Jelly Roll "could feel [himself] dying" before embarking on his weight-loss journey

During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, he explained: "I started really considering taking the step to try to make a major change in my life.

"I thought about it around my birthday 'cause I knew my next one was 40. You know what, I don't think I've ever met a 500-pound, 40-year-old.

"That's usually when they drop off."

Jelly Roll "had multiple heart issues" before embarking on his weight-loss journey, and he now feels much healthier, having lost nearly 200 lbs since 2022.

He said: "It felt like I'd already cheated the game. I'd had multiple heart issues. I was like, man, I should really start trying to figure this out. I could feel myself dying, Joe."

The singer previously revealed that he dreams of appearing on the front cover of Men's Health magazine.

He said on the Dumb Blonde Podcast: "I wanna be on the cover of Men's Health by March of 2026. That's my new goal. I wanna have one of the biggest transformations."

Jelly Roll - whose real name is Jason DeFord - also suggested that his weight had become an important part of his identity.

He shared: "I think that people who become as big as I became, when they lose the weight, they're kind of ashamed. They're so ashamed that they go hide and lose the weight, and then they come back out and they don't really know how to interact with the world."

Despite this, Jelly Roll stressed that he's become successful in spite of his weight - rather than because of it.

The chart-topping star - who has struggled with obesity throughout his life - explained: "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. I somehow managed to be this successful carrying 550 pounds. That's insane."