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John Fuda, the husband of RHONJ star Rachel Fuda, reveals why he turned to medicine to help him drop 50 pounds.
Real Housewives of New Jersey husband John Fuda looks like a new man after dropping 50 pounds over the past 14 months.
The 35-year-old tells PEOPLE the weight loss is thanks to a “liposuction procedure as well as peptide and hormone replacement therapy.”
“As a man, a lot of times, you forget yourself,” he tells the outlet. “You’re providing for your family constantly, that you often put yourself last. You lose focus. For me, life took over and it just got to the point where I realized I let myself go and I needed to do something to get a handle on it.”
“Men don’t talk about this enough,” the New Jersey businessman adds. “I’m not sure why there is a such a stigma about taking care of your body, but I’m happy to be the voice of many men who don’t say it, because it’s so important for you psychically and mentally.”
John explains that he used to be an avid gym goer but fell out of the habit during COVID and, as a result, packed on the pounds.
“We were building a house, and between that, work, and the kids, I felt a lot of stress as the provider,” he says. “And that stress, I was turning it into fat. We’d go out to eat, and the kids would order junk found, and I would just wind up eating it. Most fathers do, right? And before I knew it, I was a heavyset 230 pounds.”
To kick off his journey back to fitness, the RHONJ husband underwent liposuction ahead of season 13 in December 2022. While the father of three admits he enjoyed the results, he didn’t feel any “healthier.”
“It was thinner, yes — I went down to about 195 pounds — but it didn’t feel like anything else had changed,” says John. “It was kind of a jump start, but just a Band-Aid. What I wanted to focus on was more of my holistic health.”
John Fuda then turned to the help of a physician’s assistant thanks to costar Margaret Josephs, who used the same professional to help her drop some unwanted pounds.
According to John, a concoction of testosterone and the GLP1 agonist Semiglutide helped him optimize his metabolism and shed excess weight.
“I know it’s like, ‘Who wants to be a man and say that you’re on testosterone?’ but I have no problem saying it,” says John. “A man’s testosterone level falls off at the age of 30. And even though I’m only 32, my receptors were not where they should have been. So replacing that — and adding the peptides, which give me all the hormones I need — it’s made such a huge difference.”
“I started taking the injections in July 2023 and I feel great,” John reveals. “I have more energy, I feel more mobile, more agile. And I’ve been able to get back into a routine, which is probably the hardest thing to do.”
Eventually, the RHONJ hubby John saw results and dropped to 180 lbs.
“Everybody’s body is different, but this has really worked for me,” John says. “And it’s not just the medicine, it’s what you do while you’re taking the medicine. I started eating clean carbs, like brown rice, and increased my salad, greens, and proteins. I’m working out more. I’m drinking less, because I found when you’re on the medicine, you don’t want to drink that much. So it changed a lot. But everything is firing on all cylinders.”
“It’s almost like a miracle,” he adds. “I feel like I’m 22, 23 years old.”
RHONJ returns to Bravo for season 15 on Sunday, May 5.
