Randy Jackson Shares His Weight Loss Journey and How He Manages Diabetes and High Blood Pressure
The former American Idol judge swapped out certain foods and took up tennis to shed 120 lbs
Keeping up with your oral hygiene may save your life, which is exactly the case for Randy Jackson. In 2002, the former American Idol judge’s doctor diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes after his dentist suggested that his gums were an indicator of the chronic illness. Since then, Jackson’s health has been his number one priority. Keep reading to learn more about his weight loss journey and how he manages his diabetes diagnosis and blood pressure.
Randy Jackson’s diabetes diagnosis
Jackson was getting work done on a tooth when his dentist noticed his gums. The inflammation in his gums indicated that his blood sugar was too high. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gum disease is more common in those with diabetes.
“I wound up in the ER on a Saturday,” Jackson, now 68 years old, told Woman’s World. “My blood sugar level was over 500.” (70 to 99 is typically considered normal after eight hours of not eating.)
Jackson admitted that he didn’t visit the doctor as soon as he should’ve, despite his dentist’s warning. He explained that perhaps like other people in denial, he simply didn’t want to hear the truth.
“It was kind of crazy for me because it ran in my family, but you always think someone else is going to get it, never you,” Jackson said. “I got it.” In addition to the diabetes diagnosis, Jackson was also dealing with high blood pressure.
How Randy Jackson lost weight and got his diabetes and blood pressure under control
After his life-changing diagnosis, Jackson couldn’t deny the problem any longer. He decided it was time to make many significant lifestyle changes to get healthy. A big step forward? Losing a “ton” of weight, which he did successfully.
His total weight loss, which included a gastric bypass surgery back in 2003, amounted to about 120 pounds. But long after the medical procedure, it was up to Jackson to maintain his weight loss with assistance from his doctors. So Jackson picked an exercise he actually enjoyed: tennis. It allowed him to move around and be active without feeling like he was at the gym.
Aside from tennis, he also starts his day with pilates or spinning and reaps both the physical and mental benefits of exercise.
Randy Jackson’s nutrition plan for weight loss and diabetes
Since there’s still no medical cure for diabetes, Jackson needed to manage the disease daily with his food intake. Over the years, he’s tried a wide variety of healthy diets, including a vegan eating plan, a vegetarian diet and even his own form of ketosis back in the day. These days, he favors mostly plant-based meals, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, legumes and a little brown rice.
These simple foods are a far cry from the elaborate, unhealthy meals Jackson used to eat. But his healthy swaps aren’t limited to what he actually puts on his plate. He also thinks deeply about what he’s eating and drinking (known as mindful eating). At the same time, he also considers his stress level and workload amount before digging in.
Through his eating habits and increased physical activity, Jackson lowered his reliance on blood pressure medication and keeps his diabetes under control.
Weight loss and health advice from Randy Jackson
Considering how well this shift in thinking has worked for him, Jackson encourages other people with diabetes to change not only their diets, but also their mindsets about following a healthy lifestyle in the first place.
“I recommend therapy for everyone,” Jackson said. “Behavior modification is the therapy that helps people stop smoking, lose weight… Think about any big lifestyle change you just have to do, because you have to change the way you look at it. Because if you look at it the same way you always did, you’re always going to see it that way.”
As always, educating and informing yourself can make a huge difference. But for the folks who have been diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure recently and are feeling scared, Jackson says they should stay close to their doctors and listen to what they say. He was surprised by how much better he felt when he did.
“I wish I would’ve listened to my doctor before,” he said. “I could’ve saved myself a lot of trouble.”
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