In an interview with GQ, new Ring of Honor World Champion and AEW roster member Chris Jericho went into specifics on how he lost 31 pounds in two months and kept it off.
As reported previously, the impetus was his hospitalization in December 2021 while on tour with Fozzy in London. He was suffering from a pulmonary embolism (blood clots) in his lungs that require him to be hospitalized for several days and to remain in England for another week due to being unable to fly with the clots.
When he returned home, he found a medical concierge who weighed him on a special scale that focuses on visceral fat around your organs, taking bones and muscle mass into account. Weighing 240 pounds with a body fat percentage of 21%, his scale number was at 11 when it needed to be under ten.
He had recently come into acquaintance with a person beginning a new weight loss clinic and after speaking to him, he got on their plan which called for small protein and nutrient-infused snacks throughout the day in addition to supplements like B12 fat burners and a heavy increase in water intake.
With a special scale number that fluctuates between six and seven, the 52-year-old currently weighs between 205-210 pounds and while he isn't as strict on the diet as when he started, he carries around a scale that keeps him on track.
"When you see the results, that's all you need. That's what really hooked me. To this day, I'm that guy that carries a scale with me everywhere. If I’m over 210, I pull back. If it's under 210, well, then I'll have a cheeseburger. If it's 205, then I'll have a cheeseburger and a pizza. If it's 215, then I'll be strict on the diet for a couple days. Once you get there and maintain it, it’s okay. You just have to know where you're at," he said.
Training-wise, he has focused primarily on kickboxing at least three times a week when he is home and is barely doing weight training at all.
He said he can feel the difference with the shed weight and admitted it was "a drag" to see people call him fat online. He joked that when those same people saw him post-weight loss, they claimed he got ab implants and took steroids.
Jericho said that even on tour with Fozzy, his rider has changed from "two roasted chickens, a vegetable tray, and a giant bottle of vodka. Now what’s on my rider? Blue Diamond salted almonds and like five 34-ounce bottles of water. That’s it.'
He said other AEW personnel have got on board that includes Taz, Dr. Luther and Rebel.
"So it’s a real reinvention, not just from a gimmick standpoint, but from a lifestyle standpoint. I’m very proud of it, and I’ll never get to that weight again. My visceral fat will never go over 10 ever again. I will carry that f**king scale in my bag and weigh myself every morning until the day I die. It’s a little bit obsessive, but listen man, I just got a clean bill of health. I don’t have to take blood thinners anymore. My heart is great, my lungs are great, blood, all those things. I took this warning from my body, from God, and I didn’t take it lightly," he said.
He also was asked about the backstage turmoil in AEW surrounding the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and CM Punk. While unable to get into the specifics, he said "it happens all the time" in wrestling and that situations like this give others the opportunity to step up.
"That's one of the things about being around as long as I have: You just recalibrate and you focus on the positives and realize we got a great locker room, a great group of guys and girls. I think we re-established that (on TV the last few weeks). We know that this is a pretty special place, and we're gonna go out there and we're gonna kill it. That's what we did. It's a reset and that's exciting for everybody involved, including me. We're just gonna keep building upon it. That's what you do. That's how you have longevity," he said.
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