Jerry Ferrara Opens Up About His Dramatic Weight Loss (VIDEO)
WATCH: Jerry Ferrara On His Dramatic Weight Loss
HuffPost Live
When Jerry Ferrara debuted his 55-pound weight loss in 2011, fans were shocked by the "Entourage" star's new look. Ferrara spoke to HuffPost Live about his stunning transformation and how he lost the weight.
Ferrara, who played Turtle on the hit HBO comedy, said he lost weight for his own health, not for Hollywood.
Advertisement
"I didn't get in shape because of anything having to do with the public," he explained to host Alyona Minkovski. "Maybe there was a little bit of strategy behind it for transitioning outside of 'Entourage,' but I can promise you, the main goal was to just get healthy."
Jerry Ferrara: Then and Now
It was also important to Ferrara that he was honest with himself about his goals.
"it wasn't like, 'Oh, I want to look a certain way,' because there's only so good it's going to get for me," he joked. "It was more so just feeling better -- I didn't feel good. I mean, I smoked cigarettes, I was really overweight, I was always tired, I couldn't get through a full workout."
To shed the pounds, Ferrara quit smoking and cleaned up his diet. "The smoking part was a little difficult, but as far as like the diet, I actually got sick of eating whatever I wanted, if you could actually believe that. At the time, I did that for years and years."
He also began exercising.
"I played a lot of sports when I was a kid, and through high school. And to kind of get back to competing athletically, even in our old-man version of basketball and boxing, it wasn't that hard. But yeah, I started off -- I could walk like a mile and a half on a treadmill, and now I'll just run for days," he said.
Advertisement
Looking back on the process, Ferrara said slimming down has also helping him in his professional life.
"I don't think I could have handled some of the work I've done in the last three years if I didn't get into good shape. So it was more about just feeling good. It wasn't about like, 'Oh, look at me, I look good.'"
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.