Jelly Roll was virtually unrecognizable as he arrived in Sydney ahead of his first-ever headlining tour in Australia, with the star set to hit the stage for nine shows between October 24 and November 6. The 40-year-old looked incredibly slim in a black hoodie and black sweatpants, complete with a Tennessee Titans cap and black sneakers. Jelly, whose real name is Jason DeFord, has lost more than 200 lbs since embarking on his weight loss journey in 2022. He looked so different walking through Sydney Airport on Tuesday, clearly having shed even more weight ahead of his trip Down Under.
Jelly has been open about his fitness journey, after he weighed in at 550 lbs at his heaviest. The father of two worked with trainers and nutritionists to achieve his incredible 200-lb weight loss, rather than relying on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, which work to suppress appetite and are primarily used for diabetic patients.
"Every doctor I've talked to is for [Ozempic]," he said on the Dumb Blonde podcast, hosted by his wife, Bunnie XO. "They said it helps. I just was afraid of it…As a singer, few things scare me more than acid reflux. Like, you'll watch me get up out of a bed, I'll burp and wake up panicked, and go take something for it. You know? Because that stuff will just rip the vocal cords."
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He added: "So I want to be very clear that I've done it naturally, but it wasn't out of stubbornness or trying to prove a point. If it helps you, go get it. But for me, I was just petrified of the side effects of it." Jelly has been working hard to shed the weight, and shared on the podcast what he hoped to achieve along the way.
To learn more about Jelly's weight loss journey, watch below...
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"I wanna be on the cover of Men's Health by March of 2026," he admitted. "That's my new goal. I wanna have one of the biggest transformations." He celebrated a major milestone in September, posting a photo of himself in a suave Louis Vuitton outfit that sent fans wild.
jelly roll black outfit airport
Jelly looked incredible as he touched down in Australia (Media-Mode / SplashNews.com)
"I can fit in Louis Vuitton now. Pray for my bank account," he wrote, with one fan commenting, "Who even is this anymore!? Wow!!!! while another added, "Oh he's looking GOOD." The "Wild Ones" singer shared insight into his tour diet in April, which was created by his nutrition coach, Ian Lairos.
jelly roll peace sign sydney airport
The star has lost more than 200 lbs since 2022 (Media-Mode / SplashNews.com)
He would eat a healthy breakfast bowl made with bell peppers, chicken sausage, potatoes and sauerkraut, followed by a sweet snack like peanut butter cookie dough bites and sliced banana. Lunch and dinner consisted of some form of protein, like Ian's special "protein poutine" with homemade fries, chicken thighs, and cashew cheese curds.
Jelly Roll performs during the Closing Ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games, at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. Picture date: Sunday February 16, 2025
Jelly was 550 lbs at his heaviest weight (PA Images via Getty Images)
Jelly's ultimate goal is to bring others along for his weight loss journey, and to prove that they, too, can change their lives. "What I want the world to know, and I want people to see…is that I didn't become successful because of my weight. I became successful in spite of it," he said on the Dumb Blonde podcast. "I somehow managed to be this successful carrying 550 pounds. That's insane."