When I hit 290 pounds and 33% body fat, I knew something had to change. I was stressed, overworked, and living in a constant state of anxiety. My health was failing, I’d just had my gallbladder removed, and the reality hit me — if I didn’t make a shift now, my future would be full of medication, surgeries, and limitations. But instead of diving into a brutal all-or-nothing plan that would burn me out, I decided to start small. Really small.

I committed to just one workout a week and tracking 2,500 calories a day, eating whatever I wanted as long as I stayed within that limit. Slowly, I built momentum. One day became two, then three. I stopped obsessing over the scale and started focusing on body fat percentage, strength, and how I felt. This wasn’t about punishing myself — it was about being kind to myself and building habits I could actually sustain.

Over the next year, I lost 65 pounds, cut my body fat in half, and gained more confidence and mental health than I’d ever had before. In this episode, we dive into the mindset shifts, the practical strategies, and the identity changes that made it possible. If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of starting strong and burning out, this conversation is your roadmap to long-term change.

Chapters:
00:00 - Why Most Men Fail to Step Into Their Calling  
02:00 - Meet Ahab: From Overweight & Stressed to Fit & Focused  
03:16 - The Simplest Definition of Addiction  
04:50 - Ahab’s Breaking Point & Health Scare  
07:42 - The First Small Steps Toward Change  
10:38 - Avoiding the All-or-Nothing Trap  
14:46 - The Science of Stress & Cortisol  
18:33 - Why Shame Doesn’t Work for Long-Term Change  
22:44 - Learning to Stop Punishing Yourself  
27:04 - Setting Realistic Goals & Tracking the Right Metrics  

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