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You may know Josh “The Fat Jewish” Ostrovsky for his trend-setting social media humor (he’s @TheFatJewish on Instagram, of course), his entrepreneurship or his television appearances, but he’s recently added another position to his impressive résumé: WW ambassador. He joined WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined) in July 2019, and has already seen a 55-pound weight loss, all while continuing to eat his favorite foods — rosé and lo mein included!
We interviewed the hilarious star about his experience with the new myWW program, his goals, tips and how WW has helped him stay on track during these unprecedented times. If that’s not intriguing enough, on top of that, we nabbed an exclusive discount so you too can hop on the WW train and save big!
Us Weekly exclusive: Save 50% on 2 months of WW Digital! Get matched with a myWW™ personalized plan and gain access to their award-winning app that can make losing weight easier**
How quickly did you start to see results? How much weight have you lost?
I lost 55 pounds in 10 months, and I’m a lazy muppet. If I can do this, YOU GOT THIS. Sorry for yelling, I got excited.
In a world of never-ending fad diets and products all over Instagram, why did you choose WW? Have you tried any other diets, and if so, what’s made WW different and more effective?
My mother-in-law has been on WW since 1980 and honestly, she looks FIRE. I’m not hitting on my mother-in-law but like, maybe I am? Every single day on Instagram I see an idiotic influencer (yes, I realize the irony of me calling someone that) hocking a new cleanse where all you do is drink corn smoothies and eat soil or whatever, but I’ve talked to an actual doctor, and they don’t work. WW has been around forever for a reason.
The app has some pretty amazing features to keep you on track and motivated and make the journey easy. What tool is your favorite?
I love the Connect part of the app (WW’s proprietary in-app social media channel/platform), people across the country are making some pretty amazing stuff. Shout out to Lydia the pinot grigio-chugging mother of three from Phoenix for the healthy cinnamon roll recipe with greek yogurt icing — they are absolute FIRE.
Us Weekly exclusive: Save 50% on 2 months of WW Digital! Get matched with a myWW™ personalized plan and gain access to their award-winning app that can make losing weight easier**
The app also has a barcode scanner to make tracking your food super easy (almost like a wedding registry!) — what’s the last thing you scanned?
Everything in the actual supermarket. I just walk around screaming “CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS ONLY HAS 4 POINTS?!” at my wife, it’s ridiculously fun (not for her).
What are your ultimate dream results? What changes does your wife see in you?
At some point I’m gonna have a child (SCARY, I KNOW) and I’d like to have a normal dad bod. I had a friend growing up whose dad was extremely overweight and he would sweat all the time and it scared me and I still talk about it to my therapist sometimes, 20 years later. Trying to avoid being that guy.
How do you feel myWW is personalized to you? How has that made it a winner?
The Connect groups are so fun, like I hang on a message board called WW BROS where it’s just guys taking shirtless selfies showing their results. The comments are all like “HELL YEAH DUDE.” It’s so funny to watch bros get really excited for each other’s bods. I have definitely made friends.
What is one indulgence or meal that people are shocked you still eat while continuing to lose weight?
Benihana. I go once a month, it’s my happy place. Fried rice, a man flipping a shrimp into the breast pocket of his shirt and you smell like the food for a month. I’ll never stop. Tell them it’s your birthday and you get an ice cream sundae, they don’t even ask for ID.
What’s one myth about WW that you’d like to bust?
That it’s dusty and outdated, that it’s a bunch of midwestern women at a meeting drinking coffee and weighing themselves. It’s cutting edge tech, you think queen Oprah would ever be a part of something dusty and outdated?
How has WW helped you during COVID-19?
I was trapped in my home for 3 months with deeeeep anxiety, all I wanted to do was eat bread, which calms me when I’m freaking out. Found healthy bread recipes on WW that were easy to make and tasted insanely good, like I could eat a whole loaf in one sitting. It kept me from emotionally unraveling, because bread is the f–king best.
What tips do you have for people just starting their WW journey?
You don’t need to exercise like a maniac, it’s all about the eating. I work out Jewish grandmother style, doing light jazzercise and pool aerobics like my name was Esther Greenbaum, but I changed my body dramatically by not eating cereal out of a salad bowl designed to feed five people.
Has Josh’s wellness journey convinced you yet? See what it’s all about with our Us Weekly exclusive discount: Save 50% on select 2-month plans! Try WW’s most personalized program ever, proven to make losing weight easier!**
**In a six-month pre-post study conducted by Patrick O’Neil, PhD, and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Weight Management Center, 88% of participants reported that myWW is an easier way to lose weight compared with when they tried to lose weight on their own.
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