Pics Of Mike & Molly Star Billy Gardell's Massive Weight Loss Puts His Lifestyle Into Sharp Focus

Bariatric surgery isn't the only thing that helped Billy Gardell lose 173 pounds. In a February 2024 People interview, the "Mike & Molly" star admitted that his past weight-loss attempts hadn't provided sustained results. So, when he decided to go on a weight-loss journey during the pandemic, he knew that surgery alone wasn't going to cut it, and he had to make more significant changes for long-term results. For the comedian, those changes included diligently following a diet and exercise regimen and adopting mindset shifts.

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After the surgery, Gardell ensures that his plate is filled with lean proteins and veggies, goes on daily walks, and works out three times a week. As for the mindset shifts, he told People in December 2025 that they only came after he and his nutritionist did a deep dive into his history with emotional eating. "You have to look at why you react the way you do to food and heal that, and then love yourself enough to do something good for yourself," the "Bob Hearts Abishola" star said of one of the changes he has adopted. 

After working on his relationship with food, he came to another conclusion, which greatly helped him in his health journey: "Food is fuel. It's not reward, it's not soothing, it's not medication." Indeed, one of the many things you can do to manage your food cravings is recognizing which type of hunger you're feeling. If you find yourself hungry amid stressful situations, it's best to either manage the stress directly or speak to a loved one or a professional. 

In his December 2025 People interview, Billy Gardell said that consistently sticking to his weight-loss routine sometimes makes him feel like he is living in the movie "Groundhog Day," where every day is the same. However, he also admitted to ExtraTV in March 2026 that he has made his peace with how there will inevitably be days when he can't follow his diet to a T, saying, "Nobody's gonna have perfect days all the time, but be consistent. Be more consistent than you aren't." 

His kindness to himself notably goes beyond accepting days where he isn't 100% consistent. During his February 2024 People interview, Gardell shared that he has learned negative self-talk gets him nowhere. After a lot of emotional healing, he can look at his reflection and say, "'All right, I love you and I'm going to take care of you today,'" instead of criticizing himself for his shortcomings. Negative self-talk is one of the most common intrusive thoughts that people experience, and it can lead to depression and low self-esteem. So, getting control over it was a huge step in the right direction for the "Young Sheldon" actor. 

Those mindset shifts came earnestly for Gardell, whose weight-loss journey started with a rather sweet motivation. Discussing his motivations on the "Sherri" show in January 2026, Gardell said that he wanted to get healthier so that he could enjoy more time with his wife and son. At the end of the day, Gardell's journey is another reminder that weight loss can be just as much of a mental transformation as it is physical.