Drew Carey Says He’s Lost 1,000 Lbs. Over the Years, Vows to Stick to Healthy Eating Because ‘It’s So Freeing’ (Exclusive)

When Drew Carey lost 80 lbs. in 2010, the transformation was largely driven by fear.

“Afterwards, I would go out to a swinger’s diner The price is right my first year, have a plate of pasta, a cookie and iced tea with a bunch of lemon,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Then I’d go home, have a Dorito and a couple of Pepsis and take an Ambien to sleep. It was miserable to live like that.”

Carey’s doctor offered him a much-needed wake-up call, telling him, “‘If you don’t do something, your life will be shorter and you’ll have these bad things to look forward to.'”

The comedian took those words to heart, cutting out carbs and sticking to 45 minutes of cardio several times a week. Now Carey, who jokes that he’s lost “1,000 pounds in his lifetime,” weighs 80 pounds. it is “more or less” easier. He also no longer has type 2 diabetes.

Drew Carey says he feels ‘much better’ after shedding 80 pounds. Weight loss: ‘I need to lose some more’

Drew Carey on ‘The Price Is Right’.

Michael Yarish/CBS

“It’s better to be like this and have blood sugar at these levels, and now I love myself enough to want it for myself and I want it for myself,” he continues, adding, “It’s a complete mindset change to have a whole life… but once you do, it’s so liberating.”

And while Carey, 65, still mostly avoids carbs, she sometimes makes exceptions.

“Sometimes I eat cake and stuff,” he explains. “I’m not a maniac, but I’m not going to eat the whole cake like I used to.”

Being slimmer has other benefits, Carey admits. He feels good looking in the mirror and no longer has to worry that the store doesn’t have something his size. Plus, “I like the energy I have now, I like how I feel, and I like the lucidity of my thoughts,” he says.

Drew Carey on ‘The Price Is Right’.

Sonja Flemming/CBS

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“It’s just a better attitude across the board,” he continues. “That’s part of my happiness now, that I can look in the mirror and say, ‘Oh, I like my hair, I like my face, I like the way I’m dressed and I look good in this. I don’t have to sit in the corner or make excuses in my head when I’m talking to someone, you know what I mean? All those things you do when you’re overweight or think there’s something wrong with you.”

Looking back on her weight loss journey now, Carey says that actually that first step turned out to be the hardest.

“The idea of ​​self-love is the hardest part when trying to lose weight,” she says. “The first thing you have to do is realize that you are worth it.”

For more on Drew Carey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

The price is right airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on CBS.

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