Fat Joe Says He ‘Cut Carbs’ and Uses Ozempic to Maintain 200-Lb. Weight Loss

The rapper — who at his heaviest was 470 lbs. — said he watches his portions, thanks to a little help from Ozempic

<p>Gregory Bojorquez/Getty; Prince Williams/FilmMagic</p> Fat Joe (left) in 2001; (right) in 2024.

Gregory Bojorquez/Getty; Prince Williams/FilmMagic

Fat Joe (left) in 2001; (right) in 2024.

Fat Joe says the secret to keeping the weight off has been changing his diet — and getting a little help from Ozempic.

“We just try to eat everything with the least carbs as possible…so we try to stay away from the bread, the pasta, the rice. That’s the smartest way to eat,” the “Lean Back” rapper, who at his heaviest weighed 470 lbs., told Us Weekly.

Fat Joe, 54, credited Ozempic with helping him control his cravings, quipping, “Ozempic says you may only have two pieces of your favorite stuff.”

Ozempic is an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes. It’s the well-known brand name — along with Wegovy — for semaglutide, which works in the brain to impact satiety, and has become a trendy weight loss tool.

<p>Mario Tama/Getty</p> Stock image of Ozempic, the well-known brand name for semaglutide.

Mario Tama/Getty

Stock image of Ozempic, the well-known brand name for semaglutide.

Related: Fat Joe Pushes for Healthcare Price Transparency in New Power to the Patients PSA

Fat Joe shared that he still eats carbs, telling the outlet, “This morning I ate breakfast, I had this toast. I cut the corner off, ate it and kept it moving,” he said. “Normally I would’ve ate the whole thing. But you know, that’s what we do. We cut carbs and try to be smarter.”

The rapper previously told Men’s Health  that he began his weight loss journey after his close friend and frequent collaborator, Big Pun, died at age 28 from a heart attack in 2000.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“I went to his funeral and I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge,” Fat Joe (real name: Joseph Antonio Cartagena) said. “And I’m looking at his little daughter. She was the same age as my daughter. I said, ‘You gotta lose weight; otherwise you outta here.' "

<p>Taylor Hill/Getty</p> Fat Joe at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2024.

Taylor Hill/Getty

Fat Joe at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2024.

Related: Fat Joe Says He's Lied in '95 Percent' of His Songs: 'I'm a Family Man'

But although he’s 200 lbs. lighter, Fat Joe said he doesn’t plan on dropping the “Fat” from his stage name.

“My wife would kill me. She likes me being a big boy,” he said of his wife, Lorena Cartagena, whom he married in 1995.

“She hallucinates like I’m still that big boy," he said. "She loves that.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.