What People Won’t Tell You About Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss

Jelly Roll‘s almost 300lb weight loss is shedding light on what most people don’t know about a major weight loss.

Pulling back the curtain here, I too was morbidly obese for most of my life.

Similar to Jelly, I was tipping the scales at almost 500lbs as well.

Read More: Jelly Roll’s Stunning Weight Loss in 28 Pictures

We both lost the weight in the same manner and are keeping it off through lifestyle change, so I thought I would let people into the world of things that most don’t know.

What Are Some Surprising Things About Jelly Roll’s Dramatic Weight Loss?

The first thing that doesn’t occur to most people when they think about a major weight loss is how much a person has to deal with body dysmorphic thinking.

What is Body Dysmorphic Thinking?

Very Well Mind describes dysmorphic thinking as a general unease and unfamiliarity with the way you look in your new body.

It can be disorienting, and even scary: Basically, since you have been obese your whole life, you still feel overweight even when you’re not.

In other words, the mirror and the scale don’t line up with how your brain sees you. I lost the weight over 10 years ago and I’m still dealing with this, so it would make sense if the “Save Me” singer is going through the same thing.

Things like wearing tight clothing can mess with your head if you used to be obese. Since the way you look has dramatically changed since you shed the pounds, the way you think you look in a tight-fitting shirt really doesn’t gel with the way other people see you.

Most people know that losing a large amount of weight can lower blood sugar or cholesterol levels, but there are some other side effects that nobody considers — for example, Jelly has said he was colorblind before his weight loss journey, and now he’s not anymore.

Read More: Jelly Roll Reveals He Was Colorblind Until 300-Pound Weight Loss Cured Him [Watch]

What are Things Formerly Obese People Do That Nobody Talks About?

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately checked the available chairs to make sure there’s at least one that can handle your weight?

I can tell you that Jelly Roll likely goes through this all the time, even though he doesn’t have to anymore. Old habits die hard, and even after substantial weight loss, it’s difficult to let go of the old thought patterns you used to have.

Another example is what it’s like to get up from a seated position. When you are 500lbs, getting up off of the floor or even a couch is a tough task.

Even though Jelly has lost the 300lbs, he still likely thinks getting up is going to be harder than it really is, due to the fact that it was difficult for most of his life and he now has to get used to the new body weight.

After the body dysmorphic thinking runs through your brain, it can shift to something more serious and disruptive to daily life: Body dysmorphia.

What is Body Dysmorphia?

Body dysmorphia is a mental disorder in which you become fixated on certain parts of your body that you think are flawed, no matter what you do to fix it.

• The Mayo Clinic defines body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) as a mental health condition where you “can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance.”
• It can cause debilitating insecurity and stress, and cause the affected person to avoid social situations.
• Some people undergo one or several cosmetic procedures to change the parts of their bodies they’re worried about, but those don’t provide longterm satisfaction.

Its important to know that when people are morbidly obese, they’re usually thinking about losing weight for their health, not their looks.

But once the weight is lost, the focus is constantly on not gaining it back, and trying to achieve a look you once thought would never be attainable for you. That can become an obsession.

That means it’s easy to look for things that are still wrong with your body, and get stuck in a never-ending cycle of criticizing yourself, trying to get rid of your past and striving for the body you have always wanted and dreamed of.

The other things that most people might not think about when losing weight is the amount of clothes you have to go through along the journey.

Especially since Jelly’s in the public eye, he had to look fresh and put-together at every stage of his weight loss. So each time he goes down a size, he has to get a whole new wardrobe.

He can’t just be walking around in a t-shirt and jogging pants all day, so keeping up with wardrobe, while losing a dramatic amount of weight, when you are in the public eye, can be draining on your wallet.

Read More: Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Just Got Expensive

But despite all those hurdles — many of which the general public might not even think about — I’m proud of my decision to change my life all those years ago. Jelly should be proud, too.

When it is all said and done, the singer is a walking miracle who has taken his health by the horns and reclaimed his life. In his own words, he is “no longer wearing a fat suit everyday.”