The more immediate warning came when ordinary physical activity began to feel unusually difficult. Batalon said he could barely climb stairs without becoming short of breath.
Seeing himself without a shirt then forced him to recognise how much his health had changed.
“I felt like I could barely walk up stairs without being out of breath and this one day I kind of just saw myself without a shirt on and it was just ridiculous,” he said. “I could not believe I let myself get this far. That’s what sort of started it all.”
Rather than pursuing a rapid cosmetic fix, Batalon hired a trainer and spent much of 2020 overhauling his routine. He eventually lost 112 pounds.
His routine combined weight training and cardio
Batalon’s transformation was built around a substantial training schedule. He said he worked out about six days a week, with sessions typically lasting around 90 minutes.
Approximately one hour was devoted to lifting weights, followed by 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. It was a disciplined commitment, although mercifully one that did not require web-slinging across Manhattan.
The timing gave the actor an unusual source of purpose during a period dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While acknowledging the hardship experienced by others, Batalon said improving his health offered him something positive during a difficult year.
“I found a lot of light in the dark in the sense that a lot of people were suffering and I was fortunate and lucky enough to have found my health and all those things,” he said.
His account also points to a less dramatic but more practical lesson: the change involved sustained habits rather than a single punishing workout. Regular resistance training and cardio became part of a broader shift in how he approached his wellbeing.
A plant-based diet became part of the transformation
Exercise was only one part of Batalon’s weight loss. He also adopted a plant-based diet after encouragement from his girlfriend, and said he noticed a clear difference in how his body felt.
“Recently, my girlfriend has actually gotten me into a plant-based diet, as well, and that’s really helped my body and I can feel the difference between eating a lot of meat and eating plant-based stuff and that’s really helped me, as well,” he said.
Plant-based eating can take several forms, ranging from diets that eliminate animal products entirely to those that simply place vegetables, fruit, grains, pulses and other plant foods at the centre of meals.
In Batalon’s case, the dietary change supported an already intensive exercise programme. His comments did not suggest that one particular food or restriction produced the result on its own.
The change was about energy, not a superhero physique
Batalon’s role as Ned Leeds made him familiar to millions of viewers through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Spider-Man: No Way Home. His health journey, however, began with concerns far removed from the appearance-driven transformations often associated with major film franchises.
He spoke instead about exhaustion, breathlessness and the uncomfortable realisation that his daily habits were affecting ordinary life. Losing weight became one visible outcome of addressing those problems, rather than the only measure of progress.
The scale of the change was considerable, but Batalon’s explanation remained straightforward: he recognised that he felt unwell, sought professional help and rebuilt his routine around consistent training and different food choices.
For an actor working in a cinematic world filled with instant transformations, his own required something rather less magical: most of 2020, six gym sessions a week and the patience to keep returning.
