Originally appeared on E! Online
Jelly Roll is done dancing with the devil.
Following his dramatic weight loss transformation — during which he has shed more than 200 pounds — the “I Am Not OK” singer shared the poignant reason he decided to embark on his remarkable health journey, explaining that he had serious concerns about his longevity.
During an appearance on the Dec. 10 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the 41-year-old said candidly, “I could feel myself dying.”
“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 explained. “I thought about it around my birthday ‘cause I knew my next one was 40, and I was like, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever met a 500-lb 40-year-old.’”
Indeed, Jelly Roll (real name Jason Bradley DeFord) took his overall wellness into account, including his past medical scares.
“It felt like I’d already cheated the game,” he continued. “I’d had multiple heart issues, and I was like, ‘Man, I should really start trying to figure this out.”
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But Jelly Roll also realized that his health didn’t just affect himself, admitting that his sex life with wife Bunnie Xo was also negatively impacted by his weight.
“I married the kind of woman that makes you smile when you’re crying, Joe,” he professed. “And I couldn’t even get aroused I was so big. I was having to play Twister to have sex — left foot here, right foot in the X. ‘Are we in there yet? Tell me if you feel something.’ It was bad.”
Eventually, Jelly Roll made a promise to his family — including his kids Bailee Ann, 17, and Noah, 9, from previous relationships — to start taking his fitness seriously, and he hasn’t looked back since.
“I never thought I’d lose this weight, dude,” he said. “Dude, I feel great, Joe. I feel really, really good, dude.”
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