Jelly Roll has reached a major milestone in his weight loss journey, appearing on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. “I am on the cover of Men’s Health magazine,” the father-of-two boasted to the magazine, sharing that he is “loving my body”. The country music superstar has lost 275lbs in several years; he was 540lbs at his heaviest, and has said he was “eating himself to death”.
In a 20-minute documentary for the publication, titled “A Year for a Life,” the 41-year-old can be seen boxing, playing basketball and running stairs. It also reveals that he works alongside a physiotherapist every day to help with increasing his mobility and that his sex drive has also increased, with Jelly joking that he feels like a “teenager” again.
“I was so fat that there came a moment in life that my wife and I had to put two queen beds beside each other because we couldn’t fit in a king bed anymore, I was just all over,” he admitted, revealing that his testosterone levels were “bad,” but that he now has “the sex drive of a 17-year-old again,” and that he is “pouncing on my wife”.
“There’s this magical thing that happens when you start exercising. And you get through the absolute misery of the beginning of it. This thing happens in the middle of your workouts where it just sucks, and all of a sudden, it opens up and you feel incredible,” he told the magazine. “I can touch my toes now. I saw my knee caps the other day, standing up. That’s a real thing. That’s a whole new concept for me, man.”
© AB + DM for Men’s HealthThe singer, real name Jason DeFord, also shared that he hopes 2026 will see continued success for him after he began making his major lifestyle changes through a personal chef and focusing on movement, starting small with walking.
Personal trainer Chloe Thomas previously told HELLO! that the humble walk is king when it comes to losing weight and staying fit.
© Getty Images“Even 15 minutes of walking per day will massively help people lose weight,” Chloe told HELLO!. “Pretty much anyone can go for a walk – you don’t have to be super fit to start. You can very easily start with 10 minutes a day and work up. Walking is free, and it’s low impact, so it’s accessible to many people. If you combine it with a healthy diet in a calorie deficit, you can lose weight.”
© Billboard via Getty Images“Having good mobility allows us to retain independence for longer, meaning we can safely complete tasks such as walking, cooking, using the bathroom and getting dressed,” said Jamila Faerbe, General Manager at Orchard Manor care home.
“Mobility is also tied to cognitive health, as it can affect how often you leave the house, and therefore your engagement and interaction with your external environment and other people. Keeping your independence depends on your mind and your body, so it’s important to do what you can to nourish both.”
© Getty ImagesThe Grammy-nominated musician also spoke openly about the mental health issues he has also overcome, sharing that he felt “never-ending sadness,” and “anger,” calling himself a “prisoner to my own body”.
He went on to share that he struggled with everyday tasks, including washing himself in the shower and entering and exiting cars.
“Every decision I made in life had to be based on my weight. If it could hold me, facilitate me, or fit me,” he said. “I was killing myself, literally. I mean, I was eating myself to absolute death. I can’t talk about one area of my life it was not affecting. I’m ashamed of it. When I think of it being disgusting, I feel shame again. And shame is the exact same thing that will send me right back into the pantry. It’s the same thing that sends an alcoholic right back to the bar.”
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