Legendary extreme metal drummer Gene “The Atomic Clock” Hoglan has opened up about his incredible, nearly 200-pound weight loss, a journey he says was sparked by an ultimatum from his wife and a doctor’s warning that he was close to needing insulin for diabetes. In a brutally honest new interview, Hoglan confessed that while other vices were “easy to give up,” “food has always been my d**g.”
Speaking with MetalMasterKingdom.com, the drummer, known for his work with Dark Angel, Death, and Dethklok, recounted the 2009 wake-up call that forced him to change his life. After returning from a tour in South America, his doctor delivered a stark warning.
“They had said, ‘Hey, man, we’re looking at your numbers. And we’re just telling you right now, if you don’t kind of get some things together here, you’re gonna have to start jabbing insulin pretty soon.’ ‘Cause I was diabetic at the time,” Hoglan revealed (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
He took the news home to his then-girlfriend, now-wife and Dark Angel bandmate, Laura Christine, who immediately took charge.
“She was, like, ‘All right, I’ve been patient with you for the last couple of years here, but now you are not gonna start jabbing. I’m gonna put you on a plan of nutrition,'” he recalled. “She was saying, ‘I’ve been patient with you, but now I’m gonna put you on this plan. You’re gonna follow what I tell you to do. And within three to six months, you’re gonna not have diabetes and you’re gonna lose a lot of weight as well.'”
The plan worked. Hoglan confirmed that he “got rid of diabetes and proceeded to lose a lot of weight.” At his heaviest, he weighed “410 pounds,” and at his smallest, he got down to “224 pounds.”
Hoglan was candid about the ongoing struggle, especially with the temptations of life on the road. He confessed that his biggest battle has always been with food.
“Alcohol, sure, I drank for a little bit. I smoked a little p*t for a while, I smoked cigarettes for a while. All of those were easy to give up. Food has always been my d**g. So, that’s my Achilles heel,” he admitted. He credits his wife for helping him stay on track. “So having Laura around making those good decisions for us… She’s gotta be the whip-cracker, and she’s really good at it.”
