Jelly Roll on how the country music community has changed his life
Jelly Roll tells Fox News Digital what it means to him to celebrate the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards.
Jelly Roll admitted he's been stress eating, revealing that "the addict in me came out" after several days of overeating.
The country music star, who is navigating his divorce from Bunnie Xo, shared how a single indulgence quickly snowballed into a binge while chatting with a fan. Jelly Roll also revealed why he believes his struggles with obesity stem from the same addictive mindset that fueled his past substance abuse.
"I've been overeating the last three or four days, and I was feeling myself stress eating," he said in a YouTube video shared on July 10. "And then, what else happened was the addict in me came out."
JELLY ROLL FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM WIFE BUNNIE XO AFTER ALMOST A DECADE OF MARRIAGE
Jelly Roll revealed he has been stress eating while going through his divorce from estranged wife Bunnie Xo. (Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
"We had this show at this one spot that I love their catering," he explained. "They have a dairy-free skillet cookie. I don't eat nothing like that. I'm like a drug addict. You can't eat that, because if I eat one, I eat two. I eat four. Later that night, I'm at the taco truck getting the peanut butter fluff. Next thing I know, we're at the rest stop. I'm looking for a chocolate bar. I'm like, 'Damn, that fast, now I’ve consumed 2,000 extra calories today that I didn’t even see coming.'"
After once tipping the scales at more than 500 pounds, the Grammy nominee has openly celebrated each milestone while acknowledging that his battle with food is far from over. Jelly Roll's candid admission comes after the country star shed an astonishing 275 pounds during a yearslong health transformation that inspired fans and reshaped his career.
Jelly Roll filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo in May. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
He revealed the biggest challenge he faces with food: moderation isn't an option.
"Like, that's like the hardest thing to understand is that I can't have one burger," Jelly Roll said. "I got to have five. No, I can't. I can't have one anything ... It's like even like my problem is it could be healthy."
"Like if you put a big bowl of strawberries — if you put a bowl this big of strawberries in front of me, and leave me alone, I will eat the entire bowl of strawberries for sure. Like I've got to take a few strawberries and be like, put the bowl away ... or just not eat the strawberry at all. You know what I mean?"
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Jelly Roll has been candid about his weight loss journey with fans. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for T.J. Martell Foundation)
The "I Am Not Okay" singer said he eventually realized the same all-or-nothing mentality that once fueled his addictions now shapes his relationship with food.
"What I learned is how you do anything is how you do everything," Jelly Roll noted in the video. "I'm like that with alcohol. I'm like that with — I've never done, I've never had a shot. I've never done a line of cocaine. I've never smoked a joint."
"Either we're smoking all day, we're drinking all night, we're doing cocaine," he said. "That's how it's working for me. So, it's like once I realized that was my thing with food, now I just have things that are just like, like that skillet cookie, I just don't eat it."
That realization has also changed the way Jelly Roll approaches cheat meals, which he said can quickly spiral out of control.
He admitted one cheat meal could turn into a "five-day food bender" for him.
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Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo married in 2016. (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
The "Need a Favor" singer also reflected on the deeper mental and emotional challenges he believes often accompany obesity.
"People don't get it," Jelly Roll emphasized. "I tell people, 'You don't become the size you became without having a mental health issue.'"
"It’s something way deeper. It's a different thing," he added. "But once you get to that point of really realizing what you're hungry for, everything changes. And knowing what your triggers are."
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Jelly Roll cited irreconcilable differences in his divorce filing. (Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo are currently going through a divorce after nearly 10 years of marriage.
The "Son of a Sinner" singer petitioned Tennessee courts for a divorce on May 18, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. He listed the date of separation as May 9 and cited irreconcilable differences.
The former couple tied the knot in August 2016 during a whirlwind Las Vegas ceremony after meeting the year before. She became a stepmom to the country singer’s daughter, Bailee, and son, Noah.
