Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson stars as Andre Johnson Sr. on the ABC comedy series "Black-ish." Reuters

Anthony Anderson looked mighty slim as he walked down the red carpet at the People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday. So how was he able to drop the pounds? The “Black-ish” star lost nearly 50 pounds by becoming “vegan-ish.”

"This is what I'm supposed to look like," the actor told People magazine in September. At the awards show Wednesday night, he looked dapper in a navy suit with a matching tie and white Adidas sneakers. The star posed for a few shots as he sashayed down the red carpet.

The ABC star had been overweight for a majority of his career, or, as he says, “husky.” Even though he was always confident, being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 13 years ago helped him make the choice to change his lifestyle.

Anderson, 44, took it up a notch when he got a new gig on “Law & Order” in 2008. “I got more serious about my health and appearance -- not from a vanity standpoint,” he told People. “I just started making healthier choices." Anderson said it was as simple as waking up in the morning and being determined to stick to his new healthy regiment, “and I never looked back."

Of course, it takes more than just willpower. Anderson credited a “plant-based diet” for what accelerated his weight loss. He called it “vegan-ish” because “I'm not going to send anything back to the kitchen if some butter or cream found its way onto the plate.”

Anderson didn’t merit any nominations alone, but his new series, “Black-ish,” is up for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy.

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