Fat Joe Says Weight Loss Is 'All About Education'

If Fat Joe can lose weight, anyone can. That's the message the Terror Squad rapper wants to send to all of his fans.

There was a time when Joey Crack weighed as much as 430 pounds, but after employing a regiment of heavy dieting and exercise, the rotund rapper has been steadily dropping weight for over a year. Now, he is down to 263 pounds, he said, and his lifestyle change has already inspired others.

"I was at a party New Year's Eve and, no lie, at least 10 different people came up to me. One guy was like, 'I lost 30 pounds because of you,' " Fat Joe told last week. "So people just coming up to me, I don't know these people — random people. And if Fat Joe lost that weight and I was 'Juan,' I'd lose that weight [too]."

Joe has provided a ton of inspiration, just as he was inspired by another. "I used to watch Oprah Winfrey, and whenever she used to lose weight, I used to be like, 'How's she losing it? What is she doing?' " he said. "But it's all about education and knowledge, feeding yourself and knowing that too much carbs is what gets us fat."

The rapper is urging anyone that wants to lose weight to exercise more and put down high-carb foods like rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. "The more we can lay off of that, the more healthier we'll be. And when we do eat it, let's eat it in smaller [portions]," he encouraged. "The 'hood don't really wanna hear it, but you need brown rice, you need wheat bread, stuff like that."

Now the "Lean Back" rapper has become an unofficial spokesman for health in hip-hop. On January 23, he will perform at a concert in New Jersey that celebrates winners from Let's Move! Newark: Our Power, a program designed to fight childhood obesity.

What do you think of Fat Joe's weight loss? Let us know in the comments!