Jelly Roll Reaches Milestone Goal After 275-Lb. Weight Loss: 'I've Worked Really Hard'

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Jelly Roll is starting off 2026 by reaching a major milestone in his weight loss journey.

In December 2024, the country singer revealed his goal to land on the cover of Men’s Health, hoping to have “one of the biggest transformations” by 2026. 

Now, the 41-year-old has done just that, appearing on the cover of the magazine’s Winter 2026 issue, published Jan. 2, after dropping 275 lbs. He also stars in a new documentary short from Men’s Health, titled “A Year for a Life.”

“I’m loving my body,” he told the outlet. “This is a whole new thing for me, y’all, I’ve been imprisoned to a fat suit for 30-something years.”

“I am on the cover of Men’s Health magazine,” he boasted. “You know, I was thinking, when I was 500-something pounds and walking a 40-minute mile, probably, I was screaming [that] I was going to be on the cover Men’s Health. And, even to me, as wild as I think, and big of a dreamer as I am, that was pretty ambitious.”

Jelly Roll weighed 540 lbs. at his heaviest, admitting that obesity and his food addiction left him with a lot of shame.

“It was never-ending sadness,” he said. “And anger. I was a prisoner to my own body. Dude, wiping my ass was a problem. Washing myself properly was a problem. Getting in cars. Every decision I made in life had to be based on my weight. If it could hold me, facilitate me, or fit me — people don’t think about every facet of ‘I still want to be able to do that and I can’t.’ I was so inspired by that kind of stuff.”

“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,” he said. “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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After several failed attempts, the Grammy-nominated artist was able to successfully lose weight when he hired a chef and sports nutritionist and started to prioritize movement. 

In the documentary, Jelly Roll showed off some of his workouts, including boxing, basketball, running stairs in an arena and push-up challenges with his friends. He also works with a physiotherapist every day to help with mobility.

“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 said. “I can touch my toes now. I seen my knee caps the other day, standing up. That’s a real thing. That’s a whole new concept for me, man.”

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Jelly Roll — real name Jason DeFord — now weighs 265 lbs. As someone who used to avoid looking into the mirror and being “disgusted” by what he saw, he said he now finds himself posing at this reflection and admiring his muscles.

The “Son of a Sinner” singer told the outlet that he’s now planning to have his loose skin removed sometime next year.

Moving forward, Jelly Roll said he’s no longer focused on the number on the scale but his weight-loss journey isn’t over. 

“I don’t have a goal weight, I have a feeling weight, and I don’t feel it yet,” he said. “You know what I mean? And I’ll know when I feel it, because I’ll finally be there. But, man, I’ve worked really hard and lost the weight the right way.”

“Just a dramatically different world.”