Country star Jelly Roll said he lost 50 to 70 pounds while training for his first 5K race.
After crossing the finish line of the 2 Bears 5K in Los Angeles on May 7, Entertainment Tonight asked about his weight loss, and the singer replied: "Like 50 to 70-something pounds. I got to double check again — it was a lot of weight."
Jelly Roll, who's real name is Jason DeFord, said he got "really emotional" as he neared the finish line of the race hosted by comedians Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer as part of the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival.
"I couldn't walk a mile when I started trying to do this back in January," he said. "So the fact that we got three point whatever it was done today, I feel really, really good about it. I left here feeling really motivated."
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After completing the 3.1-mile race, Jelly Roll said it was harder than he thought it would be.
"I feel great, man. I'm a little tired," he said with a laugh. "A little bit harder than I thought it was, but it's awesome, man."
He added that the coolest part about the 5K was watching other people complete the race, some of whom set personal records.
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"I think the coolest thing is how many people stopped to tell us that they were motivated by us, other big guys," he said. "It was just really cool to see — what an eclectic group of people. There was a man running in a bear suit."
Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie XO, previously shared her husband was taking a break from the internet due to comments about his weight.
"My husband got off the internet because he was so tired of being bullied about his f---- weight, and that makes me want to cry because he is the sweetest angel baby," she said during an April episode of her "Dumb Blonde" podcast.
Bunnie XO has defended her husband's weight in the past. In January, she responded to a TikTok commenter who called her stepdaughter and her husband "massively overweight."
"For you to even come on my page and say something about my underage daughter’s body shows the type of human you are and I just hope you have the day that you deserve," she said in a TikTok.
She added: "People like you don’t make it far in life."
When asked about his social media break, Jelly Roll told Entertainment tonight he felt "incredible."
"I'm surrounded by friends and family, me and (Kreischer) shared a real tear together coming through the finish line," he said.
Jelly Roll's training won't stop here — he said his goal for next year is to run a half-marathon.
"Next year, half marathon. We're saying it right now," he said. "I'm going to speak for them — we're gonna do the 2 Bears 5k again, but we're going to do a half-marathon before."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
