Jim Gaffigan. Matthew Salacuse for Men’s Health
While Jim Gaffigan is proud of his weight loss journey, he can’t help but hold on to some of his “fat clothes” from the past.
“Maybe I’m a pack rat, but I’m like, ‘I can’t get rid of that,’” Gaffigan, 58, shared in an interview with Men’s Health published on Tuesday, November 19. “And then there is something about the haunting. They’re like, ‘You’re going to wear me again.’”
Although Gaffigan plans to share more about his weight loss journey in his new Hulu special The Skinny, he previously revealed that the drug Mounjaro helped kick-start his new lifestyle.
“Most of our lives we’ve been told, ‘Just control your appetite. Just stop being a f—ing pig,’” Gaffigan shared before praising weight loss drugs. “The reality is, we can’t. Maybe our brains are a little wonky or whatever. I think that in some ways, the appetite suppressants are this justification for people who have compulsive eating, that they’re not weak — that some of it can be fixed.”
During the first 10 minutes of The Skinny, Gaffigan addressed his new look. In the episode viewed by Men’s Health, the best-selling author joked that he doesn’t know how long it will last.
“I’m trying to enjoy being thin because I know I’m going to be fat again,” he said in the special. “This is not sustainable.”
When asked about the legacy of big men in comedy, Gaffigan reflected on whether he’s noticed a change within himself or the audience laughing with him.
“People used to always say, ‘If you lost weight, you’d lose your whole act,’” he shared with Men’s Health. “It’s so strange, because in some ways, we’re not the funny big guy, are we? That’s the role that I’m supposed to play. But also in some ways, that may be the avenue of our warmth.”
When he’s not performing stand-up comedy across the country, Gaffigan is breaking a sweat doing yard work and trying to follow his intermittent fasting routine. He also revealed that his favorite protein is steak and he loves to add something healthy to his meals from his garden.
“Growing vegetables makes you more interested in consuming those vegetables, which makes you healthier, which makes you kind of look at what you’re consuming,” he shared, “which makes fast food look like the crap that it is.”
One rule that hasn’t changed in the Gaffigan household is whether or not healthy snacks enter the bedroom.
“Now, my wife would not allow that,” he said. “And I’m not frightened of her, but I wouldn’t do that.”
The Skinny streams on Hulu starting Friday, November 22.