A close call. Kevin Smith is opening up about making healthy lifestyle changes nearly two months after experiencing a “massive” heart attack.
The filmmaker, 47, reflected on the traumatic incident in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Tuesday, April 24.
“I didn’t think I was having a heart attack,” he revealed. “I was sweaty, I thought I couldn’t catch my breath, I felt nauseated, but I didn’t think of those as heart attack symptoms.”
Smith noted that he lost 85 lbs three years ago and removed sugar from his diet completely, so he was surprised to discover he was suffering a heart attack. “I couldn’t piece it together, but that’s me being incredibly stupid because my mom has two stents in her heart and my father died of a massive heart attack at 67,” he added. “And my dad had been a diabetic and I never got diabetes, so I thought maybe I beat the heart thing too. But honestly, I wasn’t looking to keep an eye on anything heart-related for years.”
The Clerks director made headlines in February after disclosing he had a heart attack backstage before a comedy show in L.A. He has since lost 32 lbs on his own and is now working as an ambassador for Weight Watchers — following the WW Freestyle program — to achieve his goal of dropping 25 more.
“For me, food was not like fuel. It wasn’t like you eat food because it powers your body and you move on. I’m an American who grew up in the ‘70s when America figured out, if we start putting more sugar in everything, they’ll buy it,” he explained. “So sugar starts showing up in bread and everything.”
Smith also dished on smoking marijuana, a habit that he says has not negatively impacted his diet. “I don’t get munchies, but I hit pot holes all the time. Even though I started smoking, I never fell into the munchie pit. It just didn’t have that effect on me,” he told Us. “I would smoke instead of eating. That became gratifying. Same way that I need to feel good, I was like, ‘You know what? I feel good smoking. Skip the cake and just have yourself a smoke.’ So munchies have never been a factor for me. And weed kind of actually works, believe it or not, as an appetitive suppressant to some degree.”
The comedian has shared his weight loss journey with fans via Instagram, documenting his milestones and reflecting on his experience. “Same dude, different day,” he captioned side-by-side photos of himself earlier this month. “Pic on the left, is from nearly 10 years ago, at Zack & Miri premiere. Pic on the right is minutes ago.”
Smith first showed off his leaner appearance last month on the picture sharing app, telling followers that he had lost 26 lbs so far.
Reporting by Marc Lupo
