Jelly Roll attests that how he lost over 250 pounds isn’t as apparent as many believe.
While the country music star, 44, said he has no judgment for celebrities who use GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, he does not credit the medication for his drastic weight loss journey.
The “Need a Favor” rapper said he only used weight loss medication for a brief two-week period at the start of his process, according to Men’s Health’s January cover story. Instead, he addressed his food addiction and opted for a healthy lifestyle over the past five years.
“Even before I got into getting my blood work done, I went and got mental health therapy about my overeating. I started treating my food addiction like what it was: an addiction,” he told the outlet. “I didn’t look at the food addiction (differently). 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?”
In 2021, he hired chef and sports nutritionist Ian Larios, who told Men’s Health at one point he considered dropping Jelly Roll because he kept gaining the weight back through “lots of stumbles.” Together, they would calculate how many calories and macronutrients Jelly Roll would consume.
Every few months, the two would reach various small goals, aiming for lower insulin levels, better cholesterol and better sleep. In 2022, Jelly Roll decided his goal was to be on the cover of Men’s Health, an accomplishment he can now check off.
How much did Jelly Roll weigh?
Five years ago, the Grammy-nominated artist weighed over 520 pounds, adding that it was the maximum number the scale he used could reach, Men’s Health reported.
“The needle went past 520, but it didn’t blow it down,” Jelly Roll 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.”
He continued: “I was so fat that I took that weekend and I fasted and just ate a couple of chicken noodle soups. When I came in under 500, I was like, ‘I’m finally under 500 pounds!”
He concluded 2025 weighing 265 pounds.
Jelly Roll increased testosterone with hormone therapy
He also underwent hormone therapy with Texas wellness clinic Ways2Well to raise his testosterone levels after learning they were “of a preteen boy,” he told the outlet.
Brigham Buhler, the company’s founder and a former pharmaceutical rep, said Jelly Roll did not want to use any GLP-1 drugs so people couldn’t dismiss his effort.
“He said, ‘When I do this, I don’t want an asterisk next to my name,'” Buhler told the outlet. “I want to show people that this is possible.”
Jelly Roll said he couldn’t walk a full mile in 30 minutes at the start of his journey.
“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,” he said.