Jelly Roll Admits He ‘Could Feel’ Himself ‘Dying’ as He Approached 40 Before Dramatic Weight Loss

Jelly Roll wasn’t sure how long he had to live before dropping almost 200 lbs.

The country singer, 41, appeared as a guest on the Wednesday, December 10, episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and revealed he finally decided to change his lifestyle and address his morbid obesity in 2023.

“It was right around my 39th birthday that I started really considering taking the step to try to make a major change in my life,” he shared. “And I thought about it around my birthday ’cause I knew my next [birthday] was 40, and I was like ‘I don’t think I’ve ever met a 500-pound 40-year-old.'”

“It felt like I’d already cheated the game,” he admitted. “I’d had multiple heart issues, you know, and I was like, man, I should really start trying to figure this out I could feel myself dying.”

The “Need a Favor” hitmaker explained his weight had fluctuated a lot over the years as he “spent most of 2022 between 480 and 560 pounds.”

“When I sat down to try to lose it this time, I said, I’m going to take a different approach,” he shared. “I’m going to really take my time with it, and I’m going to think about what I’m doing and be intentional. I’m not going to let it be an emotional thing.”

Through working with professionals, the musician said he realized, “overeating for me wasn’t a failure of discipline,” instead, it was “biological.”

“I hadn’t learned how to interrupt. I’ve been doing it my whole life. It had been my constant go-to for stress. It was everywhere all the time,” he continued. “I had to start figuring out what I was actually hungry for.”

Jelly Roll also told Rogan that a side effect of his obesity was that he “didn’t see color for like 20 years.” However, after nine months of cutting back on sugar, colors were finally clear to him.