Yahoo Lifestyle 'My Name Is Earl’ Alum Nearly Unrecognizable After 200-Pound Weight Loss
Ethan Suplee is famous for his roles in My Name Is Earl, Remember the Titans, and American History X—but the actor doesn't look anything like he did when he played those parts after losing more than 200 pounds.
Now, the 48-year-old actor is looking back at his fitness journey, sharing photos on Instagram of his former self contrasted with pics showing off his current muscular physique.
On Jan. 10, Suplee posted a photo of himself before he lost weight, wearing a sweatsuit and a baseball cap, next to a shirtless selfie displaying his toned abs.
"Quitting refined carbs, sugar, and seed oils won't guarantee you get lean and muscular," he wrote above the photos. "It is possible to get lean and muscular while eating all 3. And if you do get lean and muscular, you will be healthier."
Suplee's followers raved about his stunning transformation, with some sharing their own struggles with weight loss.
"Truth. Losing excess body fat is the priority change for overall health. And only slightly behind: gain muscle," wrote one fan.
"I really wish I can find the same determination you have towards losing weight. Truth be told it’s been a very difficult journey," a second person admitted.
"You’re an inspiration keep going, bro you look incredible," someone else chimed in.
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Suplee shared another side-by-side comparison to Instagram on Jan. 6, opening up about the challenges he continues to face when it comes to staying in shape.
"I can remember being able to talk myself into or out of just about anything," he wrote.
"Inertia seems to play the biggest role here for me," Suplee continued. "Inertia, the natural tendency of objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at rest. Just knowing this is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics has bolstered my excuse making. If I do not begin, I will not begin. If I have begun, I can persist."
The star also acknowledged that "starting is the hardest part."
"But of course I have even used the excuse that once begun, when what I’m working towards didn’t come effortlessly, I’d pack it in. If starting is the hardest part, why isn’t the rest of it easy? Easy was never the answer. Sustainability is the only rational pursuit."
Suplee has been open about dealing with weight loss setbacks over the years, and continues to address these potential pitfalls. As the host of the American Glutton podcast, he talks to "everyone from experts to the average Joe, exploring all the diets he has been on over the last two decades, taking us on his journey from obese to svelte and back again, examining what worked and what made him gain everything back (plus 50 pounds)," according to the official website.
"I now understand that early on in my life, I developed a bunch of bad habits," he wrote in a 2020 essay for Men's Health. These habits basically broke my body’s ability to tell me when to stop eating. Diets told me I was defective—and yo-yo dieting is the worst sort of hell. It is chasing a goal that disappears immediately once achieved."
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