Jelly Roll, the singer known for his candidness, has openly shared his weight loss journey, inspiring many. His path involves healthier food choices, increased exercise, and addressing food addiction. This article explores the details of his journey, including his diet, workout routines, and goals.
The Beginning of the Journey
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, began his weight loss journey in December 2022. He started by making healthier food choices and exercising more. At the time, he weighed over 500 pounds. He has been open about living with obesity and addiction. In a 2018 Instagram post, he shared that he once weighed over 500 pounds, calling the day he realized this "one of the most embarrassing" of his life. "I’ve been obese since I was a small child. All I’ve ever known was being fat, and I’m f-----g miserable. I wanna sky dive, bungee jump, ride a bull, parasail, ride roller coasters, I want to LIVE a normal life and have a normal relationship with food. I fight addictions and alcoholism everyday," he wrote.
Diet and Nutrition
Jelly Roll’s nutrition coach, Ian Lairos, has played a significant role in his transformation. Lairos designs meals that are high in protein but still allow for indulgent flavors. Jelly Roll eats two meals and one snack per day.
A Day of Eating on Tour
While on tour, Jelly Roll sticks to a structured eating plan:
- Meal One: A healthy take on a Waffle House staple. Lairos prepares a breakfast bowl with grated potatoes cooked in Wagyu beef tallow. The toppings include stir-fried bell peppers and chicken sausage cooked in bone broth. Sauerkraut is added for a probiotic boost. "This all started because I love Waffle House," Jelly Roll said. "Lairos figured out a way to not only make ’em taste good but good for my tummy."
- Snack: A sweet treat consisting of peanut butter cookie dough bites and sliced banana. "It’s one snack a day so this is something he really looks forward to," Lairos explained.
- Meal Two: A "protein poutine." This dish includes homemade fries, dairy-free cashew cheese curds, pressure-cooked chicken thighs, and gravy made with bone broth, peppers, chicken sausage, and rice flour.
Sensible Food Swaps
Lairos has also shared cooking tips that allow Jelly Roll to eat sensibly while on the road, swapping out some of Jelly Roll's favorite meals for some healthier options while the artist stayed on top of his workouts. Before a show, Larios prepared a banana bowl for Jelly Roll made with sliced bananas, Manuka honey and some Stevia-sweetened dark chocolate grated over the top. Once the singer was off stage, Larios said he leaned into high-protein meals. In the video, he made the singer a play on Nashville hot chicken without the oil and batter. Larios' version is air-fried and seasoned with potato and rice flour. The french fries he served on the side were boiled in bone broth for additional protein.
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Exercise and Physical Activity
Exercise has been a crucial component of Jelly Roll's weight loss journey.
Running and Training
Jelly Roll kickstarted his weight loss by running. He stunned viewers of the Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2024 when he looked noticeably slimmer on the red carpet. He trained for and completed a 5K race in 2024. Reflecting on completing the 3.1-mile run, he said it was “really emotional” because he “couldn’t walk a mile” in January when he started training for the 5K. Training for the 5K race has been a big part of helping Jelly Roll lose weight. After finishing the 2 Bears race, he told Entertainment Tonight that he'd lost "50 to 70-something pounds. I got to double check again - it was a lot of weight." In mid-April, while he was still training, he told People that he was "doing 2 to 3 miles a day, four to six days a week. I’m doing 20 to 30 minutes in the sauna, six minutes in a cold plunge every day. I’m eating healthy right now.” Jelly Roll has also been walking the arenas, playing basketball, boxing.
Setting New Goals
Even though he met major milestones including weight loss goals and running a 5K, Jelly Roll isn't stopping there. "Next year, half marathon. We're saying it right now," he told ET in 2024. On Feb. 7, 2025, he revealed another feat he completed in Arizona. “I hiked a mountain the other day. Camelback,” he said during an E! News interview.
Addressing Food Addiction and Mental Health
Jelly Roll has been open about his struggles with food addiction. In a November 2024 interview with People, he shared that part of his weight loss success has also involved overcoming food addiction. “The battle was with the food addiction, changing the way I’ve looked at food for the last 39 years,” he said. “I’ve never had a healthy relationship with food, so that was the hard part. But once you get into that discipline and commitment, it’s like an avalanche. Once that little snowball started rolling, it was on its way.” He admits, however, that he still struggles sometimes. At the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards, when asked about the hardest part of losing weight, he told Fox News Digital it was the food. “If you’re really battling obesity, you got to start at the dinner table, man. The walking’s great, all the other stuff’s great, but you got to fight that addiction at the dinner table,” he said.
For years, he said women were a major source of validation for him when he felt lowest about his body. "I was so insecure in my body for so many years that I found validation through women,” he said on a 2024 episode of the "On Purpose With Jay Shetty" podcast. But he found the motivation to make a change. In February 2023, he posted on X that he was "working out daily… praying and meditating …. Eating better - losing weight. Making sure I bring the best version of me on my new album and this tour… this is what growth and gratitude look like in real time."
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Weight Loss Milestones and Goals
Jelly Roll has achieved significant milestones throughout his journey.
Weight Loss Numbers
Jelly Roll has lost 183 pounds since making lifestyle changes. Jelly Roll shared he'd reached a new low on the scale while giving a speech to the Tennessee Titans football team on Aug. 6. As his speech came to a close, Jelly Roll revealed how much weight he'd lost and joked about joining the team. "I lost 200 pounds. I told coach I'm getting a contract if I lose another 50," he said. The last weight loss update Jelly Roll shared came on April 9 during a conversation with Pat McAfee during his Big Night Aht live show. “I started at 540 pounds and I was 357 pounds this morning,” Jelly Roll said. This near-200-pound weight loss was a new feat for the singer and came only five months after he announced he'd lost 120 pounds in Nov. 2024.
Future Goals
Jelly Roll is setting new goals as he continues his weight loss journey and details his progress.
- Losing Another 100 Pounds: Jelly Roll said, “I’m gonna lose another 100 pounds and go skydiving with my wife in Sweden, baby."
- Cover of Men’s Health: As a guest on wife Bunnie XO's “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Jelly Roll said his next goal is to be on the cover of Men's Health by March 2026. “I did this publicly for a reason,” he said. “I want to be honest about my struggles with it with people. I wore it for so long."
- Weighing Less Than 250 Pounds: During an April 2025 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Jelly Roll revealed his weight goal was to be under 250 pounds. "To do all the fun stuff in life, you've gotta be under 250," he explained. The fun stuff, he shared are activities he's never been able to participate in including sky diving, riding a rollercoaster, riding a bull and wrestling an alligator.
How Jelly Roll's Weight Impacted His Daily Life
Jelly Roll's health coach, Gary Brecka, says he'll "never forget" hearing the heartbreaking details of what the singer's life was like before embarking on a 200-lb weight loss journey.
- "He would say, 'I have to sleep on my side and wedge myself in with pillows, because if I roll on my back at night, I'll suffocate,'" Brecka remembers Jelly telling him. "I'll vomit."
- "I never turn the radio down in the car, because when I pull up to a stoplight, I can hear myself wheezing," Jelly also told him.
- "Every morning that he would wake up, he said as soon as he would wake up, he would thank God that he didn't die that night. Because he felt like he was gonna die every night when he went to sleep," Brecka continues.
The Decision to Go Public
Jelly Roll decided to share his weight loss journey publicly for several reasons. “I did this publicly for a reason,” he said. “I want to be honest about my struggles with it with people. I wore it for so long. I think that people that become as big as I became, when they lose the weight, they’re kind of ashamed. They’re so ashamed that they go out and lose the weight and they come back out and they don’t really know how to interact with the world looking different or feeling different.” He wanted to lose it in front of everybody and talk about it.
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Jelly Roll's Message
Jelly Roll wants the world to know that he didn't become successful because of his weight but in spite of it. “I wanted to lose it in front of everybody. I want to talk about it. It’s on my daily Roll vlogs. You know what I mean? I mean this is constantly what I’m putting in the air because I want to bring people along with me.” “And what I want the world to know and what I want the people to see, Bunnie, is that I didn’t become successful because of my weight. I became successful in spite of it. I somehow managed to be this successful with carrying 550 pounds. That’s insane.”
Other Celebrities' Weight Loss Journeys
Many other celebrities have also shared their weight loss journeys, including:
- Kelly Clarkson: Dropped weight by listening to her doctor and taking medicine to help break down sugar.
- Oprah Winfrey: Using a medically approved prescription for managing weight.
- Whitney Way Thore: Focused on not obsessing over her body.
- Post Malone: Kicked soda and started eating better for his daughter.
- John Goodman: Maintained a 200-pound weight loss through walking and a Mediterranean diet.