Jazz Jennings' Complete Weight-Loss Transformation

The star of TLC's "I Am Jazz" series, Jazz Jennings has amassed a following of over a million accounts on Instagram. Best-known for being a YouTube personality, reality star, and activist for the LGBTQ+ community, Jazz first rose to fame in 2007 when she opened up to Barbara Walters in a life-changing interview about her identity as a transgender woman, spawning the TLC series that gave viewers an insight into her subsequent experiences. While the Florida native is renowned as a role model within the trans community, she's also recently gained attention for her weight-loss journey, announcing on Instagram in the summer of 2024 that she'd lost nearly 100 pounds. 

Over the years, Jazz has been open about her feelings surrounding her weight gain and the subsequent efforts she's taken to shed the weight, both on social media and her reality show. As early as 2018, she revealed an ongoing struggle with her weight and body image on Facebook, her caption of "I'm treating myself with a burger tonight" hinting at a possible disordered relationship with food that was later confirmed. In 2021, a Season 7 episode of "I Am Jazz" showed that the star's weight had fluctuated to 234 pounds, which she found "devastating." After Jazz shared her concerns with her mom, Jeanette Jennings, following the weigh-in, Jeanette admitted that she feared for Jazz's overall health, citing emerging issues such as asthma and high cholesterol. With the support of her family and friends, Jazz committed to losing weight and prioritizing her health while still cultivating a healthy relationship with food and her body image.

After fans noticed Jazz Jennings' weight gain, she took to Instagram to address the situation in June 2021, confirming that she'd been dealing with binge-eating disorder since 2019. "I suffer from binge-eating disorder, a disease in which I'm not only addicted to food, but I eat it in large quantities," she explained in the post's caption. "My binging, along with an increased appetite I experience from some of the meds I'm on, has caused me to gain almost 100 pounds in a little less than 2 years." Jazz went on to explain that she posted the photo not only to address the speculation but also to motivate herself to lose weight: "I'm ready to take the initiative and create positive changes when it comes to my health and body." Later in the post, she promised to share updates on the journey ahead. 

Even before Jazz fully opened up about her eating disorder, she shared glimpses into the signs that her eating habits were something more serious on "I Am Jazz." In a clip that was uploaded to YouTube in 2020, Jeanette Jennings confirmed that she was helping her daughter make healthy eating choices for her well-being, not her appearance: "You still binge every now and then," Jeanette said, later telling the camera, "I honestly think that Jazz will never 100% fully get rid of the binge eating, and I'm really worried about her."

In another clip from 2020, Jeanette talked about Jazz's habits around food, particularly going to efforts to obtain food and then hiding and hoarding it, which are both common behaviors associated with binge-eating disorder. Those who experience binge-eating disorder are also likely to eat in response to emotional triggers, such as stress, which Jazz admitted to in another 2020 video: "I use food as a way to escape reality and just not be concerned about the things I have to be concerned about."

Weight loss can be daunting no matter what stage you're at, but Jazz Jennings approached her goal by simply putting one foot in front of the other. Figuratively, she committed to losing the weight slowly and healthily over a longer period of time rather than trying to shed it all in a few months in a way that wasn't manageable — say, with a crash diet, which is never a good idea. But literally, she also incorporated exercise into her regimen and shared peeks into this new part of her life with her fans. 

In March 2022, she posted to Instagram to let her followers know that she was undergoing "boot camp" with her brother, Sander Jennings, which included jumping jacks, planks, and wall sits (aka some of the best quick and easy at-home workouts). That month, she also revealed that she'd taken up lacrosse with Harvard's club (she'd been accepted into the Ivy League school but deferred to focus on her health). That summer, she shared another post in front of a tennis court, which she appropriately captioned, "One step at a time," as well as another post in which she said she "[w]orked out twice today!!!"

Between 2022 and 2024, Jazz continued sharing videos of her exercise journey — for example, showing herself making improvements with running and jogging. By the start of 2024, Jazz posted an update to let fans know that all the hard work was paying off: "70 pounds down! Feeling happier and healthier than I've been in years. I still have a ways to go, but I'm so proud to finally be taking the necessary steps toward bettering my mind, body, and spirit."

By summer 2024, Jazz Jennings took to Instagram to share an amazing milestone with her followers: She'd lost nearly 100 pounds. "I'm so proud of my progress and want to thank my family, friends and all who supported me in getting there!" she wrote in the caption. "Good health is not a certificate you display, it is a constant effort!" Though she'd already made so much progress, Jazz added that she still had "room for improvement" and she wanted to "keep it going!"

While she had been incredibly open about the exercise part of her weight-loss journey, she wasn't as quick to share the details of the diet that had helped her to shed the weight. It's possible that her focus was on exercise rather than eating, but it may also be that she simply chose not to disclose her eating plan. In a clip from "I Am Jazz" posted to YouTube in 2022, Jazz can be seen grocery shopping and calling her mom, Jeanette Jennings, for support and guidance as she attempted to make healthy choices. In the footage, Jazz revealed that facing unhealthy food is a "psychological battle" and that she finds it harder to resist her favorite foods than to add healthy foods to her diet. Hazelnut spread, peanut butter, potato chips, and chocolate syrup were among her favorites, while Jeanette advised her to look for protein, fruit, and veggies instead. Before adding food to her cart, Jazz checked the calorie content, so it's possible that counting calories may have been part of her weight-loss strategy.

One of the trickiest parts of any health journey is maintaining a sense of balance. With weight loss, in particular, it can be hard to avoid tipping the other way and veering toward toxic diet culture, which can harm our body image through various tactics. However, one of the most admirable parts of Jazz Jennings' journey is that she still seems to maintain a healthy sense of body image. In June 2024, as she was nearing her 100-pound milestone, she shared a series of posts on Instagram to confirm that her weight loss didn't mean she was buying into an unhealthy or harmful mindset.

"Every body is beautiful," she wrote in the caption of one such post. "To look at someone's body and say 'this is not beautiful' is a reflection of social conditioning. You weren't born saying that some bodies are not attractive. You were taught it. We all were. To distinguish one body as being 'better' is a societal construct of beauty standards." After emphasizing her belief that all bodies are beautiful, she added, "Let's always respect each other, our bodies, and the autonomy we have when it comes to how we care for ourselves." Earlier that month, she posted a photo of herself in a dress that made her "feel like a goddess" and confirmed that happiness overrides aesthetics: "I am so proud of my weight loss, and I feel my confidence radiates through."

As early as 2020, Jazz made it clear that she separates body image from health. In the same clip from "I Am Jazz" where Jeanette Jennings confessed her fears about Jazz's binge eating, Jazz shared, "I'm done caring about image. I'm beautiful no matter what size I am. But in terms of my healthy, I'm not always healthy."

Jazz Jennings may not have gone into detail about the eating plan that helped her lose weight, but she has been extremely open about the secret weapon that helped her stay on track: support from her loved ones. This was already clear to anyone who watches "I Am Jazz," as her parents, Jeanette and Greg Jennings, are constantly by her side to back her up with her healthy-eating goals, as well as every other struggle that life throws at her. In her original 2021 declaration of her intention to lose the weight on Instagram, Jazz noted that her family and friends were part of the "fabulous team supporting [her]."

In addition to guiding Jazz on what groceries to buy, her parents helped hold her accountable. "Part of the reason why I went to the grocery store is because Mom and Dad want to see me be more independent," she told her brother, Sander Jennings, in an episode of "I Am Jazz" from January 2022. "I do hold myself accountable, but they just want to see certain things from me." 

Furthermore, Jazz shouted out her father in a 2024 Instagram post that showed the pair running together, noting that he is "so supportive and empathetic." Jazz's siblings have also been there for her along her journey, which she made clear in a 2021 post that showed her with brothers Sander and Griffen and sister Ari Shay in front of a ball court. "Pickle ball with the siblings," Jazz captioned the post. "Playing sports is one of my favorite ways of working out, and I'm lucky to have teammates who I can play with!" She also exercised with friends, as a clip from the show posted to YouTube in 2021 revealed, with Jazz gushing to the camera: "It means so much to me that my friends are here by my side supporting me to lose this weight."

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).