Director Kevin Smith 'ecstatic' after dramatic weight loss

Actor and director Kevin Smith has said he is "ecstatic to have reached this chunky milestone" after losing over 50 lbs following a heart attack last February.

The 48-year-old director of Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob, and Dogma took to Instagram to celebrate his achievement.

"This @weightwatchers Ambassador is thrilled to announce that I'VE LOST 51 POUNDS!" he wrote. "Six months ago from right now I was in the hospital recovering from a heart attack I'd had the night before.

"When I went to my Doctor a week later, she told me, 'The best thing you can do for yourself now is to lose 50 pounds'. Half a year later, I can report that I followed Doctor's orders: I started at 256 and now I weigh 205.

"This is the lightest I've been since high school! My hope now is I can slowly lose another 10 with #weightwatchers and get down to my birth weight of 195! But for now, I'm ecstatic to have reached this chunky milestone!"

Smith praised magician Penn Jillette's book, Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear, for helping him to shed the pounds. He also gave a shout-out to his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, for helping him to eat more vegetables. 

He added: "But mostly, I wanna thank all of you as well - for the kind and encouraging words along the way. Never underestimate the power of positive feedback: you folks telling me I looked better or healthier helped me stick with it."

Last February, Smith checked into hospital after he suffered a heart attack after the first of two planned shows in Glendale, California. "If I hadn't cancelled show two to go to the hospital, I would've died tonight," he said at the time. "But for now, I'm still above ground!"

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