When it comes to celebrities losing weight, Josh Peck’s weight loss stands out as one of the most inspiring and genuinely motivating stories to come out of Hollywood. Not only was he able to overcome childhood obesity, but he was also able to do it in a safe and effective way that lead to him leading a healthier lifestyle and diet.
So what’s Josh Peck’s weight loss secret? Simple: he adopted a healthy diet that focused on whole foods and calorie restrictions while working with a personal trainer to ensure he got in a regular and proper workout.
That’s it. No magic pills, no crash diets, no drugs, just simple motivation, and sheer self-discipline. Of course, it came with a price: when he started working as an actor, he was cast specifically because his overweight stature made for a good foil for Drake Bell’s character in Drake and Josh. Once he started losing weight, a lot of studios started shelving him, wrongfully believing that he would only be good at playing overweight characters.
Josh, of course, proved them wrong.
Childhood Obesity in the Country
As a child, Josh suffered from obesity; on one hand, it did land him his biggest role as Josh Nichols in the Nickelodeon hit show Drake and Josh. Josh is one of the lucky ones, however, as his child actor status allowed him to afford a personal trainer and nutritionist to help him shed the excess weight later on.
Many in our country, however, are not so lucky.
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious, not to mention widespread, health problems in the United States, with more than 13.7 million children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years old being affected by it. Obesity, as defined by the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, is a state of the body wherein a person’s body mass index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile of the sex-specific BMI-for-age growth chart.
Josh Peck’s Weight Loss Journey
Once he became well-known for his role in a hit TV show, Josh Peck decided to use his newfound fame and influence for good by showing kids his age that, despite their condition, it’s possible to lose weight and be healthy.
In 2016, Josh decided to undergo a weight loss journey that eschewed traditional ‘short cuts’ like surgery, crash diets, or shady diet pills; instead, he opted for long-term lifestyle changes that positively affected his health.
Josh’s weight loss journey started in 2016, where he hit the gym, stopped smoking, and adopted a diet that’s light on fat, heavy on the leafy greens, and focused on getting as many nutrients as possible into his body in a natural way.
He’s been famously tight-lipped about his exact diet and exercise plan, but he does say that it involves a personal trainer, a nutritionist, and regular workouts at the gym. He describes his diet as being low in fat and sugar, as well as being calorie-restricted. He coupled this with a workout regimen that combined heavy cardio to burn fat and moderate weight lifting to build up his muscle strength.
And it worked; in less than a year, Josh lost over 110lbs. The media had a field day, with many news outlets coming up with various theories and ideas as to how Josh Peck’s weight loss became possible. But alas, the truth was far less boring (but a lot more effective): it really was just healthy eating, physical activity, and being mindful about his lifestyle choices.
What Made Josh Peck’s Weight Loss So Effective?
Although Josh never fully revealed his effective diet and exercise plan, there are a few critical and observable factors that made it successful and something that regular people could adopt:
- Long-term lifestyle changes like quitting cigarettes, cutting back on alcohol consumption, etc.
- Created healthy eating patterns revolving around a well-balanced and nutritious diet
- Worked closely with a fitness trainer to consistently hit his fitness goals
- An iron-clad desire to become healthier and better
For people who undergo sudden and rapid weight loss, loose and saggy skin becomes a health issue, with some people even needing corrective surgery to tighten the skin. But despite Josh Peck’s weight loss being rapid (having shed 110lbs. in less than a year), because he lost it through diet and exercise, skin distortion did not become a problem. It also helped that he lost the weight at a relatively early age when his skin still retained its elastic features.
Other than ceasing to be obese, Josh Peck credits weight loss as being a crucial factor in helping him manage his chronic asthma. Because of his regular workout regimen, he’s been able to push himself past his previous limits and has been experiencing asthma attacks much less frequently.
The Most Important Factor in Losing Weight
Although working with a professional trainer and nutritionist certainly helped a lot, Josh Peck’s weight loss would not have been possible without one important factor: motivation. In a Reddit AMA, Josh answered some questions from fans, and had this to say about being motivated:
“I would just say to not be too hard on yourself and just stay motivated and moderation is always the key, and to do it because it will make you happy. It will all come in time. Rushing anything is usually a recipe for disaster.”
