Ethan Suplee, the actor known for his roles in "American History X," "Remember the Titans," and "The Wolf of Wall Street," has undergone a remarkable weight loss journey. His story is not just about shedding pounds, but also about confronting body image issues, overcoming obstacles, and finding self-acceptance. From struggling with obesity since childhood to achieving a healthy weight and embracing his body, Suplee's experience offers valuable insights and inspiration for anyone on a similar path.
Early Struggles with Weight
Suplee's challenges with weight began early in life. He recalls being put on a diet at the age of 5, setting the stage for a lifetime of weight struggles. By the age of 10, he was already clinically obese. This early experience with dieting created a complicated relationship with food, leading to secretive binging and a constant feeling of trying to lose weight.
"It was coming from a place of love and concern, but it had this terrible reverse effect where I was like, ‘OK. I’m just gonna sneak food whenever I possibly can.’ And that became my habit,” Suplee recalled. “I would binge when nobody was looking.”
The actor remembers that weighing over 500 pounds made everyday tasks a struggle. Putting on shoes, going for a walk, or simply sitting down became difficult. He avoided rushing to get anywhere because it would exhaust him and plague the rest of his day. He had to wear multiple shirts and always carried a washcloth to wipe away sweat. The highest weight he ever saw on the scale was 536 pounds-on an industrial shipping scale.
The Turning Point
Suplee's motivation to lose weight stemmed from a desire to complete seemingly simple activities, such as going to a museum or hiking. He realized that his weight was holding him back from experiencing life to the fullest. This realization marked a turning point in his journey.
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"I became, for the first time in my life, kind of interested in the future and having experiences with her,” he said on People (the TV Show!) in June 2022, nearly a year after he revealed he lost 250-lbs on Instagram. “Like spending a day walking around a museum, going on a trip or hiking that I just wasn’t physically able to do.”
The Roller Coaster of Fad Diets
Over the years, Suplee tried numerous diets, often restricting food options. While eliminating carbohydrates and other food items would lead to initial weight loss, he repeatedly hit "walls" where he could no longer lose weight. He went on different diets that heavily restricted food options. While eliminating carbohydrates and other food items would lead to weight loss, he repeatedly ran into “walls” where-despite claims that calories don’t matter-he could no longer lose weight.
In 2002, at age 26, Suplee made his first major effort to lose weight with a liquid diet, followed by a blood type diet. By 2005, through a combination of a keto diet and consistent trainer-led workouts, he had dropped 250 pounds. However, this initial success was followed by a period of weight regain.
A Sustainable Approach
In 2018, Suplee adopted a more thoughtful and intentional approach to weight loss. After 16 years of cyclical weight loss-gain-loss-gain and following fad diets and short-term solutions, Suplee learned dietary strategies and workout plans that worked for him. He discovered the importance of tracking his calorie intake and incorporating carbohydrates back into his diet. He weighed his food, he realized he could eat some carbs, and he established a long-term plan.
He found a TedX talk with Mike Israetel, who discussed calories in and calories out and the importance of protein. He actually added calories and carbs-for the first time in years. His weight went up 3 days in a row, and he freaked out a bit, but his waist went down on day 4. He decided to commit to this new way of eating, and this helped lead to a sustainable way of eating. He also-after finding CrossFit-found strength training. The combination of strength training and this new way of eating has led him to not just be thin, but be lean and ripped. He weighs more than he did at his lowest weight, but he looks and feels better.
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"That’s where I really figured out how to live the rest of my life,” Suplee says.
Addressing Excess Skin
After losing a significant amount of weight, Suplee faced another challenge: excess skin. Despite reaching a smaller size, he felt insecure about the loose skin on his body.
“I’m smaller, but nothing is tighter at all,” Suplee recalls thinking. Wrinkles fell over his knees. Excess skin covered his thighs. He was insecure about it and he mostly wore baggy clothes to hide it. “The apron around my abdomen was the worst of it,” Suplee says. “It looked like a gut under my clothing.”
He tried fad trends like mineral supplements, red light treatments, and lotions to remove excess skin. “But there’s not something that can magically remove the skin,” Suplee says. “That's like saying, ‘I want to diet one of my fingers off.’ There's no autophagy that's going to take that away. It's an organ.”
In 2008, Suplee underwent his first excess skin removal surgery, a circumferential body lift. However, the recovery process was difficult and led to complications. In hindsight, Suplee says, he had the procedure done too soon. He had gained some weight back since his initial consultation and he wasn’t physically and mentally fit at the time of surgery. He lost a tremendous amount of blood during the initial procedure and had to be given six blood transfusions. Then he tried to start moving around too soon post-operation, fell over, and split open his side. His surgeon couldn’t sew him back together due to risk of infection, so Suplee was put on a wound vac and heavy antibiotics for almost five months. “It was an incredibly awful experience,” he says.
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He underwent a second skin removal procedure in 2012, which went much more smoothly, and he recovered within six weeks. But again, he gained back the weight. By 2016, he had returned to 400 pounds.
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
Today, Suplee maintains a healthy weight through consistent workouts, a nutritious diet, and a focus on long-term sustainability. While he still has loose skin, he has learned to accept and appreciate his body for what it is.
"I don’t love it, but I like it more than if I was to fill it out with fat,” Suplee says of his loose skin.
He has also acknowledged that he will always struggle with body image and weight, and that there isn’t a perfect or easy solution. “This idea of having a body that looks the way I want it to look-I think it doesn’t exist,” he says.
Suplee has hit major milestones that he never expected as a young man battling insecurities about his body. The first time he could see abdominal definition was in 2019, when he whittled his way down to nine percent body fat. He has ridden a full marathon on a rowing machine, bench pressed 405 pounds, and he can run around with his grandkids in a park all day and still have energy. “I am so utterly impressed with what I’ve been able to do physically,” Suplee says. “That doesn’t mean I’m never self-conscious or don’t want to binge eat sometimes. I’ve had to do deep introspection.”
The Importance of Mindset
Suplee emphasizes the importance of mindset in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He has shifted his focus from constantly trying to lose weight to maintaining his overall health and well-being. He talks about body image, fitness and more on his American Glutton podcast and Substack each week (and he also shared his experience and perspective on the recent MH Strong Talk: Abs Redefined). He also has an important rule for himself in regards to self-image. He often stands in front of a mirror and doesn’t walk away until he has found something to admire. It may take half an hour. But he will stand there until he sees something positive about his appearance.
“I think about how the people I care about care about me,” Suplee says. “And if I’m in my head thinking bad thoughts about myself, I’m basically shitting on someone they care about.
He has learned that the scale and the mirror could only provide so much satisfaction. He has shifted his mindset to maintenance and being content with his overall health, not struggling to make a number go down.
Acting as an Escape
Ethan started acting at 17 years old, and he’s been consistently able to find work ever since. He’s had this incredible career, but acting requires a pretty thick skin. Most of the guys you see in Hollywood are the typical young moviestar types with six-packs - how does a guy in Ethan’s situation make it? It turns out that for Ethan, acting provided an escape. It allowed him to step outside himself and forget about his struggles for a little while.
“I’m a pretty shy person, and I’m not an extrovert by any means. And I don’t like being around a lot of people, but if I’m being a character that doesn’t have those kinds of … mental afflictions, … if the guy says, ‘action,’ … that insecurity goes away. I can feel some version of what I think that person is feeling.” - Ethan Suplee.
Ethan worked hard at acting, and he didn’t mind being typecast as the lovable, goofy, big dude because, hey, he was still getting work! And he had some incredible experiences! He got to work with Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio, but each time the director would call, ‘Cut,” all of that insecurity creeped back in.
Lessons from Hollywood Legends
Suplee has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio. He has learned valuable lessons from these actors about dedication, work ethic, and professionalism.
Ethan shared with me that the first time he worked with Denzel, he was genuinely nervous. Denzel is so talented, and he’s such an icon, so he was definitely an intimidating presence on set. Not to mention, he showed playing the roll of the tough football coach, and he never let up until they wrapped: “He didn’t let anybody off the hook. He’s playing the coach, right? And he’s playing a real no-nonsense guy in Remember the Titans. … He’s like a hard-ass. And he came on set, and he was that. And then I did other movies with him, and even toward the end, he’s not [staying in character] because that’s who he is. He’s doing that because that’s the character, right? And so he is, ‘I’m going to … maintain this, and you are going to behave appropriately.’” - Ethan Suplee
Ethan went on to say that it’s not uncommon for actors at Leonardo DiCaprio’s level of stardom to send an assistant to the door to say, “We need a few minutes,” but Leo doesn’t do that. He’s always ready to go, and he knows his lines - which, according to Ethan, is the single most important thing for an actor to do. “All you need to know is: Be on time … and know your lines because if you don’t, … it’s embarrassing. … You’ve got a whole bunch of people who are like, ‘We all learned our lines, [and] now we’re all waiting on you.’ You might as well have been late. Learn your lines.” - Ethan Suplee