Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Shay Mooney Opens Up About His 50-Pound Weight Loss Journey: "I Feel Better"
The Voice Season 25 Coach had an honorable reason for reaching the goal.
The Voice Season 25's Shay Mooney, who is a half of country Coaching duo Dan + Shay, had a vulnerable moment in a September 2023 interview with People about what led him on a health journey.
“I was like, ‘Man, I'm tired of feeling horrible all the time.' I was too tired and rundown mentally to play with my kids when I got off the road, or really just ever. It was all the time," he told the outlet. "I knew that that was because of my unhealthy eating habits and drinking too much."
He told the outlet that he ended up losing more than 50lbs over the course of a year. The key? Cutting out alcohol and sugar. "I started eating super clean, whole foods and fasting, and I cut out alcohol, and I haven't looked back. That was a year ago now," he said.
RELATED: What to Know About Dan + Shay, the First-Ever Coaching Duo on The Voice
Mooney also talked about how improving his psychical health for the sake of his family also helped him with his mental wellbeing. In January 2023, Smyers took to his Instagram to share his body transformation by posting side-by-side photos of himself taken months apart.
"Consistency," he wrote in a caption. "I changed my entire world in 6 months. No gimmicks or fads. Just consistency. If that tired guy on the left can do it so can you. 💪🏻"
In his People interview he shared more context behind the photo. “I feel better, is the main thing, because my mental health was suffering. Your gut and your brain and your mind are so connected. And I never really realized that.”
He continued: “I was having panic attacks, and I'd never had a panic attack before and I didn't know what was going on,” Mooney explained. “And after getting healthy and I stopped drinking, I haven't had a single moment of panic.”
Shay Mooney on reconciling with Dan Smyers
Mooney and Smyers were not on speaking terms for four months. However, in the same interview with People, Mooney opened up about how taking care of his body led him to come around.
“It was just kind of the perfect timing. Dan and I were both working on ourselves and preparing for this moment. And just looking back on it, it really feels like a divine thing where it was meant to happen in the way that it was meant to happen. We needed to learn those lessons,” he said.
RELATED: Dan + Shay's Cover of Niall Horan's "Slow Hands" is a Match Made in Voice Heaven
“When people ask me, ‘Do you wish that you would've done it sooner? You wish that you guys would've fixed this a long time ago?’ My answer every time would be no," he added. "I've been sober for about a year now. I don't know that I'll ever look back. I just know that my life is better when alcohol is not in it. This personal journey that I went on, that's not for everybody, but it changed my life.”
