Spider-Man Star Jacob Batalon Opens Up On His Weight Loss Journey

Spider-Man: No Way Home star, Jacob Batalon, recently opened up about his weight loss journey and how he lost over 100 pounds. Batalon is an American actor best known for his role as Ned Leeds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor has starred as Leeds in all three of the MCU's Spider-Man films alongside Tom Holland and Zendaya, and he has also had cameos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In addition to Spider-Man, he has also starred in 50 States of Fright, Bubble Gang, and Let It Snow.

Holland, Zendaya, and Batalon, together, make a timeless trio and are very much the face of the MCU's Spider-Man film series. Viewers instantly took a liking to Leeds for his humor and bravery, but most of all, for being Peter Parker's (Holland) most loyal friend and sidekick. Batalon made such an impression that No Way Home's Alfred Molina requested his autograph when they filmed together. Batalon's work ethic and talent shine through in his performances, but his acting career isn't the only journey he has undertaken recently.

In an interview with Men's Health (via People), Batalon opened up about his journey towards losing more than 100 pounds. Batalon revealed that his weight gain had begun to affect his health to the point that he got out of breath when going up stairs and couldn't believe he had let himself get to that point. Throughout 2020, with the help of a trainer, he began to go to the gym six days a week for 90 minutes and, with the help of his girlfriend, he also began a plant-based diet. With the combined diet and workout routine, he has lost an astonishing amount of weight and got his health back. Check out his statement below:

I decided to get into this sort of transformation, or this sort of journey, with my health and fitness at the end of 2019. Even when I wasn't doing anything physical, I found myself getting sleepy at work and it was because of all the fat food I was eating. This one day I kind of just saw myself without a shirt on and it was just ridiculous. I could not believe I let myself get this far. That's what sort of started it all. Recently, my girlfriend has actually gotten me into a plant-based diet, as well, and that's really helped my body and I can feel the difference between eating a lot of meat and eating plant-based stuff and that's really helped me, as well. I found a lot of light in the dark in the sense that a lot of people were suffering and I was fortunate and lucky enough to have found my health and all those things.

While viewers enjoyed seeing Batalon on the big screen as Leeds and pondering his future in the MCU, it was difficult to fully grasp the struggles that took place behind the scenes. He may have been chirpy and full of humor on screen, but behind the scenes, his weight had begun to affect him in serious ways. Losing weight isn't a necessity for everyone, but when one begins to notice an impact on their health, that is when weight loss becomes very serious. Fortunately, the 25-year-old recognized his health wasn't what it should be and chose to make a drastic change before he suffered any other, more serious, health complications.

Batalon's story is an inspiring one that illustrates the power that one has to take their health into their own hands. He rightly acknowledged that 2020 was a difficult year for many, but for him, it turned into an opportunity to better himself. During the Covid-19 pandemic, weight gain has been more common with many forced to quarantine or work remotely and unable to attend the gym. Surprisingly, though, Batalon managed to do the opposite and use the period of time to work on bettering his health and turning his life around. The change that Batalon displays since his Spider-Man performance to the present day is truly astounding. The Spider-Man actor's story urges everyone to take back their health when necessary and assures them that no goal is too big to strive for.

More: Can Spider-Man's Sinister Six Movie Still Happen After No Way Home?

Source: Men's Health (via People)