John Fuda Opens Up About His 50-Lb. Weight Loss — and Why He Turned to Medication for Help (Exclusive)

John Fuda is looking a lot brighter these days and he’s letting PEOPLE in on all his secrets!

The The Real Housewives of New Jersey star underwent a major body transformation, losing 50 pounds. in the past 14 months thanks to the liposuction procedure as well as peptide and hormone replacement therapy.

“As a man, a lot of times you forget about yourself,” he says. “You’re constantly worrying about your family, you’re often putting yourself last. You lose focus. For me, life took over and it got to a point where I realized I’d let myself go and I had to do something to get a handle on it.”

“Men don’t talk about it enough,” adds the 37-year-old businessman and entrepreneur. “I’m not sure why there’s such a stigma around taking care of your body, but I’m happy to be a voice for a lot of men who don’t say it, because it’s so important for you mentally and physically.”

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John Fuda 2022 in ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’.

Bravo

John — who has son Jaiden, 17, and daughters Gianella, 3, and Guiliana, 2, with wife Rachel Fuda, 32 — tells PEOPLE that he used to hit the gym regularly, but gave up the habit during COVID.

“We were building a house and between that, work and children, I felt a lot of stress as a service provider,” he says. “And that stress, I was turning it into fat. We’d go out to eat, and the kids would order the trash to be found, and I’d just eat it. Most fathers do that, don’t they? And before I knew it, I weighed 230 pounds.”

Wanting a change of direction, John decided to undergo liposuction with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Ingargiola in December 2022, before RHONJ season 13 reunion Although he was happy with the results, he admits he didn’t feel “healthier.”

“He was thinner, yes — I was down to about 195 pounds — but I didn’t feel like anything else had changed,” John tells PEOPLE. “It was kind of a start, but just a Band-Aid. What I wanted to focus on was more of my holistic health.”

John Fuda and wife Rachel Fuda at the ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Season 13 Premiere Party on February 7, 2023.

Manny Carabel/Getty Images

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That’s what led John to Jamie Gabel PA-C, a certified physician assistant and clinical director of Advitam at the Shafer Clinic in New York. Gabel specializes in helping patients build wellness programs of injectable peptides and hormones, tailored to their needs. He has previously worked with Bravo stars including Margaret Josephs of RHONJ.

“One of the things I could tell about John was that he was committed to not only changing the appearance of his body, but also his metabolism,” Gabel tells PEOPLE. “Nowadays, it is very common to use many modalities to do this. Surgical interventions, such as liposuction, help to start the process – especially when there is a significant amount of weight at the starting point – but there is a maximum amount of fat that can be removed at once. Therefore, we adapted the metabolic optimization program for John that would recalibrate his cellular pathways and optimize his metabolism.”

John Fuda shows off his weight loss to PEOPLE.

Courtesy of John Fud

For John, this meant a combination of peptides and testosterone.

I know it’s like, ‘Who wants to be a man and say you’re on testosterone?’ but I have no problem saying that,” says John. “Men’s testosterone levels drop in their 30s. And even though I’m only 32, my receptors weren’t where they should be. Replacing that – and adding peptides, which give me all the hormones I need – made a huge difference.”

He also used Semiglutide — a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that signals the pancreas to increase insulin production, making the body more efficient at processing sugar. Commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, it has become popular in recent months as a weight-loss drug and is often sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus.

“I started taking the shots in July 2023 and I feel great,” John tells PEOPLE. “I have more energy, I feel more mobile, more agile. And I managed to get back into a routine, which is probably the hardest thing.”

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John Fuda shows off his weight loss to PEOPLE.

Courtesy of John Fud

That routine included a combination of diet and exercise.

“A lot of people think the injections do all the work, but they’re only part of the battle,” Gabel says. “John was encouraged to start intermittent fasting, which has huge cellular benefits, to stay consistent with his exercise program and follow a customized program that included balancing his hormones and using peptides to target specific cellular pathways. The idea was to reprogram his body to work your work optimally and avoid back effects.”

John saw results, dropping to 180 lbs.

“Everyone’s body is different, but this really worked for me,” says John. “And it’s not just the drug, it’s what you do while you’re on the drug. I’ve started eating clean carbs, like brown rice, and I’ve increased salad, vegetables and protein. I’ve been exercising more. drinking less, because I’ve found that when you’re on medication you want to drink so much. So that’s changed a lot. But everything is firing on all cylinders.”

John Fuda and Rachel Fuda attend the Prime Video screening of ‘Upgraded’ in New York City at iPic Fulton Market on February 7, 2024.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

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Gable is equally pleased with the results. “Through the process, John lost a significant amount of fat, reduced visceral fat, reduced body fat percentage and built muscle,” he says. “Not only does it look healthier, but it also feels healthier.”

CPA stresses to PEOPLE that those looking to try a program like the one offered by Advitam do their homework and talk to a certified professional. “This is not a one-size-fits-all model,” notes Gable. “You have to do what’s good for your body.”

Clearly what John did was right for his body. “It’s almost like a miracle,” he says. – I feel like I’m 22, 23 years old.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey can be streamed on Peacock.

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Source: HIS Education