What does it take to lose over 250 pounds?
Anyone who has been on a fitness or weight loss journey can tell you — that’s not easy. And yet, somehow my guest today managed to do it… twice.
“The heaviest I’ve ever objectively been … — there was a shipping scale that people had me get on because … regular scales didn’t work for me — … [was] 536 [pounds], and then I know I gained weight. So I don’t know exactly what I was, [but] I would guess over 550. … And today, I’m 250, so it’s at least 286 pounds from there to now.” – Ethan Suplee
This man has struggled with weight for most of his life, and his insecurity and trauma surrounding his relationship with food even led him to struggle with addictions to drugs and alcohol at one point. It’s been a long journey, but today, Ethan Suplee — you might know him as Louie Lastik in a little movie called Remember the Titans — is healthier and happier than ever.
This interview is inspiring. We dove deep and dissected some of the pivotal moments in Ethan’s childhood that both drove him into his struggles and helped him decide to make some changes and get healthy. We also talked about some of the strategies he used to lose weight and perfect his diet. And finally, we talked about Ethan’s acting career, some experiences he’s had in Hollywood, and the incredible ways Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio have inspired him.
Ethan has experienced trauma, but he’s not defeated or defined by it. He’s learned to put into place the systems he needs to succeed, and he’s raising his daughters to do the same. I’m honored to have him on the show today, and I hope you get a lot out of this episode — I know I did!
Who Is Ethan Suplee?
Ethan Suplee is an actor of considerable talent and accomplishment. His diverse and eclectic resume ranges from hilarious roles in such comedies as Mallrats (1995) and My Name Is Earl (2005) to hauntingly dramatic performances in intense features such as American History X (1998), Blow (2001), Cold Mountain (2003), The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013), Deepwater Horizon (2016), and the TV series Chance (2016).
His breakthrough performance as a young football player in Disney’s Remember the Titans (2000) with Denzel Washington garnered him critical acclaim and led to two other roles opposite Washington in director Nick Cassavetes‘ thriller, John Q (2002), and Tony Scott’s Unstoppable (2010).
Ethan Suplee has recently launched a podcast called American Glutton in which he talks to experts about his incredible weight loss journey and shares the best diet advice for you!
Ethan really opened up in this interview and was willing to take a deep dive into his past to dissect some of the most crucial moments in his childhood, acting career, and health journey so that he could share with us the knowledge he’s gained along the way.
If you’re looking to make a change in your life and shift to a healthier mindset and lifestyle, you’re not going to want to miss this episode!
Childhood Struggles and the Beginning of a Career
Growing up, Ethan was a pretty normal kid. He described his five-year-old self as an average and healthy kid with maybe some round, chubby cheeks — certainly a far cry for morbidly obese. But one visit to his grandparents in Vermont changed his whole perspective on himself and his body.
“I go to visit my grandparents in Vermont and … their reaction to me was like, ‘Oh my God, what are your parents doing to you? … This is out of hand. We need to get this under control.’ … My favorite food was lasagna, which my grandpa would always make me. … And I’m there visiting them for the first time without my mom or dad in Vermont, like super excited … and then they basically were like, … ‘You can’t have a second helping.’ That day was the first time that I snuck food.” – Ethan Suplee
As he helped clear the dishes that day, Ethan snuck a couple of bites of food off the table, and that started a bad habit that would take him years to recover from. And not only that, but his parents and grandparents started forcing him to exercise. They had him outside running around — not because he was a little kid who should enjoy playing but because they thought he needed to.
Ethan suffered more than just the physical consequences — there were psychological consequences, too. Suddenly, eating was no longer a fun thing or a social thing. Ethan felt this pressure to eat privately. It felt like something he had to keep secret. And he developed a strong resistance to authority and exercise — even playing outside felt like a punishment, so it’s no wonder he didn’t want to go to the gym or work out!
When Ethan got to high school, he recognized a new opportunity. There was a kid at his school who had been doing some acting, and Ethan started to see the benefits of that lifestyle. He saw that actors got to leave school from time to time, and they always had craft services and endless food available as well as private trailers to eat privately in. So, Ethan decided to give it a shot. He started auditioning for roles, and he landed the second one he tried out for — a small part on Boy Meets World.