Jaleel White "a buck sixty-nine" thanks to DWTS diet

Jaleel White "a buck sixty-nine" thanks to DWTS diet

Apr 17, 2012

Sara McGinnis is a slightly mossy Northwest gal living in an otherwise all-male household. She contributes to both the BabyCenter Blog and SheKnows Entertainment, and is a fan of Twitter and Facebook friends. When not tethered to wifi...

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Jaleel White on Dancing with the Stars perks

Jaleel White is feeling the perks from hours of dance practice. The man once known as Steve Urkel is in peak shape thanks to Dancing with the Stars -- now if only he had time to enjoy it!

Jaleel White is feeling unexpectedly slim and trim thanks to Dancing with the Stars. It may be hard to imagine the guy we grew up calling Steve Urkel needing to shed a few pounds, but the fast-footed actor has managed to sweat off quite a bit.

After Monday's Dancing with the Stars episode, Jaleel White revealed to Us Weekly that he's shed "13 pounds" since rehearsals began earlier this year. He added proudly, "I'm like a buck sixty-nine!"

"You're dripping in sweat," the 35-year-old went on to say of his DWTS rehearsals. "You keep doing intervals of 30 minutes or 40 minutes, and you grab a quick snack and go back at it. I can pop a sweat so quickly now. It's new to me. It's ridiculous!"

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All of the hard work is paying off for Jaleel White, not only in helping him survive elimination, but in boosting his overall energy.

"I feel in better shape than I have been since I was in college," he said. "It sucks because I want to go out and play basketball but I have no time. I want to see what my energy is like and what I can do on the basketball court now, because at 35, trust me, there is a difference between a 35-year-old and a 24-year-old on the basketball court."

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Other Dancing with the Stars contestants who've reaped the weight loss benefits of intense rehearsals include Nancy Grace, down 25 pounds, Elisabetta Canalis, whose weight loss was unwanted, Kelly Osbourne, who dropped to a size 2, and Kirstie Alley, who famously trimmed 38 inches off her body during taping!

The body transformations aren't without a bit of pain, however. "I'm like a divorced woman lying in the Epsom salt baths with candles and incense, watching episodes of Dexter," Jaleel White joked of trying to help his sore body recover. "It's hilarious!"