Ella Scott
Three-time Grammy winner Jelly Roll embarked on a health journey in 2022 that has helped him shed almost 300 lbs.
The US native, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, once weighed 540 lbs and felt as if he was a ‘prisoner’ in his 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,” the 41-year-old said, as per Men’s Health.
“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.”
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Admitting that he was ‘eating himself to absolute death’, the ‘Son of a Sinner’ star began prioritising movement around his 39th birthday.
“I thought about it around my birthday because 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’,” he said on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
After setting his mind to getting healthy, he hired a chef, a sports nutritionist and started working with a physiotherapist every day.
As a result, Jelly Roll has lost almost 300 lbs, recently beat fellow WWE star Kit Wilson on Smackdown, and has been extremely present on the road to WrestleMania in live segments with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes.
The country icon, who recently graced the front of Men’s Health Magazine, has previously revealed what he eats in a day.
This included healthy breakfast bowls featuring bell peppers, chicken sausage, potatoes and sauerkraut.
Lunch and dinner was designed by his nutrition coach, Ian Lairos, and would primarily consist of some form of protein and carbohydrates.
One of these dishes wasa special '‘protein poutine’, with homemade fries, chicken thighs, and cashew cheese curds'.
Sweet treats consist of peanut butter cookie dough bites and sliced banana.
However, Jelly Roll’s wild weight loss has potentially come at a price, according to Jelly Roll’s wife, Bunnie Xo.
In a question-and-answer session for Playboy, the podcaster, 46, was asked by a reader if having less sex on Ozempic was just a ‘phase’.
“When it comes to sex, slowing down after weight loss and Ozempic can be tricky,” Bunnie Xo stated.
“Big body changes mess with your head and hormones. Add a medication that blunts appetite and it’s not shocking libido dips too. It’s likely an adjustment period, not a permanent shift.”
Jelly Roll has previously said that he only used weight loss medications for two weeks but ditched them to focus on tackling his food addiction instead.
“I want to be very clear that I've done it naturally, but it wasn't out of stubbornness or trying to prove a point,” he claimed on his wife’s podcast.
“If it helps you, go get it. But for me, I was just petrified of the side effects of it.”
Previously, Dumb Blonde founder Bunnie Xo - who married Jelly Roll in 2016 - has spoken about how her husband’s manhood has apparently ‘grown’ since he began his weight loss journey.
“He’s got a little strut in his step, and I think it’s just the cutest thing. He deserves to have a hot streak. I'm ready for him to just feel his best,” she explained during a February appearance on the The Howard Stern Show.
The star, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, continued: “I will tell you that it is very true that when a man loses weight, it grows a lot.
She added that Jelly Roll’s penis now looks 'severely bigger’ than it used to.
Experts are divided on whether or not GLP-1 medications can impact libido, with obesity medicine specialist Beverly Tchang explaining to Healthline: “Anecdotally, we’ve heard of some people coming back, men specifically, saying that GLP-1s have helped their libido and sexual performance.
“If these drugs have an added benefit on the testosterone side, along with healthier blood vessels or more blood flow, then we’re looking at a medication that’s really starting to become a sexual health aid as well.”
Meanwhile, a 2025 survey from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University said that 18 percent of people using meds said their sexual desire had increased, while 16 percent said the opposite.
According to Dr Naveed Asif, a GP from London General Practice, GLP-1s can disrupt oestrogen levels, which can lead to ‘emotional disturbances’ and inflience ‘arousability and orgasm’.
“This issue appears to be more pronounced in women using these peptides,” he explained to The Guardian.
“I have observed that many women experience significant side-effects that lead them to discontinue the medication.
“Some patients reported worsening mental health, including increased depression and anxiety, which likely affects sexual function as a secondary consequence,” he added.