What we can learn from Jelly Roll about losing weight — and happiness

Entertainer Jelly Roll recently posted a heartbreaking video revealing that he had fallen off the wagon — literally — and regained some of the weight he had lost.

The singer and songwriter, born Jason Bradley DeFord, once weighed over 500 pounds. After shedding more than 200 pounds — a transformation that put him on the cover of Men’s Health — the country star admitted he’d “lost his way,” gained weight back over the holidays, and broken his collarbone.

He could not exercise, he said, and he has been avoiding the scale ever since.

Jelly Roll’s honesty is a gift. It names something millions of Americans feel but can’t articulate: the modern approach to losing weight isn’t working, even for the people who are “winning” at it.

So what’s the solution? Real, whole food. Meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, eggs, butter — minimally processed, low or no added sugar, and as close to how it appears in nature as possible.

Not a diet. Abundance.

The singer and songwriter was born Jason Bradley DeFord. WireImage

Consider the last 50 years of dietary advice. We were told fat was the enemy, so we filled our pantries with fat-free cookies, skim milk and margarine.

Then carbs were the real villain, so we threw out the bread and ate bacon wrapped in cheese. Then grains. Then dairy. Lately, even plants thanks to lectins.

We were told to “Eat like a caveman.” 

No, wait, “Eat like a lion.” 

Then, “Eat nothing at all until noon,” or, better yet, “Wait all the way until dinner time.” 

Every few years, a new wave of science overturns the last, and millions of hopeful Americans rearrange their kitchens again, with only short-term success. 

Obesity rates are higher than ever. Metabolic disease is climbing. Children are being diagnosed with conditions that used to be reserved for the middle-aged.

No civilization in history has had more diet influencers, research, or calorie-tracking apps — and we’re no healthier.

Our approach is fundamentally broken, and I believe the fracture happened when we stopped celebrating basic whole foods and started fearing them.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in 2023. Penske Media via Getty Images

We made eating either mindless (cue the Standard America Diet, or  SAD) or a complex math problem where one wrong bite derails everything.

Jelly Roll said it himself: “I’ve never had a healthy relationship with food.”

He’s not alone. That confession haunts a culture that turned every meal into a moral test and every body into a problem to solve.

The result isn’t a nation of healthy, empowered people — it’s a nation of exhausted dieters who’ve yo-yo’d so hard and often, they’re done. White-knuckling another 30 day restriction is just too much. 

GLP-1 medications can be a tool in the tool belt when paired with a whole food diet and strength training. But they’re not where someone starts. They’re simply a tool for those who feel truly broken.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

My sister Serene and I have spent 15 years working with families stuck on the American dieting hamster wheel, and the most transformative thing we’ve learned is that inclusion wins. 

Not indulgence without thought — inclusion.

Jelly Roll put it plainly at last year’s ACM Awards: “If you’re really battling obesity, you got to start at the dinner table.” He’s right.

When we stop demonizing God-made food groups and build meals around natural proteins, healthy fats, abundant vegetables and smart carbohydrates, something remarkable happens. People stop feeling deprived. Inflammation cools, blood sugar balances, excess weight sheds — not because they’re eating less, but because they’re finally eating well.

We’ve seen it thousands of times. The mother who tried every diet finds something she can sustain for years, not for 30 days. The father who thought healthy eating meant rabbit-style salads discovers meals can satisfy and nourish. The teenage girl afraid of food learns eating isn’t the enemy.

And the 41-year-old country star who once weighed 540 pounds learns that the goal was never a Men’s Health cover — it was a life he could keep.

We don’t need to be skinny. We need to be strong. Strong bodies, built on real food. Strong families at tables that aren’t haunted by guilt. Strong minds not held captive by the next dietary panic.

We need more of what’s good; not less of everything.

Jelly Roll is training for the New York City Marathon. Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Jelly Roll is training for the New York City Marathon. A man once 540 pounds preparing to run 26.2 miles. That’s not a “skinny” story. That’s a strength story, and it’s the kind of story every American can write if we stop confusing deprivation with health.

At 250 years, America has the chance to carry forward what has always worked. Families who return to wise, nourishing meals aren’t just feeding their bodies, they’re building something no fad can replicate.

As a nation, let’s embrace this ancient wisdom as we embark on a true renaissance of health. 

Pearl Barrett is the co-Founder of Trim Healthy Mama, a health movement dedicated to bringing greater health to every home in America.

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