crazy man. Glad you found the root of your problems and eliminated it. Congrats on the girl too 😉

You nailed it. How do I know? Because what you described is _EXACTLY_ what I went through.

There is a saying: “You can’t outwork a shitty diet.” … it’s so true. I was hitting the gym, putting on muscle, but also still not very defined. Hardly. I carry my weight very well being a shorter, stocky person… so no one would say I was overweight. But when I looked in the mirror. It sucked.

It all changed after doing one thing. Yes. One thing… ready?

I stopped drinking alcohol.

Boom. That’s it.

No, I didn’t “cut back” and start counting my drinks like some sorority girl. I man’d up and just stopped. Immediately lost all the empty calories from drinking, and on top of it I stopped snacking on crap food (because alcohol gave me the munchies).

Here’s the crazy thing. I barely changed my workouts. I added Muay Thai into the mix because who doesn’t want to learn how to kick ass? But other than that, I lift a few times a week and throw in some extra cardio. Other than that, it is business as usual.

So in ~6mo, I lost 18lbs and gained muscle definition. I’m ripped! lol …

Oh, and I’m not some young college kid with crazy metabolism. I am a 35yr old divorced guy, a divorced guy who now has a pretty smoking hot younger girlfriend… coincidence? 😛

-Jason

exactly

thanks dave, appreciate the comment 🙂

I got fat because I chose to drink a lot with my friends, eat out in the neighborhood we lived in, stuff like that.
I’m getting thin because I want to be thin.

Maybe it’s just me being a musician, maybe it’s the disability thing where I realize I have to make various choices if I want to do like everyone else with some things, I don’t actually know. I didn’t really “arrive at a aha moment”.
But what I do know is I apply the same attitude towards getting my thin self back that I did learning chops on the piano when I was younger.

Planning ahead really isn’t that hard.
If you happen to be a food addict, and I’m not the most organized guy. If you’re what they call a food addict, I can explain it in a way that won’t push your buttons, or as my 20-something daughter calls it, ‘trigger you’. Since I’m blind, whenever I go to the airport, I have to plan ahead more than most. Have everything like what gate, all the rest, readily available, because I’m going to be asking for assistance.
And when I get there, I always ask where the gate is, even when they’re taking me there, how far it is, in case I get stranded / the person takes off. It happens. Plan but be flexible.
Jerry Lee Lewis used to say “loose within tight boundaries.” Herby Hancock used to say “Every improvisation needs safety islands.” Pretty sure
I love this website / these articles. I’m headed towards turning back into a more wiry thin self rather than someone built, but that’s because I’m not that interested in putting the time in to be super buff. If you are, it’s like what we do practicing musical instruments, rehearsing for a show, doing retakes in the studio, etc. It’s all discipline and stoicism when you get down to it.

Man I love the attitudes of the people writing for this site. Sorry to gush dudes, but, it is what it is.

thanks dawg

that’s awesome fiona. Why do you think your weight is stalling?