Billy Gardell, who starred in the hit sitcom “Mike & Molly”, showed off his impressive transformation, speaking to PEOPLE about his 170-pound weight loss.
Specifically, Gardell revealed that in 2020 he weighed between 370 to 380 pounds and developed type 2 diabetes. And then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
âWhen the first wave hit, and they punched up that list of high-risk conditions, I had all of them,â Gardell told the outlet. âOverweight, sleep apnea, smoker, type 2 diabetes, asthma . . . It was really the perfect storm. Between my blood numbers not coming back good, my blood pressure going up, type 2 diabetes and COVID â it was enough stuff to scare me to say, âCome hell or high water, Iâve got to make a change.â â
The first step in making a change: undergoing bariatric surgery in 2021.
âIt really came down to a shift in everything I think about food,â he explained. âFood is fuel. Itâs not reward, itâs not soothing, itâs not medication. I had to get beyond my emotional relationship with food.â
SEE Billy Gardell’s Transformation
In his interview with PEOPLE, Gardell detailed how his health has drastically changed due to the weight loss.
âI fluctuate between 210 and 215,â he said. âAnd thatâs comfortable for me.â Even better, his health issues have receded. âMy diabetes is gone,â he says. âI feel strong. I have energy. Losing weight saved my life.â
Gardell Opens Up About His Childhood Where His Poor Relationship With Food Started
Gardell spent his childhood splitting time between Pennsylvania and Florida after his parents divorced, and revealed that his unhealthy relationship with food began when he was a teenager.
âI had a lot of responsibility heaped on me at 14 to help provide for the family, and the second stepfather that we had in the house was not a kind person,â he told PEOPLE. âI think I put on this extra weight as some kind of safety armor.â
At the age of 17, he left home and pursued his career as a stand-up comedian, where things continued to get worse.
âI was medicating my emotions and my fears with food, and I was also celebrating my victories with food,â Gardell detailed. âYouâre eating to deflect your feelings when theyâre bad or enhance them when theyâre good, and both of those things are poison pills.â
While he continued to try numerous different types of diets, nothing seemed to work before he ultimately made the decision to have surgery.
âI feel like I saved my life; I really do,â he boldly stated when speaking with the outlet.
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