You probably remember Steve Howey as the lovable, slightly dim-witted Van Montgomery on Reba. Or maybe you know him better as Kevin Ball, the massive, kind-hearted bartender on Shameless. For years, he was just "the big guy." He had the height, the presence, and—honestly—a lot of extra weight that he just carried around as part of his "funny guy" persona.
Then things changed.
The Steve Howey weight loss journey didn't happen because he wanted to look like a superhero for a movie trailer, though he eventually did. It started because his body was literally breaking down under the pressure.
Why Steve Howey Weight Loss Became a Life-or-Death Priority
Most people think actors lose weight because their agents tell them to. For Howey, it was a lot more visceral. During the early seasons of Shameless, he actually compressed a vertebrae. If you've ever dealt with back pain, you know it's not just "sore." He couldn't stand up. He couldn't walk.
He realized that if he didn't change, his bones were going to collapse.
It’s a weird trap for comedic actors. Howey once admitted in an interview with Men’s Journal that he used to justify being overweight because he thought it made him funnier. There’s this unspoken rule in comedy: don't look like you care too much about your looks. But as he put it, "Who gives a sh*t about how funny you are if you’re dying?"
The "Boring" Diet That Actually Worked
When we talk about celebrity diets, we usually expect some weird juice cleanse or a $500-a-day chef. Howey went the opposite direction. He went boring.
He basically lived on chicken and broccoli.
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That sounds miserable, right? But he found that for his body—and specifically for his blood type—it worked. He started using a blood type diet app to figure out what was causing inflammation. Turns out, things he loved, like coffee and coconut oil, were actually messing with his system.
He didn't do "cheat meals." He’s pretty vocal about that. He treats food like fuel, and when he wanted flavor, he just drowned everything in hot sauce.
- The No-Go List: Alcohol (he quit entirely), processed sugar, and "chemicals."
- The Staples: Lean protein, massive amounts of water, and vegetables.
Cutting out the booze was probably the biggest game-changer. He noticed his energy levels spiked and he was way more "present" for his kids. No more waking up grumpy and sluggish.
Training Like a Professional Athlete
If you saw him in the later seasons of Shameless or his recent work in True Lies and Brilliant Minds, you noticed he’s not just "thin." He’s shredded.
Howey doesn't go to the gym for 45 minutes and call it a day. For him, 40 minutes is just the warmup. His actual sessions can last two to three hours.
One of his most famous (and brutal) routines involves a 45-pound weight plate. He’ll carry it through his entire workout. He does "around-the-worlds" (circling the plate over his head), squat presses, and lunges, all while never putting that plate down. It’s meant to mimic the kind of functional strength you’d need in a wrestling match or a high-intensity sport.
He also got into Muay Thai and running marathons. Around Season 10 of Shameless, fans actually got worried because he looked so lean. He was training for a triathlon at the time. He’s gone from a guy who couldn't walk due to back pain to a guy who runs 26.2 miles for fun.
The Mental Shift: It’s Not About the Abs
Honestly, the most interesting part of the Steve Howey weight loss story isn't the six-pack. It’s the head game.
He’s talked about how the gym became his "therapy away from therapy." When life got heavy—especially through a high-profile divorce and the stress of a long-running show—he used the gym to exhaust himself. He wanted to get to a point where his brain would just shut up and stop thinking.
He also started meditating. That’s a big shift for a guy who used to be all about "burgers and beers."
He’s 48 now. He knows he can’t train exactly like he did at 25. He’s had his share of injuries, including a snapped Achilles tendon that had to be written into the show. He’s learned that "body in motion stays in motion," but you have to be smart about it.
Lessons You Can Actually Use
If you’re looking at Steve Howey and thinking, "I want those results," you have to look at the discipline, not just the exercises.
- Stop the drinking. Even if it’s just for a month. The mental clarity and "waistline pop" Howey experienced came directly from ditching the booze.
- Find your "boring" staples. You don't need a different recipe every night. Find three healthy meals you actually like and make them your default.
- Warm up longer than you think. If you’re over 35, jumping straight into heavy weights is a recipe for a hospital visit. Take 20 minutes to get the blood flowing.
- Movement as medicine. On days when he feels like garbage, Howey just walks on a treadmill. Usually, 10 minutes in, the "second wind" hits, and he’s ready to go.
The takeaway here isn't that you need to spend three hours in the gym. Most of us don't have that kind of time. But the Steve Howey weight loss proves that aging doesn't have to mean breaking down. It’s about choosing health over the "funny fat guy" trope and being consistent enough that your body has no choice but to change.