'Mike & Molly' star calls food his 'poison pills' after dramatic 170-pound weight loss transformation

'Mike & Molly' star Billy Gardell was self-medicating with food for years before undergoing a life-changing surgery that saved his life. 

"I had gotten so big and so stationary that it hurt to stand up," he added. 

"When the first wave [of COVID] hit, and they punched up that list of high-risk conditions, I had all of them," says Gardell. "Overweight, sleep apnea, smoker, type 2 diabetes, asthma . . . It was really the perfect storm. Between my blood numbers not coming back good, my blood pressure going up, type 2 diabetes and COVID - it was enough stuff to scare me to say, 'Come hell or high water, I've got to make a change.' "

"It really came down to a shift in everything I think about food," Gardell said. "Food is fuel. It's not reward, it's not soothing, it's not medication. I had to get beyond my emotional relationship with food."

These days, Gardell maintains his weight with exercise and a well-balanced diet.  

"I fluctuate between 210 and 215," he said. "And that's comfortable for me."

"My diabetes is gone," he added. "I feel strong. I have energy. Losing weight saved my life."