“I’m fighting middleweight these days, I’m down to 212!

[It’s been] a long journey,” he toldEntertainment Tonightin 2022.

I had a full bingo card," he toldETin 2022.

Billy Gardell in sunglasses

We had a good day?

Let’s eat!'

So I had to learn that food is fuel and it’s not comfort and it’s not celebration.

Billy Gardell and his wife Patty

And I work on that daily."

Gardell found motivation in his family to change his lifestyle andchange the way he talked about food.

Once committed, he struggled to consistently lose weight.

Still, the surgery was just the start and maintaining the weight loss requires a great resiliency.

“I have to balance it, but I work on it every day.”