Jelly Roll Reveals Surprise Way He Lost Nearly 300 Lbs
The Grammy nominee also opened up about hormone therapy.
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Rapper Jelly Roll, 41, has revealed that he lost 275 pounds without the use of GLP-1 medications.
Instead, the Grammy nominee focused on rewiring his relationship with food, working with a medical team, and making healthier food swaps.
Jelly Roll—before and after his massive weight loss.
Getty
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, appeared on the cover of Men’s Health and spoke at length about his dramatic weight-loss journey, which has taken him from over 520 lbs to 265 lbs.
DeFord said a key to his weight loss was realizing he needed to treat his relationship to food as any other addiction. He has previously spoken about his addiction to cocaine and codeine.
“I didn’t look at the food addiction different. Once I started treating food like an addiction, it started changing everything for me,” he said.
Jelly Roll attends the CMT Music Awards on April 02, 2023.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
He looped in several advisors to help him eat more healthfully, including a medical team at Ways2Well, and a chef and sports nutritionist, Ian Larios.
With his team’s help, DeFord dropped weight through meal timing, eating real foods, movement, and stress management.
He also now opts for healthier options, such as swapping his favorite Waffle House hash brown bowl for a more nutrient-dense alternative. Larios prepares an air-fried version of the comfort-food staple with bone broth, chicken sausage from scratch, and homemade, sugarless ketchup made from roasted vegetables.
Jelly Roll at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
DeFord estimates that his new lifestyle has him losing between nine and 15 pounds each month.
In the article, the singer said he had nothing against GLP-1s and even went on them himself for two weeks. But ultimately, a member of his weight loss team said the singer and rapper didn’t want an “asterisk” next to his name when he lost the weight, referring to the stigma that taking a GLP-1 medication is “cheating.”
DeFord’s health journey included more than weight loss for aesthetic purposes. His testosterone levels pre-weight loss were comparable to those of a pre-teen boy. The Cleveland Clinic says normal testosterone levels for a male over the age of 18 range from 193-824 ng/dL. DeFord said his levels were 57 ng/dL.
Jelly Roll and wife Bunnie Xo at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 08, 2025.
John Shearer/Getty Images for ACM
The singer is currently on hormone therapy, saying that he’ll “be on testosterone replacement therapy probably for the rest of my life.”
“You can’t get it up without T,” he admitted. “I was married to a smoke show, and I was still struggling.”
DeFord previously opened up about this issue to Joe Rogan earlier this month, saying sex before his weight loss was “horrible.” Now, DeFord says, “It’s a totally different thing. I’m chasing her around the house.”