The resident beatboxer for 'Yo Gabba Gabba' says that walking and switching sugar for stevia helped him go from 385 to 244 — and he still wants to lose 30 more.

By Tracy Miller / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, September 11, 2013, 8:08 AM

After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago, rapper and DJ Biz Markie knew he had to drop some pounds along with his beats. Through diet, exercise and cutting back on sugar, the hip-hop icon went from 385 to 244 pounds and hopes to lose 30 more.

"I walk. I do the treadmill, I walk around the mall," Biz, 49, told the Daily News. "I do a little crunches with my stomach, not that much. Just enough to get the engine going cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha! Vroooommmmm."

Another big step: Swapping his sugary soda habit for the no-calorie drink Zevia, made with stevia. It comes in a range of flavors like Cola, Ginger Ale and Biz's favorite, Black Cherry.

John Shearer/Invision for GabbaCaDabra, LLC./AP Images

Biz Markie (r.) says that on the set of 'Yo Gabba Gabba!' everyone eats very healthy and organic.

"Instead of me drinking a soda that's got 70 sugars in it, it has no sugar and it's sweeter. It's like God said, 'Yo, we need you on earth a little longer!'" Biz said. "I take it on the road, I take it everywhere. I would have a Zevia IV if I could."

When he's not on tour as the resident beatboxer with Nick Jr.'s "Yo Gabba Gabba," he's cooking healthy food at home in Bowie, Md. — and has even taught a few cooking classes through Living Social in nearby D.C. "Chicken stir fry, chicken pad Thai with peanut butter sauce. Sugar-free lemon cupcakes. I make anything you want," he said. "My moms and pops (taught me to cook). I've been cooking most of my life. After you make records, you don't cook that much unless you want that taste."

Biz lost 40 pounds when he won VH1's first "Celebrity Fit Club" in 2005, "but after I got off the show, I blew back up," he admits. "Will Smith, Magic Johnson and a couple other of my friends bet me that I couldn't lose the weight (again). I guess they love me, 'cause they want me to stay around.

"I won the bet, but the stipulation is to keep it off."

Marcus Santos/ New York daily News

Biz Markie weighed 385 before committing to exercising more and drinking soda-replacement Zevia. Zevia, he says, has got what he needs with all the taste and none of the sugar.

His "Yo Gabba Gabba" co-star DJ Lance Rock introduced him to Zevia, which is diabetes-friendly.

"I had a sweet tooth like this — like a tree," he said. "I still dibble and dabble. There's certain cakes you've got to have, maybe a pie here and there. But I know to not do it as much."

"Usually on Yo Gabba Gabba we eat healthy and organic. We don't play," he continued. "You know, you got the cookies. You gotta get a little something, you can't just go straight cold turkey, because you're going to relapse. But this is something you can add to your repertoire of fighting the bulge."

As he heads toward his 50th birthday in April, getting slimmer has given him new bragging rights among his hip-hop friends.

"They be seein' me, I lost the weight, and I didn't have to use lap band surgery or whatever," Biz said. "They see that I did it, and they know I was the greedy, greasy person. So if I can do it, anyone can do it."

tmiller@nydailynews.com