The Blind Side star Quinton Aaron is on a journey to better health and has made great progress.
The 37-year-old actor recently revealed that he has lost nearly 100 pounds, telling TMZ on Feb. 21 that he “used the new year as a way to get a new me.” As Quinton explained, he gained weight during the pandemic and decided to switch things up, which included maintaining a healthier diet and committing to exercising. He has since gone from weighing 559 pounds to 462.
Quinton also told the outlet that he wanted to make a change because of his longstanding professional goals, which include working on his production company and music career.
Since starring in his breakout role of football player Michael Oher alongside Sandra Bullock in the 2009 film The Blind Side, Quinton has continued his acting career while also focusing on his organization, the Quinton Aaron Foundation.
“The mission of the foundation is to provide hope, encouragement, confidence and resources,” the foundation’s website reads, “To children on the brink of suicide or battling the damaging effect on self-esteem and confidence caused by the actions or words of others.”
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Quinton, who has spoken before about being bullied during his adolescence, opened up about his experience and motivation for creating his foundation in 2017.
“It was funny, because when I first started speaking to kids, it was about following your dreams and not being afraid to go after what you want in life,” he told The Undefeated. “And trying to inspire them and encourage them to go after their goals. And when kids would ask me about bullying, I thought somebody had looked me up or whatever. I was like, ‘How do you know that? How did you know that I was bullied?'”
He continued, “Then I figured, why not speak about my experiences and how I got over them? Because it could motivate or hopefully inspire kids to do the same.”
As for his future plans, Quinton told TMZ that he is aiming to lose another 64 pounds by May 10, which is in honor of his late mom’s birthday.