The Amazing Transformation of Billy Gardell: How He Lost 140 Pounds and Changed His Life

Billy Gardell made headlines with this drastic weight loss transformation. While a huge amount of people around the world gained weight during quarantine, the 53-year-old star worked on ways to lose weight and had an impressive weight loss. In the fourth season of the CBS sitcom ‘Bob Hearts Abishola,’ he made an appearance with a leaner physique and stunned the viewers.

When compared with the previous three seasons of the sitcom, Gardell’s new look had a major transition from his past appearances in the series. The surprising fact was that the star was at a peak weight of over 370 lbs before his transformation. People are curious to learn about the secrets behind his weight loss.

Gardell’s weight-loss journey has received an overall positive response from people around the world. The burden of obesity has been troubling the lives of many individuals in recent years, especially after the pandemic. Though there are numerous weight loss approaches available on the internet, only a few seem to work well for losing weight.

As a result, many individuals lose the motivation to kickstart their fitness journey. Billy Gardell’s transformation has motivated a large number of people to start making efforts to lose weight. This article will disclose all essential information about his weight loss journey and help you with your weight loss.

Who Is Billy Gardell?

Billy Gardell is a multi-talented performer best known for playing Officer Mike Biggs in the sitcom Mike & Molly. The public figure traveled a long distance to get to Hollywood, stopping at every military outpost, comedy club, and small-town club en route. His work as an actor, comedian, and voice actor has landed him prominent roles in a variety of television shows and films.

Prior to appearing in the sitcom Mike & Molly, Gardell portrayed Lucky’s lead character on television. Because of his dedication and talent, he was able to excel at both acting and comedy. The star has constantly improved in both fields by honing his abilities and preserving his persona. His grounded, down-to-earth perspective resonates strongly with American viewers.

Gardell, a native of Pittsburgh who now resides in Los Angeles, has appeared in a number of films, including Avenging Angelo, Bad Santa, You, Me, and Dupree, and Undrafted. The actor currently stars in the CBS hit series Bob Hearts Abishola, which averages 6.9 million viewers per episode.

While he has amassed a significant following in the entertainment sector over the years, he has recently drawn attention due to his massive weight loss transformation. Nearly a decade ago, the actor weighed around 370 pounds and is now down to 212 after dropping around 140 pounds. People are excited to find out his weight loss secrets and the reasons behind his transformation.

Why Did Billy Gardell Lose Weight?

Billy Gardell has struggled to lose weight because of his serious addiction to food. Despite having various health issues related to his weight, he continued with his unhealthy eating patterns, smoking, and drinking. Because of his unhealthy lifestyle, he gained a whopping 370 pounds over time.

As a result of his obese condition, he developed Type 2 diabetes and went on medication for that for about a year. His diagnosis of diabetes became a turning point in his life, where he decided to take care of his health and jump-start his weight loss journey. From then on, he altered his diet and workout plans to live a healthy life.

While following his trainer’s suggestions, he dropped 30 pounds in a few months. But then the pandemic hit, putting people with unhealthy lifestyles at increased risk for COVID. Gardell was determined to change his life dramatically and be at a reduced risk of developing health conditions. The star then adopted different weight loss strategies to retain his health and maintain fitness.

Gardell shared that he had found it hard to lose weight in the past because of his upbringing. The celebrity explained that he grew up in a house where people ate food at every interval of the day. Food was a celebration in the house where he was raised. Gardell came to the realization that food was fuel and not comfort or celebration when he started his weight loss journey.

How Did Billy Gardell Lose 140 Pounds?

When Gardell decided to lose weight, he made changes to his diet and workout plans. The actor wanted to rethink his relationship with food and shift toward a healthy lifestyle. With an aim to drop more pounds, he cut out processed foods and alcohol from his diet.

His fitness journey did have a lot of barriers, mainly the unhealthy psychological and environmental conditioning around food that he grew up with.

As he began to include physical activities in his daily routine, he was able to stay active throughout the day. After dropping some pounds, he sought the help of experts who guided him through his weight-loss efforts.

Gardell was assisted by his licensed life coach Marlene Boas, diabetes educators Franklin Becker and Laleh Mohajerai, and fitness trainer Dolvett Quince in his weight loss endeavors.

The star’s current weight is 2013 lbs. Through his diet, workout, and weight loss procedure, he lost around 140 lbs and has kept it off so far. After losing weight, Gardell shared that he no longer has bad blood numbers and obesity-related illnesses.

The team of health experts hired by Gardell left no stone unturned as they guided him through a strict workout and diet regimen that made him shed over 100 pounds.

Billy Gardell’s Weight Loss Surgery

After COVID restrictions were lifted, Gardell underwent bariatric weight loss surgery in order to boost fat loss. His weight loss surgery was an effort to transform his life in a healthier way. The star lost a significant amount of fat through exercise and diet.

Despite his fat loss, he chose to get weight loss surgery to lose body weight. The weight loss surgery is said to have helped him with weight loss. Even though he felt the surgery to be the best option for him, he does not recommend the surgery to others.

In an interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier, he said that he needed to do the surgery because he had become so big that it hurt to exercise. The star added that he did not imply that everyone should do that. After the weight loss surgery, he did what he’s been told to do on a daily basis and found that to be a new way of life. 

When speaking about the surgery, he emphasized that getting surgery was a very personal choice. Gardell also stated that the operation did not suddenly make him healthier and that it was merely a tool. The real battle he had was in his mind because there was a chance to regain the weight. Gardell made some massive changes to his lifestyle to lose weight and keep it off.

Billy Gardell’s Diet Routine

Among his various weight loss methods, Gardell found it difficult to adopt his new diet routine. This was because the foods he liked were mostly unhealthy, which could result in weight gain. Even though he decided to practice portion control, he struggled to consume in moderation and avoid unhealthy foods. In an interview, Gardell shared that he loved eating food. But he had to control his cravings for foods, especially unhealthy stuff, to lose weight.

Gardell’s dieticians suggested a simple diet routine. As a result, his diet consists of lean meat, veggies, and some carb sources like oatmeal and rice. While following his diet plan, the actor avoided eating high-calorie meals like white bread and other refined grains at dinner. This was because consuming high-calorie foods during dinner time caused spikes in blood sugar levels. 

When your blood sugar levels spike, your hunger levels will increase, resulting in weight gain. Gardell’s weight gain was caused due to unhealthy eating habits, drinking, and smoking. When he decided to lose weight, he first made the decision to eliminate these habits and prepare his mind to support his goals.

Gardell’s weight loss journey began by avoiding all unhealthy foods and habits. After he altered his lifestyle, he was able to work on his fitness goals and drop 140 pounds. Gardell consumed healthy foods in optimal portions every day and maintained his weight loss. Even after dropping pounds, he continues to follow his diet routine to maintain his fitness.

Billy Gardell’s Workout Regimen

Gardell began to follow an exercise routine created by his personal fitness trainer. In an interview, the comedian explained that people need a small window to change the way they live, the way they eat, and the way they exercise, and so far, he has been able to do that. The star wanted to keep himself active throughout the day. Because of that, he engaged in simple exercises to maintain a healthy routine.

After he made changes to his workout regimen, he followed it on a regular basis to maintain his fitness levels. The actor included walking and jogging in his workout routine and spent half an hour every day on these low-impact exercises. 

While he opened up about his weight loss journey in several interviews, he did not reveal much about his workout regimen in them. But we could make an educated guess about his exercise plan through the team of experts who guided him through his weight loss journey.

Gardell would have done a mix of cardio and resistance training to shed excess fat and tone his body while losing weight. As a part of his diabetic management plan, he might have done lifting twice or three a week to build and retain muscle mass.

While losing weight, it is essential to retain muscle mass. This is because the loss of muscles may slow down metabolism, which hinders weight loss.

The actor would have run 30 minutes every day to keep his body in motion. Staying active plays an important role in weight maintenance. Long walks are low-impact exercises that help burn more calories, which is essential for weight loss.

Gardell’s workout routine would contain interval training, weight training, running, swimming, Yoga, and Pilates.

Workouts increase your body’s calorie-burning rate and promote fat loss. When engaged in workout routines, people will thus lose weight steadily.

Billy Gardell Finds Joy in Little Victories

In an interview, Gardell acknowledged that one of the hardest factors in his weight loss was the mental aspect of getting and staying healthy. The star added that he had to overcome a lot of environmental conditioning that began in his childhood.

Food addiction was a significant barrier he had to overcome in order to lose weight. With the help of his trainers, he dropped 140 pounds and has kept it off so far.

After losing weight, Gardell shared that he is so happy about the little victories he has had with his weight loss. The star feels excited about shopping at a normal store and not having to take a deep breath when he ties his shoes.

Having been an obese person, he revealed that these little things bring him joy and motivate him to stay on track with his weight and health maintenance.

In an interview, Gardell shared that his body feels better after losing 140 pounds. The actor explained that he had been relieved of his joint aches by shedding excess body fat. Through his exercise and diet regimens, he maintains his health and fitness.

Is Surgery a Better Choice for Weight Loss?

Gardell has had bariatric weight loss surgery to drop more pounds. While the surgery helped him with his fat, he explained that it was his personal choice. The star does not give any assurance that the surgery will work for anyone trying to lose weight.

As per health experts, the surgery might be a better choice for weight loss for individuals who have certain pre-existing conditions that prevent them from losing weight.

When people struggle with losing weight because of those health conditions, they can seek the help of their doctor before getting weight loss surgery.

In other cases, you can lose weight by sticking with the basics, such as diet, exercise, and water.

• Healthy Diet: Adopting a balanced diet is the first step toward weight maintenance. When you include foods high in protein in your diet, you can build and maintain muscle, which supports weight loss. A high-protein diet has been shown to improve metabolism, which supports fat loss. Avoiding unhealthy foods can prevent weight gain.
• Workout plan: You can include cardio and weight training in your workout plan to burn more calories. Studies have shown that 150 minutes of low-impact exercise every week can help burn fat and reduce body weight. Weightlifting aids in building lean muscle and losing weight while increasing strength.
• Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water every day is helpful for losing weight and maintaining weight loss. You can control your calorie intake and maintain weight loss by drinking enough water.

Final Thoughts  

Gardell’s weight loss was a result of his weight loss surgery, workouts, and diet. His before and after weight loss transformation has inspired many individuals to jump-start their weight loss journeys. As Gardell has dropped pounds to lead a healthy life, he has received positive responses from his fans for his transformation.

Gardell has struggled with his obese condition for years because of unhealthy eating habits. This is why he encourages people to alter their lifestyles to lose weight and maintain their weight. Although he chose bariatric surgery to lose weight, he has explained that it is not a magical way to lose weight.

Together with the weight loss treatment, he followed a diet and workout plan recommended by his fitness experts to drop weight. Gardell’s weight-loss journey has gotten him in shape and improved his general health.