Hulk Hogan Drops 40 Pounds After Giving Up Alcohol

It's the empty calories, brother!

Hulk Hogan has dropped 40 pounds during his recent weight loss journey. And he credits his progress to one simple lifestyle change: giving up alcohol.

"It changed everything," Hogan said. "I wasn't eating late at night, I wasn't eating junk food anymore. I dropped like 40 pounds right away."

Hogan told "TMZ Live" he decided to get serious about his fitness last New Year's Eve — when he "got sick and tired of being sick and tired of myself."

The WWE superstar said he was originally just taking a break from booze. But eight months later, he's feeling better than ever — even after dozens of surgeries to repair the joints he abused throughout his wrestling career.

"It got to be a way to numb me a little bit, because I had a bunch of crazy business problems and personal stuff going on," he told Men's Health earlier this summer. "And I caught myself after I would train, getting too aggressive with alcohol. So I just had to stop it."

Hulk Hogan Ditches The Booze

And the problem wasn't just the alcohol itself. The 70-year-old said his drinking often led to binge eating. And those bad habits took a toll on his health, his joints and his energy.

Hulk needs that energy now to keep up with his new 45-year-old fiancée, Sky Daily.

He proposed to Daily — a yoga instructor — in July after just over a year of dating. Now, Hogan says he's never been happier.

As far as the drinking goes, Hogan says he might have a social cocktail or two in the future. But he won't let it get out of control.

"I would never drink daily, you know, like I did when I was wrestling," he said

Two months ago, Hulk opened up about his drinking habits during his wrestling career. He said he would consume a pre-match meal of "three Miller Lites and two Tylenols" and a post-match meal of "probably 12 Miller Lites."

Sure, Hulk Hogan is a legend in the ring. But it turns out the real champion is his liver.