For somebody who was in the headlines a few months ago for [article id="1579544"]alleged ties to a steroid scandal[/article], 50 Cent sure doesn't look like the beefy 200-pound-plus MC we've been accustomed to seeing shirtless onstage the past five years. Now tipping the scales at around 185 pounds, Fif obviously is no lightweight and still in shape, but after yesterday's post about G-Unit making too much noise in 50's house, our Newsroom Blog quickly filled up with comments from fans asking about his weight loss.

"I leave on May 8," he said about his plans to head to New Orleans for the film's production. "I play a police officer right after Hurricane Katrina. It's me, Val Kilmer and Sharon Stone."

The pound-dropping in G-Unit hasn't stopped with 50 Cent. Tony Yayo looked to have trimmed down at least 10 or 15 pounds. In fact, 50 announced a weight-loss challenge for members of his staff, with a cash prize for the winner.

And it's probably a good thing that his clique is busy in the gym: That way they won't have time to come with him to the movie set.

"I keep them away from me," he smiled, sitting between Yayo and Lloyd Banks. "I don't want too many of them there because they'll start laughing while I'm doing sh--. They see me doing something that's so not me that they're laughing. It's too much of a distraction so I keep them away."