Charles Barkley said he was inspired to join and campaign for Weight Watchers when he realized he'd gained 100 pounds since retirement from basketball.

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Currently weighing in at 292, Barkley has lost nearly 60 pounds since joining the weight-loss program. He told Parade Magazine he'd like to drop another 20 pounds from his 6-foot-5-inch frame.

"I'd gained, like, 100 pounds since I retired, and that wasn't good," Barkley said.

Barkley admitted it was his idea to dress up as a woman for the Weight Watchers ad about "man food."

"I thought their commercials were a little intense and I wanted to have more fun. I've dressed like a woman on Saturday Night Live, so it doesn't bother me at all. My message is about health," he said.

In January Barkley was caught on air during a Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks game calling his Weight Watchers gig a scam. He believed his microphone was turned off at the time.

"I thought this was the greatest scam going -- getting paid to watch sports. This Weight Watchers thing is a bigger scam," The New York Times quoted him as saying.

Weight Watchers released a statement from Barkley, in which he said: "I meant what I said. The fact that I'm dropping pounds, getting healthier and getting paid at the same time is my definition of a great scam."