Eminem Weight Loss: ‘Phenomenal’ Rapper Reveals How He Slimmed Down After Getting Help For His Pill Addiction

In 2007, Eminem overdosed on pills and weighed close to 230 pounds. Once the rapper left rehab, the real slim shady stood up.

The 42-year-old Detroit native opened up to Men’s Journal about his addiction and how he got back to being healthy through exercise. Since weighing close to 230 pounds, the rapper has since dropped down to 149 and now doesn't feel like the world's on his shoulders.

“I'm not sure how I got so big, but I have ideas. The coating on the Vicodin and the Valium I'd been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach, so to avoid a stomachache, I was constantly eating — and eating badly,” he dished.

From 2002-2008, Eminem was addicted to a variety of prescription medication, including Ambien, Valium and extra-strength Vicodin, according to an article in Rolling Stone. After almost dying from an accidental methadone overdose at the end of 2007, the rapper decided to get clean.

Eminem was able to replace one addiction with another. An addiction that is not harmful to the body - running. “I got an addict's brain, and when it came to running, I think I got a little carried away. I became a f---ing hamster. Seventeen miles a day on a treadmill. I would get up in the morning, and before I went to the studio, I would run eight and a half miles in about an hour. Then I'd come home and run another eight and a half,” Eminem told Men’s Journal.

Musically, the “Rap God” rebounded better than ever after rehab as well. He released “Recovery” in June 2010 which when platinum four times and sold over 15 million copies. In 2013, he put out “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” which also reached platinum status.

In June, a picture emerged on Twitter of a healthier and happier looking Eminem. Sources told US weekly that Eminem had been focusing on his health.

Now before he goes into the studio each day, Eminem said he does the Body Beast with free weights, bench and a pullup bar. “It's just me, so it helps that the Body Beast dude is over-the-top. The routine is pretty intense, too. The first time I did the legs, I couldn't walk for two days,” he said.

Recently, Eminem put out two new songs “Phenomenal” and “Kings Never Die,” which are featured on the soundtrack for the Jake Gyllenhaal film “Southpaw”, which he also produced on Shady Records. He also called out Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, Caitlyn Jenner and many other celebrities in his most recent freestyle.