Rapper Action Bronson Opens Up About How (and Why) He Worked to Lose 127 Lbs.: 'Long Overdue'

Action Bronson has lost 127 lbs. and counting since the coronavirus pandemic lockdown began in March — but contrary to what one might think, he's "more interested in food now than ever."

The reason, despite being a "boring eater"? There's a conscious decision-making process that goes into his diet — one that the rapper describes in a new feature for Men's Health as akin to "playing quarterback with your own body."

Bronson (real name: Ariyan Arslani) shared over the summer that he had already dropped 80 lbs. in quarantine from a starting weight of 363, and tells the magazine now that he was inspired in part by his son's 2019 birth.

"You always want to be around for your family," says Bronson, 37. "It wasn't going to happen unless I made that decision myself, and, you know, it takes some soul-searching and some s--- to really bother you. Like something that really gets under your skin to make that change. That happened to me."

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The musician recalls "all kinds of f---ing dumb stuff that I had given myself" before making a lifestyle change (like "prediabetes, eczema" and "asthma") and says, "If I made something that was a big, round dish, I would eat the big, round dish. I wouldn't just have one piece."

Now, his diet is very protein-heavy, including the same breakfast every morning after a 4 a.m. wake-up call: two eggs, three egg whites, an avocado and a single slice of sprouted rye bread.

He then drives 30 minutes to train with Dave Paladino at Impact Zone Fitness in Norwood, New Jersey. Their workouts include HIIT training ("50-pound medicine-ball throws, you know, down a 50-yard track, throwing it as far as you can, all the way down the track and back," Bronson says).

"I've already got my work in while everyone else is snoozing, putting in big gains, big protein," he tells Men's Health.

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Bronson previously shared a video of himself hitting the gym on Instagram in July, writing in the caption that he weighed 283 lbs., which was "down 80 pounds from a whopping 363 and still going strong."

"I deserve to have a hot bod," he wrote, adding that it's "time for bigger weights."

The F--- That's Delicious star admits now that while he's "known to fall off the wagon" and taking it "day by day" after losing the weight over the past nine months, he's remaining committed.

"If you're blessed with abs and 5 percent body fat, you're gonna be grinding to make that happen your whole life," Bronson shares with Men's Health. "You just have to realize that that's what it is. You keep your eye on the prize and don't let yourself fall down."