The Wake-Up Call
In 2022, something shifted. I’d always been heavy. Always metabolically broken. This wasn’t just lifestyle—I can see the genetics at work when I look at my parents. But 2022 made it urgent. I hit 33, and it felt like I’d reached a biological tipping point.
This is the “danger zone”—that brief window where I still have energy and most things are still reversible. I believe that window runs from your mid-30s to early 40s. After that, you either live with the consequences or spend the rest of your life trying to fight back with less and less.
Then came the moment that changed everything: seeing my dad go through his second round of heart stents. That was not the life I wanted.
What Worked Before
The only real success I’ve had came during what I now call the “Keto in Seattle” era. I was under low stress, had minimal responsibilities, ate simply, and exercised consistently. My insulin likely reset itself, and I looked and felt the best I ever had.
But after that came a cycle of frustration. I’d start something. Maybe lose 10–15 pounds. Then I’d get frustrated, burn out, and crash. The plan was always too complex or too intense. Food alone wasn’t enough. It was the workouts, that combination of motion and discipline, that really made the difference.
A Different Kind of Life
I look around and see what I don’t want: older guys drinking multiple times a week, on meds, ignoring their health. A kind of slow slide into mediocrity. That life? It’s empty. It’s not for me.
I’ve been put on this earth for something more—something exceptional. When I think back to who I was at 15, that spark I had… I know it’s still there.
From Zero to 26.2: The Marathon Blueprint
At the end of 2022, I made a plan: run a marathon in two years. I’d never run in my life. I started from zero miles a year to finishing a full marathon in 2024.
That success came from one thing: focus. The marathon gave me a single, narrow, quantifiable goal. Every week, I had mileage targets. Long runs. Progress I could see. I didn’t even worry about food. I just ran.
And audiobooks—especially fiction—kept me going. Harry Potter became my coach. I didn’t feel like running, but I wanted to hear the next chapter. That was the trigger.
The New Plan: 50-Day Sprint
Now, I’m starting again. This time, it’s a 50-day cut. No drifting. No distractions. Just laser focus.
Starting weight: 295 lbs
Goal (by Day 50): Into the 270s (~15 lbs lost)
Long-term goal: 240–220 lbs for NYC Marathon 2026
Core Commitments:
- 🏋️♂️ Strength Training: 3x per week
- 🏃♂️ Running: 1–2x per week in the park
- 🥩 Nutrition: High-protein, very low-carb, intermittent fasting
- 🍷 Alcohol: Almost entirely cut
- ⚖️ Daily Weight Logging: Only track calories if the scale stalls
- ⏳ Mindset: Think in 50-day windows; break big goals into phases
Motivation Tactics That Actually Work
🎧 Fiction Audiobooks
This was a game-changer. When I ran, I wasn’t doing it for fitness—I was doing it to find out what happened next in the story. Long, immersive series with “replay value” (like Harry Potter or even thrillers like The Martian) are perfect.
Key rule: Must be fiction.
Non-fiction doesn’t keep me going. I’ll use AI for summaries if I want facts.
📚 Kindle Fiction for Bedtime
Reading before sleep helps reinforce the routine. Again—fiction only. No advice books, no productivity gurus. Just story.
A Mental Framework That Works for Me
1. Give Yourself Permission
I’m granting myself the right to ignore other life goals temporarily. No pressure to be productive in other ways. Not interviewing, not building a startup. I’ll revisit all that later.
2. Narrow the Scope
I succeed when I do less but better. For the marathon, I dropped all side projects and focused on mileage. I’ll do the same here. This is not a multitasking season. This is a transformation season.
3. Progress Without Overthinking
Sometimes the best kind of progress is just showing up. I’m not chasing PRs. I’m not optimizing macros. I’m showing up daily and moving forward.
The Timeline
- May 10–June 28, 2025: 50-Day Sprint (Cut to 270s)
- June 29–July 12: Recovery + Light Maintenance
- July 13–Sept 30: Transition Phase (Summer)
- Oct–Dec 2025: Final Push to 250
- Jan–Oct 2026: Marathon Training + Cut to 220–240
- Nov 1, 2026: NYC Marathon – sub-6 hour goal
Final Thoughts
This is the plan. No noise. No clutter. Just one mission. Get strong. Get light. Run hard.
I’ve done hard things before. From the outside, this might seem like just another fitness plan. But this isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about agency. It’s about reclaiming the person I used to believe I could be.
And this time, I’m not stopping.
The Rolex Life 