Dan Fogler is definitely the comic relief in the Harry Potter prequel series, the Fantastic Beasts franchise. He's known for playing funny characters, starring in comedies like The Goldbergs, Balls of Fury, and Kung Fu Panda. But what's not funny is Fogler's dramatic weight loss. Plenty of celebrities have struggled with their weight, but none have lost weight as drastically as Fogler. Now, he looks like a completely different person, and fans are proud of him. Well, some are, at least. Others were skeptical about his weight-loss method. Here's what we know about Fogler's weight loss journey and what some say about it.
He Lost Weight Almost Too Fast For Some Fans
Fans noticed that Fogler lost a lot of weight in an unusually short amount of time when they saw him appear as Uncle Dan in The Goldbergs episode "Angst-Giving," and they became concerned about his methods. Daily Detox Hacks wrote, "What do you think did Dan Fogler lose weight? Is he on a diet plan? Is it part of his new projects?"
They continue to write that Fogler denied he had any health issues during an appearance for promoting Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3. The drastically quick weight loss made many think he was unwell. "He revealed that he has been doing intermittent fasting and karate for almost two years, which help him shed more pounds." Fogler's no-Mag Jacob Kowalski will look very different by the time we see the third Fantastic Beasts.
On his social media, Fogler said, "this is a wake-up call for all my concerned fans who have oh so subtly voiced their concerns about my health and weight loss recently. When I turned 40, this formally fat guy’s metabolism slowed the f**k down so I couldn’t digest all the greasy fried cheesy, sugary deliciousness as quickly as I could in my youth."
Ultimately, Fogler isn't sick and didn't harm himself in any way to lose the amount of weight he did quickly.
He Understands His Weight Loss Shocked Some People
When you're an actor in big franchises on the big and small screens, you have to realize that fans will realize every little detail about your physique. Especially when you lose a ton of weight. This is why Fogler understands why some fans were concerned for him.
"I did intermittent fasting and I hit 40 and my body was like, my metabolism was thrown out the f***ing window," Fogler explained about his weight loss journey. "I had to stop eating foods that were processed. All I was eating was processed. So I had to really balance that out with actual food food. And that was really the first 60 pounds that came off. Eliminating soda, bread, s*** like that. Dairy. You know I love pizza. I was living on pizza."
He also admitted to Lauren Francesca that the COVID-19 pandemic had enabled him to regain some of the weight he lost. But the bottom line is that he found a way to be happier and healthier.
"I got my quarantwenty teen now. It’s not my quaran15 anymore, it’s 20 now," he continued. "I gained 20 pounds like that. I was 270 lbs at my heaviest. That was documented in the first Fantastic Beasts film. That was my heaviest. Then, I started losing weight, so by the second Fantastic Beasts film I lost 20-30 pounds. Then, uh, over two years I had lost about 100 pounds. So it was crazy. Right now, I’m about 195 so I’m down about 75 pounds, it’s crazy."
All in all, he lost a total of about 160 pounds, and he understands that some people are shocked. "I went from 270 to 160," he explained. "People were looking at me just like, ‘Are you dying?’ I’d be like, ‘No, I’m perfectly healthy, probably the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life.’ They’d just be like, ‘In that case, you look amazing.’ I don’t like people guessing that I’m dying. So I put on a few pounds just so I feel like everyone’s OK around me."
According to Daily Detox Hacks, Fogler cited his daughters as his biggest motivation. "I have two little girls that I want to see grow into strong women and I wanted to be there for them and set a good example," he said. "So what did I do? I stopped eating processed foods that I couldn’t digest quickly. Anything with a wrapper with more than 3 ingredients that you can’t spell is probably bad for you."
With intermittent fasting, the limited time you're allowed to eat enables you to have a lower caloric intake. When you're fasting, your body starts ketosis, which means you are burning fat and glucose (sugar). The method can also "reprogram your metabolic pathways."
Many people have used this method for weight loss, including some celebrities like Raven-Symoné, who also lost a lot of weight. It might seem as if the effects are harmful, but it's a natural way of losing weight. Fogler should be happy about his progress; we know we are.