Al Roker Is Sharing All The Details About His Recent Lifestyle Change
Al Roker famously shed pounds and transformed his weight in the early 2000s, but despite the initial weight loss, he has still encountered issues with keeping the pounds off. The NBC weather anchor was originally motivated to make a lifestyle change while visiting his father on his deathbed in 2001, who asked Roker to "promise" he would "lose weight" – as revealed in a 2012 interview with Parade. The television personality weighed 340 pounds at the time but lost over 100 pounds the following year after undergoing bariatric surgery.
Unfortunately, the illness of his mother several years later triggered a reversal of good habits for Roker. "I was out of my routine, commuting [to Long Island] to see her, and feeling guilty," he told Parade. This led to a relapse in unhealthy eating for Roker, as he quickly regained weight. The journalist likened his bad eating to a recovering alcoholic deciding to drink again. Fortunately, in the late 2000s, Roker's friend put him in contact with a nutritionist and he was able to right the ship and get his weight back under control.
In 2013, Roker spoke about finally being happy with his weight, and how he regretted relapsing to bad habits. "I went back. And I hated it. I know what I have to do now to keep that from happening again," he said on "Today" while vowing to "never" gain the weight again. Years later he would once again make a lifestyle overhaul in order to keep the weight off.
The two keys to Al Roker's recent weight loss
While Al Roker worked hard to keep from going back to his pre-bariatric surgery weight, he had strayed away from his ideal weight. On an episode of "Today" that aired on June 6, the weather anchor spoke about the lifestyle changes he made to slim down again. "I've lost about 45 pounds in the last several months," he told his fellow NBC co-anchors. The key to his subtle transformation was a two-pronged approach. "I do about 100 grams of carbs a day and I walk," Roker said. According to Roker, staying in shape did not have to be arduous. "Exercise, and not extreme exercise," he said. The weight loss author also joked about the importance of staying in shape at his age. "I'm the oldest person here. I'm trying to last a little longer," he added.
After Roker said that "extreme exercise" was not vital to his routine, the TV personality uploaded an Instagram video on June 6 that captured his at-home workout. Roker enlisted his trainer and performed a series of exercises that included resistance bands, dumbbells, and battle ropes. He had also been documenting his involvement in "Today"'s 30 Day Walking Challenge.
On March 15, Roker flaunted his jaw-dropping transformation by posing with a pair of old blue jeans. "Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today, I wore these size 54 Levi jeans," he wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. "It's still a struggle but I'm never going back," Roker added.