'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Star Struggles to Curb Appetite, Lose Weight

Feb. 17, 2010— -- Even if you don't know his name, you might remember comedian Jeff Garlin as the overweight co-star in the movie "Daddy Day Care," or recognize him as the voice of the rotund captain of the axiom spaceship in "WALL-E."

But it's on the hit HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" where Garlin is best-known. His character Jeff Greene struggles with marital problems and his weight. His wife, Susie, is almost uncomfortably direct, calling him a "fat f***" in their screaming matches.

"People ask me if it bothers me, 'I'm like, why would it bother me, we have a good time," Garlin said of his on-screen nickname. "If I don't want to be called that anymore, all I have to do is lose some weight, like, that's all I have to do."

If only it were that simple.

Garlin has penned a new memoir, "My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World," which gives a funny and honest account of his lifetime struggle to lose weight. Like many overweight people, first he had to admit he had a problem.

"I am a [food] addict, no doubt about it," he said.

Food addiction is a physical or mental craving for food -- not unlike addictions to alcohol or drugs -- according to experts. Food addicts' habits are often characterized by obsessive or emotional eating.

"You're doing it to, to push down feelings. That's really the reason why," Garlin said. "So, you can never get enough, it's just never enough."

To get a sense of his addiction, "20/20's" Elizabeth Vargas joined Garlin at one of his favorite places -- the Los Angeles farmer's market.

"I bet you I've spent over the years at least $500 to $1,000 on donuts here," he told Vargas.

At Coffee Corner, the haunt Garlin frequents for breakfast, the comedian used to order half a dozen items off the menu.

"I would get a big vanilla milkshake and two or three donuts," he said. "I'd get lox and bagel with cream cheese and eggs and onions and another bagel and a couple of apple juices."

CLICK HERE to see photos of Jeff Garlin battling weight loss through the years