Joey Fatone has worn a lot of shiny shoes in his career. He saw astronomic success as part of the boy band n’Sync and now continues to entertain with gigs as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and a judge on youtube’s “D-Trix Presents Dance Showdown”. We spoke on Friday September 28th about his DWTS experience and unfortunately, right before publishing this feature – he was voted off DWTS on October 2nd. Brutal. Joey’s stress-level seemed pretty darn high due to the competition though, so maybe he’s a little relieved to be done. We spoke about dancing, but we spent even more time talking about fitness and his major weight loss. Read on to find out how this dancing fiend lost 30 pounds and how much more he intends to lose.
Fitz: How’s was the first week on DWTS?
Joey: Ugh. Thank goodness! I feel so relieved it’s over, but then again I’ve got to get back up and go!
Fitz: Have you been nervous?
Joey: You know – before the first performance, I didn’t know what the hell to feel. But I definitely felt nervous during the results show.
Fitz: Where do you feel stress?
Joey: In my stomach! It makes me feel like I’m going to throw up. Just the whole thing is very nerve-wracking.
Fitz: Isn’t that crazy, because you’ve performed on the biggest stages in the world?
Joey: Yes, but this is different, because you’re getting kicked off! It just doesn’t feel right. We’re having so much fun though. Everyone’s done it before, so we not having that “deer in headlights” experience. We kind of know what to expect. I’d love to win it. There are like, six other people on the show who have already won, so I feel like saying “give someone else a chance”!
Fitz: You’ve lost a ton of weight this year. Tell us about that.
Joey: DWTS is such a full-blown cardio workout, and what’s nice is that I’m never thinking about burning calories or doing cardio – I’m just focused on learning and doing. I’m also not eating full-blown crap like I used to. That helps a lot. My body is sore, my back is really sore. But we need to just suck it up and get back to work.
Fitz: How much have you lost so far?
Joey: In January, I was 260 pounds and I’m now down to at least 228. I feel so much better, it’s amazing what weight loss can do! Even losing 10 pounds can make a huge difference.
Fitz: What weight do you think you’d be happiest at?
Joey: 200! I’m tall (six feet), so I would want to be much less than that. I’m a big dude.
Fitz: A lot is made about the female celebrities losing weight on the show (Kirstie Alley, Bristol Pailin, Ricky Lake), and they serve as tremendous inspiration for the masses. What advice do you have for regular guys trying to drop weight?
Joey: You know – don’t be embarrassed to take a dance class. If you’ve got even a little rhythm, don’t be afraid to give it a try – especially if you don’t like traditional workouts. Dancing is really entertaining, burns tons of calories and is also a great place to meet girls. The other thing I was doing before DWTS was CrossFit. I did it for two months and dropped 20 pounds. I love that all walks of life and all shapes participate, so it’s not intimidating. You can push yourself really hard, but what’s cool is that everybody pushes each other too.
Fitz: I do CrossFit too. What do you like to do best.
Joey: I finally got the rope climb which is pretty cool. I really like the Olympic Lifting, and I never thought I could do one, but now I can do pull-ups. I can’t do a whole lot, but I can do some!
Fitz: Will you go back to it when you’re done with DWTS?
Joey: It’s really cool, so I think so. I loved training with the variety of people there.
Fitz: You have two daughters, ages 11 and two. What do you do to ensure they’re healthy?
Joey: My 11-year-old loves to eat sweets of course, but we make sure it’s only in moderation and we keep her active. In Orlando she played soccer, and since we’ve moved to Los Angeles, she’s been taking hip-hop classes and wants to try the Silks. The little one is only two so she’s running all over the place. But we make sure we get her to the park to give her the opportunity to be active as well.
Fitz: My before-school running/walking program called the Morning Mile is in 100 schools nationwide and beyond. What advice do you have for these children who start each school day with moderate to vigorous exercise?
Joey: Getting involved with something like this will not only give children the chance to be fit and healthy, but it will also enhance their career skills. If kids learn to become dedicated and motivated by something like this, they’ll grow up with the ability to grow up and be dedicate to motivated to do other things as well.
Fitz: Well said! Lastly, you are also a judge on the youtube DanceOn network show “D-Trix Presents Dance Showdown.” What’s that like and which role do you prefer – contestant or judge?
Joey: I like that we find popular youtubers, take them out of their normal environment and just like DWTS, challenge them to dance. It’s so much fun, and I really like being a judge best because being a contestant is just too nerve-wracking!
Fitz: Thanks Joey! We hope you keep up the workouts and great eating habits!
