Al Roker’s Incredible Weight and Sickness Loss
Al (Albert) Roker is a well-known American journalist, weather broadcaster, actor, television personality, and author. He has been the co-host of NBC’s Today since 1996 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer after having a medical check-up fairly recently. To aid it, he had his prostate removed towards the end of 2020.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Out of every 100 American men, about 13 will get prostate cancer during their lifetime, and about 2 to 3 men will die from prostate cancer. Roker believes that one in every seven African-American men receive this diagnosis in their lifetime. He was happy to say that his was caught and treated early.
AS a young adult, he faced troubles with his lifestyle and weight because of his wife. Roker said, “My wife is a size 4; she runs, she works out and it became a problem in our marriage … On a Saturday she’d get up, get dressed to run and I’d be sitting on the couch or making breakfast for the kids … She was upset, frustrated, and angry about it.”
His wife would urge him to get fit and this caused conflict between the two of them. At his heaviest, Roker reaches 340 pounds! He said the huge weight he was carrying was a combination of a few things, of “not feeling worthy” and being worried he “wasn’t as good as he thought he was,” and that he just “really liked the food.”
At around 2011, he changed his attitude and promised his dying father that he would lose weight.
In his book, Never Goin’ Back, Al gives details of his “happy meal” before he underwent the medical procedure that would hopefully change his life. He ate a ton because he felt like he was under a timer for his inevitable surgery. He ate “anything and everything that wasn’t nailed down,” leaving nothing off the menu.
In his 2012 book, Never Goin’ Back, the Today Show star said he remembered how it was when his weight started to bother him – it was when Bill Cosby’s Fat Albert animated series surfaced on TV.
He changed his diet permanently. He started limiting his foods to only whole, unprocessed foods that are high in protein and low in carbs. He weighed himself daily, started strength training, and worked hard to get rid of bad habits that may lead to bingeing.
Now that his weight is down to around an impressive 190 pounds, he makes sure he keeps himself in check, but still lets himself have cake every now and then!
