Chumlee is looking slimmer than Pawn Stars fans have ever seen, losing over 150 pounds since he was at his heaviest. The reality television star, whose birth name is Austin Lee Russell, recently opened up to TMZ about his weight loss, noting that his weight had constantly fluctuated 100 pounds at a time. After years of struggling, Chumlee had reached 350 pounds at one point years ago, and that was when he decided to get gastric sleeve surgery to keep his weight in check.
These days, Austin ‘Chumlee’ Russell is down to about 190 pounds. He says he went through with the surgery because he wanted to keep the weight off after years of “yo-yoing.” The Pawn Stars star has had to change his habits to live a more healthy lifestyle, however, which means eating healthy food and continuing to exercise. Chumlee also says it’s important to have a “support structure around you.”
“Can you believe it, I’ve lost over 150lbs!!” Chumlee also announced on Facebook, including before and after photos of himself. He also asked his fans to tell him about their own weight loss journeys so he could be of some help if possible. In the comments, many fans spoke about their own experiences, with Chumlee responding to many and offering support. Meanwhile, another recent photo on Instagram further shows how slim Chumlee looks after losing 160 pounds.
Chumlee is famous for his appearances on the History Channel series Pawn Stars. Filming the transactions of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Chumlee is a childhood friend of Corey Harrison, whose father and grandfather founded the shop. The reality show has often depicted him as the butt of a joke in many scenarios, though he has also shown off his expertise in certain areas, from sneakers to pinball machines, and has been a fan favorite for many viewers.
In 2018, Chumlee spoke more about his weight loss endeavors in an interview with Pop Culture. Of his fluctuating weight and decision to undergo gastric sleeve surgery, Chumlee said, “I’ve been down, I’ve been up, I’ve been down, I’ve been up. So, when you need a little help to stay down, this is where you come. I’ve already lost 38 lbs on my pre-op diet. They recommend you do it for a couple of weeks, but I’ve been doing it for about five or six weeks now. So that’s going to make my goal to get to 200 lbs a lot better, a lot easier.”
Another television star to recently undergo a bit of a body transformation is Thor Bjornsson, who had played Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane on Game of Thrones. Focusing on an acting career, Bjornsson recently weighed in at 328 after previously tipping the scales at 450 pounds. The actor soon after competed in a boxing match where he handily won in the first round. Meanwhile, veteran actor Ethan Suplee (My Name Is Earl) shared some stunning body transformation photos of his own after going from 550 pounds to 255 pounds. This news comes to us from TMZ.