Jax Taylor was kicking back and relaxing in his West Hollywood apartment with his now fiancé Brittany Cartwright watching a snippet of his best friend Tom Schwartz’s bachelor party. Jax, the groom-to-be Tom, and another pal Tom Sandoval were dressed in drag for their crazy outing to New Orleans.
But it wasn’t people taunting him about his hot pink wig or dress that bothered him. It was the snide comments about his weight that hit home.
“Man, you got fat,” one person tweeted.
Jax confessed to Men’s Health that he’s glad the tweeters were honest with him since no one else was.
“I thought, ‘Why didn’t my friends tell me? Why didn’t my own girlfriend tell me this?’ I looked disgusting. I was like a butterball. I was not lean. I didn’t have the chiseled look that I used to have. I was, like, this has got to stop,” he said.
The reality star shares how he turned his life around and got his six-pack back. https://t.co/bUy35MumG0
— Men’s Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) December 17, 2018
A former model, Jax stands six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds of chiseled muscle for most of his adult life. But in the video, he weighed 235 pounds. Jax knew his health needed a boost, especially before his upcoming nuptials. He blamed his partying lifestyle and a personal tragedy for hampering his health.
When he was just 21, Jax was flagged by a modeling scout while shopping for groceries with his mom in Michigan. He couldn’t believe it. In two years, Jax signed with Ford Models and began strutting his stuff on the runway. He was encouraged to slim down further than his already athletic build, which didn’t help his mental health.
“I go to Dolce and Gabbana to try the pants on, and they said, ‘Sorry we liked you, but you’re too big. I’m thinking to myself, ‘I can’t fit into the clothes, but I’m not fat.’ They’re, like, messing with my head. They’re, like, you’re not good enough, but yet you are. It was just messy,” he said.
Jax finally achieved the “shredded” look while modeling around the world and living with the likes of other models including Channing Tatum. He ate just once a day and walked everywhere, which kept him lean.
“There were guys and girls eating cotton balls to stay full. They would stuff their mouth full of cotton balls so they wouldn’t get hungry,” he said.
Jax modeled for a decade, then was invited by Real Housewife Lisa Vanderpump to join the cast of Vanderpump Rules where he shot to stardom.
“When I started the show, I took a back seat on the gym. I looked great because I was still coming off of the modeling, but the show turned into so much work. We’re filming all day. We’re also partying all of the time. We’re drinking all of the time. I didn’t have the time to go to the gym,” he said.
At age 35, Jax had gained 60 pounds over four years. So he tried “steroid adjacent” supplements, but developed gynecomastia, swelling of the breast tissue, and endured surgery to remove the masses, which was documented on Vanderpump Rules . That scare, followed by news that his dad was battling cancer and his subsequent death, took its toll on Jax’s health. But his dad also became his inspiration to return to the healthier lifestyle he once pursued.
Instead of dining on junk food, he now eats turkey club sandwiches, chicken, and veggies. So far he’s down to 193 pounds and doesn’t have much farther to go before his summer 2019 wedding date to Brittany.
Here’s an example of what Jax eats in a typical day:
- Breakfast – Oatmeal with 310 Nutrition protein powder sprinkled on top
- Snacks – Three 310 Nutrition shakes, two Juice Plus capsules
- Lunch – Rotisseries chicken with brown rice
- Dinner – Chicken or steak
