After the photo showing 50 Cent after his 54-pound weight loss surfaced on the internet last week and caused controversy, the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, spoke to Parade Magazine about his nine-week regimen.

Going from 214 to 160 pounds for his role in the movie ‘Things Fall Apart,’ which is about a cancer-stricken football player, Jackson said that towards the end of the regiment, it was very difficult to stick to the diet.

Jackson also spoke to the Associated Press (AP), saying that the went on a liquid-only diet, similar to the one he went on in 2000 when he was shot in the mouth, to lose the weight.  However, “This time it was a lot tougher for me,” he said.

The AP also reported that Jackson followed the transformation such actors as Christian Bale and Tom Hanks take when they commit to losing weight for their roles.

“There is no way to play a role like this without really committing to it,” Jackson said of the comparisons.  “When it started getting difficult, I was looking to see what their experience was like.”  He also aid that he’s now back at a healthy weight of 198 pounds, and the picture was taken at the beginning of the second half of the film.