Throughout his meteoric ascent to country music stardom, Jelly Roll has never attempted to hide behind a facade of perfection. The “Son of a Sinner” hitmaker has remained candid about his struggles with mental health, substance abuse and weight loss. Getting serious about his health, Jelly (born Jason DeFord) has lost roughly 120 pounds to date. With the journey far from over, the GRAMMY nominee recently opened up on social media about what inspired him to make this change.
Videos by American Songwriter
Jelly Roll Is Training For His Second 5K
Last May, Jelly Roll crossed the finish line in the 2 Bears 5K in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (Feb. 11), the “I Am Not Okay” crooner took a break from training for his second 5K to address social media.
“A little bit over a year ago, I literally struggled to walk down my hill to the mailbox, y’all. It was really bad,” confessed the Antioch, Tennessee-born artist, 40. “And I had let myself get to a point of just being absolutely disgusted with myself. I was just sick and tired of it, and I was like, ‘Man, I’m going to figure this out.’”
The CMA Award winner shed 70 pounds leading up to his first-ever 5K. Since then, he has dropped an additional 50 pounds for a total of 120.
Jelly Reminds Fans To Keep Going, Even When It Hurts
Last Sunday (Feb. 9), Jelly Roll shared a video of himself after hiking up Arizona’s Camelback Mountain.
“Listen, I just wanted to let y’all know something from the bottom of my heart. I’m tired, I’m frustrated, I’m sore,” the “Need a Favor” singer said. “But holy f—, isn’t that beautiful?”
However, making such a monumental life change isn’t all triumph, all the time. In the same video, Jelly reminded his followers to push forward through the inevitable pain.
“We can’t live in a false sense of this thing, not sucking,” Jelly Roll said. “Like, you’re making this big of a life change, it’s gonna hurt. Be painful. I’m sore all the time… but man, I feel better, y’all.
He continued, “Especially the first couple months, you feel like you’re just pissing in the wind. Like, you can’t get any progress. I know that feeling, y’all. Stick with this, baby… Let’s get healthy together, y’all.”
Featured image by John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.