AJ McLean feels 'so much better' mentally since losing weight

AJ McLean feels "so much better" mentally since losing weight.

The Backstreet Boys star, 44, managed to lose a total 27lbs after embarking on a health kick earlier this year and admitted that the lifestyle change has improved his mental health.

He said: "I was doing a TV show in South Africa this past February. So between February and now, I've lost 27 lbs. And once you get into a routine, and you start to see results and you start to feel better, you sleep better, your mental state of mind is so much better, your focus is better. You just want to keep that up. You don't want to go backwards."

The 'Everybody' hitmaker - who has been married to Rochelle Karidis since 2011 and has children Ava, nine, and five-year-old Lyric with her - is currently on a worldwide reunion tour with bandmates Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell and admitted that playing outdoor venues in the summer heat has helped keep the pounds as likened the agility needed to be a pop star on the road to that of an athlete.

He told PEOPLE:" The summer tour helped because the first half was outdoors, and it was playing at 115 degrees. It's like 90 percent humidity. So we're just shedding the weight without even doing anything. People don't realize ... I'm not saying we're Michael Jordan or we're Tom Brady, but we are like athletes. What we put our bodies through is… very much what athletes go through during a season, or during a preseason. And on top of that, we're singing."

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