John Goodman opens up about 200lb weight loss as he reflects on dramatic body transformation
Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
John Goodman has revealed the secret to his incredible weight loss transformation after a long battle with alcoholism.
The beloved actor - best known for his roles in Roseanne and The Borrowers - was on borrowed time after reaching close to 400lbs (181kg) at his heaviest, something which spurred him to make a change.
After he was recently spotted on Instagram looking completely different, the 74-year-old has now spoken about how he became 'sick and tired of being sick and tired', and how sobriety was one of the key ways in which he was able to make a positive change in his life.
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He opened up about how he became addicted to alcohol and over-eating, as he aimed to fill a hole in his life with food and drink, before he became fed up with the way he looked and felt.
Speaking to The New Yorker, the American star of the screen said: “I would overeat, because that was comfort. Trying to fill up whatever hole that was. Same thing for drinking. It’s been better said before by other people, but just trying to fill up that vacuum with kicks.”
Things first started going downhill for Goodman when he earned work on a string of advertisements early in his career, something which gave him enough money 'to start drinking'.
He gained weight at an 'alarming rate' and underwent the physical transformation that would define his career for large parts, as he claimed that Hollywood would consistently cast him as 'the fat guy who fell down a lot'.
After becoming a '38-year-old depressive alcoholic', the Hollywood legend knew that he needed to make a change as he 'wanted to stop', but getting over an addiction can be incredibly hard.
He said: “The thing about instant gratification is you don’t really care what’s going to happen right after it — which always led to bigger hangovers or me getting the shakes, and having to drink to get rid of the shakes, and that vicious cycle. I was in a position, when I quit, where I had to be hospitalised one way or the other.”
Things changed for the better when Goodman achieved sobriety by the age of 55, but he endured a 'tiring' journey where he'd regularly lose and regain as much as 70 or 80 pounds in a summer.
“I took steps so I wouldn’t have to do that anymore,” he explained. “I had an operation on my stomach. But I also turned anaemic and lost a layer of fat under my skin, and I’m cold all the time.”
Goodman didn't go into details exactly what operation he's had done, but it seems as if he's achieved his weight loss goals without the use of the modern jabs and tablets which are becoming more and more mainstream.
In a previous interview, the Flintstones star also credited a Mediterranean diet for his weight loss, as well as a strict exercise training routine which saw him regularly hit 10,000 steps each day.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Celebrity News, Mental Health
James Moorhouse