Dateline's Josh Mankiewicz, 69, reveals 70lb weight loss and if he used Ozempic to achieve it

Josh Mankiewicz says he has lost and kept off 70 pounds over the last year-and-a-half, without using the medication Ozempic.

'This wasn't any particular diet, it was essentially just cutting out all of the things that we all sort of intuitively know that we're not supposed to eat,' the Berkeley, California native, 69, told People on Monday.

Mankiewicz, who has been a correspondent on NBC's Dateline for 30 years, explained why he did not want to go the Ozempic route in his efforts to slim down.

'Giving myself a shot every week did not seem like something that I wanted to do,' said Mankiewicz, who played himself on a 2020 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. 'And the idea of actually changing the way I ate seemed like a better idea.

'I'm glad that I was able to do it just on willpower. But sometimes people need help and there's nothing wrong with that too.'

He said that after beginning his diet in May of 2023, he 'lost 70 pounds' and 'felt great' as result.

Mankiewicz, acting on the advice of his doctor, said that he 'didn't like the way' he looked or felt, so he 'just decided to go ahead and' begin dieting.

He said that he decided to forego various high-calorie foods - including fast food, sweets, bread, potatoes and pasta - and began consuming more green vegetables in lieu of proteins, which 'seemed to do it.'

Mankiewicz told the outlet he previously was able to shed 47 pounds using the Atkins diet in 1998, but said that his cravings gradually impacted his weight gain.

'It's tough to say goodbye to carbs forever, particularly when your ancestors invented the pierogi,' he said, 'so over time I put weight back on and every year I'd go in for my physical, and my doctor, she'd be like, you have got to work on that.'

Mankiewicz said this time around, his body and mind have naturally adapted amid the weight loss.

'Now, I've pretty much permanently changed the way I eat because I've managed to adjust to this pretty well in terms of not craving any of that stuff that I used to love so much,' the NBC personality told People.

Mankiewicz said that a Peloton bike his wife purchased for him also helped him slim down, as he was intrigued by the story of a man who was successful in losing weight by finishing 100 rides.

'I thought to myself, could I do 100 rides in 100 days? So I did,' Mankiewicz said. 'I ended up doing like 184 days straight, which was hard being on the road as much as I am for Dateline.

'I didn't really think of it as being difficult at the time. But generally, once I start on something, I finish it. And I was able to keep it going. It was good to get into a routine.'

Mankiewicz told the outlet that the community aspect of the Peloton model was another factor that helped propel his consistency in his riding.

'It definitely helps to have other people supporting you,' Mankiewicz said. 'All my friends here in Los Angeles all told me how great I look, which definitely helped.'

Mankiewicz said he 'could see [his weight loss] on the air,' adding, 'Deep down, I'm shallow ... I care a lot about how I look on TV.'

Mankiewicz said he has purchased 'a whole new wardrobe' after shedding the 70 pounds.

'I had to throw out a bunch of stuff and that was kind of fun,' he said. 'And now when I turn on Dateline, I only flinch at what the murderers are doing, not what I look like.'