Dave Bautista's Weight-Loss Journey

Dave Bautista wowed fans with his sizable frame during his time as a professional wrestler, and he used his physique to his advantage after beginning a second career as an actor.

However, he shocked the public when he revealed he'd shed an impressive 75 pounds in an effort to make further strides in the entertainment industry.

We're going to take a look at the weight fluctuations that the "Guardians Of The Galaxy" star has experienced throughout his career -- and why he feels it's pushing him forward.

While Bautista's looking much slimmer these days, he hasn't always been that way, especially during his younger years.

The actor opened up about his history with his body size in an interview with content creator Chris Van Vliet, where he revealed that "the heaviest I've ever been was 370 pounds."

Bautista went on to state he had dropped much of his size before entering the WWE, and claimed he weighed a much more reasonable 290 pounds for "most of my wrestling career."

The weight loss didn't appear to affect him in the ring, however, as he became a WWE champion several times over, and won the top prize in various events, including the wrestling promotion's Royal Rumble.

The performer's size made him a prime choice for casting agents, and he went on to portray imposing characters in movies like "Spectre" and "Blade Runner 2049."

Although Bautista's imposing physique made him a favorite with fans, he also recalled reaching a point where he began to feel "uncomfortably big."

The actor recalled gaining weight for his role in the 2023 film "Knock At The Cabin," in which he portrayed the imposing leader of a group of apocalypse-obsessed individuals.

Bautista claimed that he went up to 315 pounds before working on the movie, and he recalled eating excessive amounts of pancakes and fries in order to put on the pounds.

The performer said he was solely dedicated to looking intimidating on screen, and recalled "at the time, I was just thinking, 'I gotta get big, I gotta get big!'"

He added it took him "forever" to drop the pounds following the end of shooting.

Bautista eventually began to feel that a drop in weight would be the right choice for his career -- and his health.

He told Van Vliet he came to realize he would be more photogenic at a lower weight, stating the "more I trimmed down, the better I looked on camera, the better I looked next to other actors."

The performer went on to address the concerns of fans who were concerned about his drop in weight, and noted while certain individuals saw him as "anorexic," he was "just a large human being" ... regardless of his size.

Bautista also claimed he'd reached a much more svelte 240 pounds in the years since "Knock At The Cabin" was released.

He did state, however, that his naturally large frame still made him look imposing on screen, remarking that "at 6'4" and 240 pounds next to a much smaller actor, I look like a gorilla! And it's distracting!"

Bautista's also been open about how he's placed a priority on both working out and eating right -- both of which contributed to his drop in weight.

The actor claimed, as a result of maintaining a chiseled physique, "a lot of people think I’m just a meathead" during a video interview for Men's Health.

However, he told the media outlet he'd become much more focused on crafting well-rounded workouts that included considerable amounts of cardio.

Bautista remarked that, although much of his fanbase assumed he was a major fan of powerlifting, he would "rather be boxing or doing some type of interesting cardio like cycling."