Al Roker dishes on dieting, gastric bypass and his 150-lb weight loss

It has been over 10 years since Al Roker lost 150 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, but the "Today" show star says staying in shape is a constant battle.

"I'm an emotional eater," Roker, 58, told Today. "I'm a stress eater. I eat when I'm happy. I eat when I'm sad. I have a problem with food. The only way to fight that is to eat less and exercise more. That's the bottom line."

The 5-foot-8 Al, who slimmed down from 340 pounds to 190 pounds following his 2002 gastric-bypass procedure, regained 40 pounds five years ago when his mother was hospitalized.

Overcome with grief and stress, Roker once again turned to comfort foods and was unhappy when he gained weight.

“I went back [to being fat again],” Al recounts. “And I hated it. I know what I have to do now to keep that from happening again."

While Roker has been accused of taking the easy way out by getting weight-loss surgery, he confesses it had its drawbacks. Shortly after undergoing the procedure, Roker suffered an embarrassing gastrointestinal incident during a White House press conference.

"I probably went off and ate something I wasn't supposed to," he recalls. "And as I'm walking to the press room, [I'm thinking] well, I gotta pass a little gas here. I'm walking by myself. Who's gonna know? Only a little something extra came out. I pooped my pants. I threw out the underwear and went commando."

These days Roker keeps the excess pounds at bay by following a high-protein, low-carb diet and exercising. His fitness regimen involves 30-minute, high-intensity “slow method” strength-training sessions three days a week. Roker also cycles and runs.

While Al 's weight still fluctuates (he gained three pounds over the Christmas holidays), he's healthier and happier than ever.

“I’m thrilled about where I am,” says Roker, who's married to TV journalist Deborah Roberts, 52.

“Life is terrific; I wouldn’t trade it for a moment. I’m thrilled that I’ve finally got to this place at 58 years old. I finally got it figured out. I feel good about it.”