Is this Josh Peck pictured just a few months ago at the 2008 Kids Choice Awards? My daughter took this and the photo of him as he made his way to greet fans and sign autographs before the awards show. The portrait of the 20 year old was taken in Los Angeles in June, 2008 and it shows the physical transformation he has undergone in the past couple of years.
Childrens' weight struggles have been at the center of many news reports and television shows for some time. Remember the 200 pound nine year old girl Jessica featured on the Maury Povich show? It's incomprehensible how a child can gain so much weight especially under the care of her parents! I'm sure we haven't seen it all regarding this health issue plaguing children, but there are some success stories in the media parents can use to inspire themselves, and their children, to get fit.
In a Reuters interview Peck was asked about his weight loss and said: “For me, getting healthy was about myself. A lot of guys can be bigger and are comfortable with it. For me, I wasn't really comfortable. From a health perspective, I just knew that if there were ever a time to get healthy it was this age. If I can also inspire kids to get healthy — I know how tough it was growing up as a chubby kid. For them to know there was someone out there who got healthy, that's pretty cool.” Parade magazine reported he lost about 110 pounds over two years.
There is no shortage of adult obesity stories in Hollywood and how celebrities shed the weight with surgery, the newest diet or help from a fitness guru. We've also seen how child actors started out with normal-looking bodies, and then became pudgy in the course of a show. Seeing child actor Josh Peck grow up 'chubby' on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show when he was just 14, may have made it seem acceptable to some to be a bit over weight – much like models influence our teenage girls to want to be waifer thin. Eventually conquering the weight battle without much fan fare is a great accomplishment for Peck, and a great example to share with your kids if you are facing this problem in your family.
In his new movie, The Wackness, coming out in August, Josh Peck will be taking on a polar opposite role from the nerdy tween character we've seen him portray growing up on Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh. Peck's latest film is rated R for pervasive drug content and other scenes not suitable for the 18 and under set, so we'll just have to look forward to seeing him in a more family-friendly performance.
Whacked as this current role may seem to his young loyal fans, Peck might come upon some overdue recognition if not for his acting ability, then for his newly re-styled image. And since he'll soon turn 21, who knows, maybe he'll work on getting a permanent six-pack as well.
You can really appreciate Josh Peck's new appearance in this photo at the 2008 Kids Choice Awards. It looks like he still wasn't used to his new pant size so he needed suspenders to keep them up!
Speak Your Mind