Now that Roseanne Barr is no longer part of the Roseanne reboot, the Conners' main star is John Goodman (a.k.a. Dan Conner). And one thing fans continue to talk about is the actor's weight loss.
Tons of tweets, like the one below, continue to flow about Goodman's weight.
For Goodman, art dictated life ... which dictated art. Both Roseanne and Dan struggled with their weight — and they weren't afraid to use it as the butt of a joke. They even had episodes dedicated to their failed attempts at losing weight — remember this gem from season 2?
During this time, however, Goodman realized his lifestyle was heading into a dangerous territory. "In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack or whatever and just go back to my old habits," he told ABC.
He never counted on weight loss as a lifestyle change but rather a fluctuating number on a scale. "Just wait another six months and I'll be back to normal," he told Today in 2016 following his dramatic weight loss. "That's the way it usually goes."
When the scale hit 400 pounds, Goodman realized his weight was no longer a laughing matter — and he decided to make a change. Alcohol was the first thing to go. "It was the answer for a lot of problems. I hit it hard for 30 years," Goodman told Letterman in a 2010 interview. "There's a lot of residual damage and I'm just trying to pick up the pieces now."
After quitting alcohol cold turkey, the actor focused on portion control and subsequently, reduced his sugar intake. "It was basically just portion control and ‘I don’t need it,’” he told AARP The Magazine. “I was just shoving everything into my mouth." Now, his diet consists of lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and protein shakes.
He also hired a personal trainer, Mackie Shilstone, to help him incorporate more exercise into his life. Goodman often used his arthritis in his knees as a crutch to skip workouts but Shilstone introduced him to a variety of low-impact exercises. Now, the actor works out six days a week, with a combination of boxing and cardio workouts. "I’m breaking a sweat but I’m not going nuts,” he told PEOPLE.
Today, Goodman's lost more than 100 pounds. His motivation for weight loss remains simple:“It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your ass and figure out what you’re going to eat next … I wanted to live life better,” he told PEOPLE. For Goodman, it's not only about losing weight but changing the decades bad habits that have put him in this position. "It's a life of rehab," he told Men's Health. "But it's a labor of love."
To do this, he learned from the best (his trainer, Shilstone) and took time to understand how diet and exercise were transforming his body. "I took it slow. I just wanted to change my lifestyle," he told The Howard Stern Show in 2016.“You look in the mirror everyday and go, ‘I gotta deal with this the rest of the day, I gotta deal with this schmuck?’”
As we all know, many of his film and television roles revolve around his hefty figure (think: The Big Lebowski and Roseanne). But Goodman doesn't care — he'd rather be healthy and happy than an overweight actor. "I'll scream and cry when I'm in the unemployment line, but that's really secondary," he told Men's Health. "I am what I am. I can act at different weights."
One hundreds pounds is just the beginning for this funny man. "It's an ongoing process for the rest of my life," he told Letterman. As for a target weight, he simply wants "whatever is healthy and right." And that's how you do it, folks.
Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.
