistic. So it could have been 560, it could have been 528."
Jelly Roll Reveals How Going To Therapy & Exercising Helped Him Lose Weight
Like many celebrities who have lost weight, the 41-year-old admitted that a large part of his success was due to him finally treating his mental health and beginning to speak to a therapist, who helped him cope with both his food and drug addictions.
"Even before I got into getting my blood work done, I went and got mental health therapy about my overeating," he recalled. "I started treating my food addiction like what it was: an addiction. I didn't look at the food addiction different. Once I started treating food like an addiction, it started changing everything for me. When I started really looking at the source of why I was eating. What was I eating for?"
Once he got some startling bloodwork back and hired a personal chef to create healthier renditions of his favorite takeout or restaurant meals, the award-winning singer worked with trainers to figure out which types of exercise he liked best, including walking, which he continues to do nearly every day, improving his pacing.
"When this journey started, I couldn't get a full mile in in that 30 minutes," he says. "Now I could put on a pair of tennis shoes, walk out that door, do a mile loop around Hollywood Boulevard, and be back in 12 minutes and 25 seconds. You feel me?"
When he was asked about what advice he had for losing weight, he noted that instead of trying to make numerous lifestyle changes at once, he suggested starting with tracking what you eat and getting your eating habits back on track.
"Just pick one of those," he explained. "And you know which one you need to pick? Food. Start there. Just commit yourself to 'I'm gonna count every calorie and macro that goes in my mouth.'"
"I wish I could bottle up what I’m feeling right now and give it to everybody who’s struggling out there," he added in a video special for the magazine.
