Actor Billy Gardell shares how he lost 150 pounds in 3 years

Billy Gardell has lost 150 pounds since the beginning of the pandemic, and he's ready to open up about what motivated his health transformation.

The actor, best known for his roles in the sitcoms "Mike & Molly" and "Bob Hearts Abishola," recently told "Entertainment Tonight" that he hovers between 205 and 210 pounds these days after once weighing over 370 pounds almost 10 years ago.

The 53-year-old has begun to reap the health rewards of his weight loss and said his resting heart rate has also dropped from 113 to 68. He also no longer has Type 2 diabetes.

“(I'm) walking around pretty healthy these days,” he told ET.

Gardell underwent bariatric weight loss surgery almost two years ago at the recommendation of his medical team to reduce his risk for severe COVID-19. He said he's also been working to improve his relationship to food.

“Self-care is important, and I think I finally got there,” he said.

As anyone who's ever tried to lose weight knows, the actor had to consider the whole picture and focus on both diet and exercise. He also said he's grateful that he got the necessary push to get healthier.

“I think you've got to find peace with yourself and, at some point, look in the mirror and go, ‘You know, it’s probably time to take care of you.’ And I didn’t get that note early on,” he said. “But I’m a big believer that when you get it, you get it. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you get it.”

Gardell is determined to stay healthy for his son so he can be around to watch him reach all of life's exciting milestones.

“When you hit 50, you start doing that dad math, like, ‘If I can live 25 more years, and he’ll be 40.' ... So I want to be here for him,” he said.

The star acknowledged that he hasn't always been a "good example of health" for his son and said he was inspired to change that.

"I want him to see that it doesn’t matter what age you are. If you are willing to do something a day at a time, you can change anything,” he said.

Gardell is looking and feeling great, but he said online critics still comment on his appearance.

“Of course, there’s always people online that when I was heavy, they were like, ‘You’re too heavy!’ And now it’s like, ‘Are you sick?’ Can I just walk the earth, please?!” he said.

The star shared that he does still have one vice he'd like to work on: smoking.

“I’m still smoking cigarettes,” he said. “But I’m working on that one. A buddy of mine told me, ‘Knock them down in the order they’re killing you.’”

Recently, Gardell has been able to shop at a wider variety of clothing stores, and he called the experience a "real gift." But he did joke that he's not quite used to his new slimmer pants just yet.

“The ankles are too tight,” he joked. “I don’t want to do yoga to get out of my pants. That’s where I miss my fat boy pants, because you could drop them and step out like a fireman.”

Gardell's health transformation has also played out on air in "Bob Hearts Abishola," since his character begins to focus more on his health after experiencing a heart attack.

“That was one of the gifts of the show ... to be able to talk to our producers and say, ‘This is what I want to do,’ and they were incredibly supportive, and they just gave little nods to it as it was happening,” he said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com