Country star shares motivation for massive weight loss journey. ‘I could feel myself dying.’

Country music superstar Jelly Roll recently revealed the driving force behind him shedding hundreds of pounds.

In a recent appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the singer shared he began his weight loss journey because he could feel himself dying.

Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, said it was around his 39th birthday in 2023, when he felt he needed to make a major change.

“I started really considering taking the step to try to make a major change in my life,” Jelly Roll, 41, said. “I thought about it around my birthday ‘cause I knew my next one was 40. You know what, I don’t think I’ve ever met a 500-pound 40-year-old.”

The Tennessee native explained he has spent most of 2022 weighing between 480 and 560 pounds.

“It felt like I’d already cheated the game. I’d had multiple heart issues,” he said. “I was like, man, I should really start trying to figure this out. I could feel myself dying, Joe.”

The “Save Me” singer has now lost almost 200 pounds since kicking off his weight loss journey. He credited a healthy diet and exercise for the dramatic drop in weight.

Jelly Roll drew a comparison between his overcoming his past drug addiction and shedding pounds, saying that the weight loss was a “biological loop” the he initially didn’t know how to interrupt.

“I never would have thought I could have this kind of life,” Jelly Roll said.