Restored | Action Taker | 136.4 Lbs. Lost | Helping Men Face Pain and Reclaim Their Identity | Change your beliefs, Change your behavior, Change your life!
I’m continually astounded at how good God is
I stepped on the scale Feb. 4th, 2022 and saw 351.8 lbs.
I asked my mom to take a picture
I was going through a divorce
At the bar nearly everyday
Lonely
Broken
Coping
Scared
I didn’t know how to change but I knew I needed to
237.8 today! Hit the 230’s!
114 lbs. down!
But more important than the weight:
My identity has shifted
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
All aligned
Who looks happier in the pictures below?
From February 2022
To today: 119 lbs. down
Guy on the left:
Lacked integrity
Blamed Others
Coped w/ Alcohol
Getting Divorced
Guy on the right:
Found Jesus
Takes Ownership
Doesn’t drink to cope
Gained strength through Divorce
Small actions over time create:
Big Results!
218.4 today!
133.4 lbs. lost
You know what’s crazy about continuing to lose weight?
I hardly ever think about it anymore
It’s my lifestyle
It’s who I am
But I didn’t start there
The biggest resistance is in the first few weeks as you forge a new identity
As you begin
I went from the guy on the left
To the guy on the right
In 8 months
This part looks great on social media and there’s a ton of incredible change
BUT…
This doesn’t happen w/o the internal change.
Everyone says consistency is the separator
I agree
But how do we do it?
Got home from a run last night and snapped the pic on the right
It’s still astonishing to me
Not because I don’t believe it
But because I don’t see me in the 1st picture anymore…let me explain
These pics were taken 1 1/2 years apart
The man on the left had attributes of
Reflecting on the last 2 years this morning
Here’s what’s God’s done:
June 1st/2021 - Wife asks for a separation, move out
September 2021 - Take leave of absence from work
October 2021 - Arrested (Driving impaired)
November 2021 - Wife asks for a divorce
There’s just something about fitting into a Large sweatshirt that brings a smile to my face :)
1 year ago I was a couple days away from heading to a retreat that changed my life
The physical changes (133 lbs. lost)
The mental changes (Joy and freedom)
All stem from the
It ain’t all about looks
But this smile wasn’t here at 351 lbs.
Neither was the joy
Neither was the faith
Neither was the healing
Feels so good to look in the mirror and see time catching up to the man I’ve become in my heart
Yesterday I posted:
Physical changes from
April 2023 to Nov. 2023
Here’s:
February 2022
April 2023
November 2023
That February I first reached out to
@tyromper
I was lost and felt alone
Knew I needed to change and didn’t know how or if it was possible
I had lost
When we hit rock bottom
We have a choice
Stay there and wallow
Or
Face it and heal
Here’s my rock bottom story
How God changed my identity
And gave me a new path forward
👇👇👇
I was 351.8 lbs. lost and broken February 2022
Last night w/ my CrossFit community I completed the Open 24.1 workout at the RX weight in 11:35 weighing in yesterday at 217.4 lbs.
The physical change has been great
But it came from the inward change:
Knowing who’s I was:
Today I turn 37
Two years ago at 35
I had just recently started the mens group cohort with
@tyromper
and
@MikeSchiff_
I had taken a step
But if you told me I’d be where I am today
Just 2 years later
I would have laughed
I probably would have cried
I didn’t have much
I was 227.2 lbs. this morning
First time back in the 220’s since 2018!
That’s 124.6 lbs. lost overall
And 106.2 lbs. since January 4th, 2023
None of this would have been possible without:
God
Identity Change
Action
Community
1. God
He watched over me and protected me at
Last night as I was checking out at the store I grabbed a bottle of water cause I was thirsty
God said: ‘that’s not for you’
So I grabbed two more waters and left to walk back to our hotel
I prayed: ‘God speak for your servant is listening’ and started walking
In December 2021 I came home drunk
I was so broken and prayed for help
God spoke clearly and said:
‘I’m gonna restore you to restore others, specifically divorced men’
I just cried and asked God how?
2 months later I met
@tyromper
and
@MikeSchiff_
And the change
Went on a hike with my son yesterday
He didn’t want to go initially ‘cause he was tired and it’s still a new thing
But he loves it when we go
So I said: ‘Buddy, let’s do the castle rock hike you did w/ mommy, you can lead me to it ‘cause I’ve never done the whole thing’
He
Looking back on these two years there is so much more God has done that’s not mentioned here
It would take a 100 tweet thread, truly
God will always pursue you, but He won’t force you to say yes
You have to open that door
Trust me it’ll be the best decision you ever make
I have officially resigned as the head coach at Quincy High School. I needed to take care of my marriage and family, and realized I was going to lose them if I kept coaching and didn’t make changes. I will miss baseball and hope that one day I can get back in the game (cont.)
February 4th/2022: 351.8 lbs.
January 4th/2023: 333.4 lbs.
July 13th/2023: 232.4 lbs.
119.4 lbs. total
101 lbs. in 6 months
Everyone asks what the diet and exercise looks like
It’s a valid question and important
But it’s not how weight loss happens
I’ll explain 👇
Did an InBody scan at my gym this morning
The results:
221.2 lbs.
113.2 Skeletal Muscle Mass
11.7% Body Fat
18 months ago I was 351.8 lbs.
11 months ago when I did my 1st InBody Scan, these were the results:
256.8 lbs.
115.3 Skeletal Muscle Mass
22.4% Body Fat
In 18
If you don’t think your kids are watching you…let me share what happened a week ago…
My son had his 1st counseling appointment last week to help him work through things with the divorce
He was nervous and it was a lot to take in, but went well and he was brave!
But here’s
Hope is powerful
I had lost all of it
I was down and out
Never coming back
A shell of myself
Hurting, coping, and lost
Enter
@tyromper
and
@MikeSchiff_
The two men who (w/ Jesus) changed the trajectory of my life
👇👇👇
I learned last night, again, to continue walking in obedience and that it will take courage to do it sometimes, but
When God is the one asking, He has a reason and He will be with me, so there truly is nothing to fear
Talk is cheap in the Christian walk, He calls us to action
June 12th/2023 - 12 week ‘Reclaiming Your Identity’ men’s group cohort begins
July 13/2023 - 100 lbs. lost in 6 months, 232.4 lbs., 119.4 lbs. lost overall
July 17th/2023 - Restored physically, mentally, spiritually, and walking in my true identity in Jesus…leading men
@tyromper
Wish it didn’t take I was 35 to become a man
But in truth it did
And let me tell you if you:
Choose to take ownership
Choose discipline over dopamine
And
Choose to not let emotion dictate action
You will also not be a slave/controlled and can live free!
I read the Bible and pray daily
I'm hearing Him consistently and getting to know His voice
I no longer cope with alcohol
I'm porn free (you can do it men)
I'm down 94.6 lbs.
My identity has changed
I walk as the true me each day
Let me tell you a story of change…
Last night was a hard one
My son went to do his ‘Christmas Eve’ w/ his mom and my former in laws
This will always be hard in some ways
To see his excitement, to be excited with him on the phone
But sad that I can’t be with him in it
Coaches out there, make sure you are taking care of yourself and loving your wives and kids well. Do it before it’s too late, Baseball is a game, a wonderful one, but just a game, family is always more important.
One thing that I’ve wondered about w/ losing 134+ pounds
Is if my stomach skin would ever tighten up
I knew the muscles would come back w/ work, but many say that the loose skin will just be there regardless and there’s not much we can do
Well, as I looked in the mirror
October 9th/2022 - God prompts me through online church to write a Facebook post asking for a men’s group to join
October 9th/2022 - Former Jr. High youth group leaders reach out and pay for me to attend a men’s retreat
October 22nd/2022 - Surrender my life back to Christ
October 24th/2022 - Take ownership of my mistakes w/ my wife in a letter, take ownership w/ my business partners
November 2022 - Start meeting weekly w/ Spiritual mentor, begin walking in my new identity
December 7th/2022 - Start lifting weights
Dec. 11th/2022 - Baptized!
God formed a new identity in me
It was not easy
He didn’t just give it to me
He told me who I was
Then He solidified it through the action He had me take
Watch 👇
Been practicing an hour a day of silence
I journal at night after sitting in silence and listening to Jesus
Yesterday I intentionally sat in silence on my whole 30 minute drive to work
Sometimes we don’t realize how noisy our lives are until we choose to seek silence
One of the best decisions I’ve made in the last 2 months was this
My phone charges in the living room overnight
Not having it in my room has done a few things:
I read more every night
I pray more every night
I sleep more every night
I wake up easier and more consistently
Every time my son is with me
We do 3 things at bed time
He reads a chapter book
We read the Bible together
We pray and then say:
‘I’m strong and courageous w/ Jesus’
Last nights was special…
I always ask if he wants to pray or say: ‘I’m strong and courageous w/ Jesus’ out
Men (and women)
Loneliness in divorce is real
Been dealing w/ it this last week and especially tonight
Having a longing for connection is good, it’s how we’re built and it’s hard when it’s lost
But know God is w/ you and will meet you in it and so will your community,
Here’s what I want to do today!
I’ve had many people comment about their weight loss journeys when I post about mine!
So if you’ve lost weight
(10, 20, 30, 50, 100)
Whatever it is!
POST IT BELOW WITH PICTURES!
Let’s encourage everyone that they can do it too! Here’s mine!
October 7th, 2021 should have been the day I died
I was lost and hopeless
My Divorce had wrecked me
I was drinking away my pain
I came out from the bar and got behind the wheel
And drove 30 miles home 👇👇👇
Picture on the left:
February 4th, 2022: 351.8 lbs.
Picture on the right
Last weekends CrossFit comp:
135 lbs. down
Guy on the left:
Lacked integrity
Blamed Others
Coped w/ Alcohol/Porn
Getting Divorced
Lost identity
Guy on the right:
Found Jesus
Takes Ownership
When I was 11 years old I accepted Jesus
But it wasn’t till I was 35 years old that I surrendered to Jesus
The call of the Christian life isn’t to accept Jesus and then live the same way
That’s not walking w/ Jesus
And it’s the main reason people who don’t know Jesus don’t
March 14th/2022 - call w
@Gabepluguez
pump gets primed through learning about default actions
May 4th/2022 - call w/
@tyromper
join 16 week men’s group, write 1 year from now letter to self
August 2022 - Men’s group ends, start watching church online, stop coping w/ alcohol
December 18th/2022 - Quit porn
January 4th/2023 - Start tracking weight: 333.4
January 16th/2023 - Call w/ Arizona retreat group w/
@zachhomol_
and
@tyromper
Start 10K steps a day and 200 G Protein a day
Feb. 7th/2023 - Officially Divorced
From February 2022
To today: 70.2 lbs. down
Guy on the left:
Lacked integrity
Blamed Others
Coped w/ Alcohol
Getting Divorced
Guy on the right:
Found Jesus
Takes Ownership
No longer drinks to cope
Divorced, but healing
I’m already 200 lbs. time just hasn’t caught up yet
There ended up being 2 more people who needed water and one I gave my pack of gum to.
A lot of times we avoid places that Jesus would have been because of human fears
He calls us to be His hands and feet
Even when it’s dark and scary
Every person I encountered was grateful
Waking up at 5 AM just hits different
Do you have to do it to be successful?
No
But I’ll tell you what it’s done for me
It’s allowed me to start each day:
1. Spiritually still and centered on Jesus
2. Physically strong
3. Mentally ready
To be still and know that He is
If you had told the guy on the left
That in 8 months he’d be down over 100 lbs.
Had a changed identity
And was 10 minutes away from walking into a gym to do the MURPH workout
He call you insane
Do a little a lot and crazy changes will happen
110.4 pounds down today!
I used to think the idea of getting back to 200 lbs. was crazy
But God changed my identity
I chose to live into it
And be obedient
The idea no longer became crazy because I saw myself as healthy
Physically
Mentally
Spiritually
Even before I was
December 2021 - Tell son I’m not moving back in
(Toughest Day of my life)
February 2022 - 351.8 lbs., lost, miserable, hopeless
March 2022 - Start searching for help online
Feb. 15-19th/2023 - Arizona retreat, Miracles and brotherhood happen
March 31st/2023 - Share my testimony at the men’s retreat I surrendered at in October 2022
May 4th/2023 - 1 year to the day Ty called me, I post my rock bottom story here
As I went to take my cold shower this morning
God gave me a thought:
‘Pause and breathe’
I took 5 slow, controlled breaths, then got into the cold shower
Afterwards the same thought:
‘Pause and breath’
So I did the same as before
God showed me that when we go into
At the end of my time w/ Jesus this morning (Bible/Prayer)
I sat in silence and focused on my breath for 5 minutes
This is something we’re practicing in my ‘Reclaiming Your Identity’ group cohort this week
Well…God spoke…here’s what He said
‘What voice are you going to
Today is a special day
Weighed in at 251.7
That’s 100.1 lbs. lost
@tyromper
said let’s do 100 push ups to celebrate, I said yes
I want to see your push ups below
Let’s encourage others to start their journey!
Thank you Ty,
@MikeSchiff_
and
@zachhomol_
Men’s Growth
Fitting into a Large Flannel and size 32 Jeans is about so much more than the sizes
The Joy I have in Jesus
The Disciplined man I am Spiritually, Physically, and Mentally
The different future I now have
Change doesn’t happen overnight
But I wasn’t this man not that long
I’m now 248.8 lbs.
That’s 103 lbs. lost
I’ve had many ask: what did you do?
While this question is important
There’s another one that needs to be asked
How were you able to stay consistent?
It’s not just habit change
Let me explain
👇👇👇
My son and I made a poster of our family mission, vision, and principles w/ a motto for how Harris’s live
We did this together
He helped create it and write it
We started tracking this weekend together
Last night, on his own he read the motto before bed
Excited to do this
Today is a special day
Weighed in at 251.7
That’s 100.1 lbs. lost
@tyromper
said let’s do 100 push ups to celebrate, I said yes
I want to see your push ups below
Let’s encourage others to start their journey!
Thank you Ty,
@MikeSchiff_
and
@zachhomol_
Men’s Growth
A lesson in weight loss: 👇
I’m 235.4 today…2 more lbs down
But these 2 took about 2 weeks
We’re my habits different? No
Was I doing something wrong? No
Did my body get more fit? Yes
The scale is just 1 way we should track weight loss
I lost inches while not losing weight
@tyromper
Came back to Jesus
Stopped using alcohol to cope
Consistent exercising (4x’s + per week)
Jesus time each day (54 days straight)
Becoming the best dad I can be for my son
Fun story from last weekend on how good God is
I went to the Mariners game with a good friend
On the way there I was spending time with/ Jesus through the Pause App (highly recommend)
I heard Him say:
‘I’m gonna give you a gift today’
I asked: ‘What is it?’
He said:
Surreal that it’s been a year
This was the biggest habit that I developed this year
After the retreat I went on last year, Jesus said to spend time with Him everyday
So I committed
I wasn’t perfect
I missed days and caught up here and there
But I was consistent
And
Why are athletes able to hear their coach when the crowd is screaming?
Because they spend time with him everyday
They know his voice
It’s the same with Jesus
Spend time with Him daily and you will begin to hear His voice
Even when the world gets loud
There are mornings where I’m struggling and downcast and can’t figure out why, I’ve learned to sit in that tension, but I don’t sit alone, I sit w/ Jesus.
Today was one of those mornings
And so after reading the Bible
I just: ‘cast all my anxieties on Him’
And prayed, and He
I was:
Coping w/ alcohol
Coping w/ food
Coping w/ porn
Now I’m walking free in all
How?
His power
He changed my identity
He gave me strength to stop coping
He gave me long term joy
If His power is made perfect on weakness
Then the struggles we have don’t need to be struggles any longer…
Why?
If we have Christs power in our weakness than they have no power over us anymore
Claim Him, claim His strength, and walk out of your weaknesses
I’ve learned a lot in 11 months of intentionality w/ Jesus
But the biggest lesson:
The gifts he’s given me w/:
Teaching
Encouragement
Empathy
Have always been held back by a lack of discipline and finishing well
The old me didn’t do hard things
The old me didn’t face
My son had a tough day at school
One thing I learned on the retreat w/
@zachhomol_
and
@tyromper
was you don’t have to force people to open up
Walk with them and have a conversation
Gonna walk to the school and play soccer with my son to talk through his day
The way God has given me a path forward the last year is nothing short of a miracle
If you’re wondering what He’s like
What following Him is like
What trusting Him is like
Know this:
Yes He will ask you to do hard things
But they are all for your good
And your life will
Decided to be intentional with my son
But wanted to come on here to share this (through tears):
I haven’t heard my son laugh a lot in these last couple years of transition
It’s been hard on him
Today:
We laughed, were silly, and had a blast
I saw his true joy come out
In October I surrendered my life to Jesus
My life wasn’t aligned with His
He didn’t care
He took me as I was
But He showed me what I needed to change
Here are 5 changes I’ve made with Jesus and how they’ve impacted my life
As I turned God stopped me and said:
‘Do you trust me?’
I immediately knew who the water was for
I said: ‘If you lead me to somewhere, you’ll lead me through there’
I walked by the tent and asked if he needed a water, he said yes and I gave it to him
Last night was great with my son
But here’s the other truth as well
It was still a tough day leaving my former home after dropping him off
Healing may have happened
God has redeemed my story
But I was realizing sitting at home last night that I just wanted to ignore that
Easter Sunday when I picked up my son he was getting easily frustrated with every suggestion of what to do
As we pulled into Red Robin I stopped and asked:
‘Buddy are you having a hard day?’
He was quiet
I stopped the car
Got out of the front seat
And went and sat with
A cool thought/mindset switch God and a mentor gave me today
If Gods having you walk through something difficult…think about this…
‘Who am I going to be able to help after I walk through this?’
Having an outward focus and an others focus, will help when it’s extremely
Heading out tonight to serve on the leadership team at a men’s retreat
The same men’s retreat I surrendered to Jesus at 1 year ago
I got to share my testimony at it in April as well
If you’re unsure about God
If you’re not sure He can help
If you think you’re too far gone
One of the best practices I’ve done this last year:
Ask Jesus:
What lies do I believe about myself?
Listen then write them down
Then…
Ask Jesus:
What is the truth about who I am?
Listen then write them down
It���s powerful
***Added bonus
Find scriptures that go with
Had a friend last night say at softball:
‘I looked out to the outfield where you were playing and thought, man he looks healthy, not just physically, but mentally, and spiritually, you shine bro.’
These words were a powerful testament to how my life has changed
How? 👇👇👇
I just finished doing a workout in the gym:
20 min. As Many Rounds As Possible
Run 400 M
Max 1 set of pull-ups
Finished 6 rounds (1.5 miles)
34 Total Pull-ups
I could do 0 pull-ups 6 weeks ago
Just start…and don’t stop
No matter how hard I tried to change
I’d:
Start and stop
Start and stop
Start and stop
When change got difficult, I’d quit
Why?
I was just changing behavior
I didn’t believe it was me
True change is based in our identity
Who we are, not just a habit I add
Just passed 2000 teammates here!
All I can say is wow…just wow!
Grateful for every one of you!
I tweet on:
Living my true identity
Finding strength through divorce
My faith in Jesus
Authenticity
How to grow and change
Taking action
Thank you for growing w/ me!
Going through the process of eliminating anything that does not align w/ God’s purpose for me
Gotta be real here 👇👇👇
I tend to beat myself up in this process still at times for what I still need to eliminate
Instead of being grateful for where I am now and for the lessons
‘But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.’
Matthew 6:33
I used to chase so many things
And yet they’d always fall out of my grasp or leave me empty even if I achieved them
Was talking with Jesus this morning and it
IMO the best football player in the world right now
@DangeRussWilson
talking about:
Neutral thinking
Language
Mindset
he’s asked if he talks to his mental skills coach
@TrevorMoawad
after a win or loss, his response: every week
Video from
@dpshow
Consistency is key
My son resisted for a long time doing a Bible Chapter before bed
But through the resistance we continued
He’d complain I’d read
Well…these last two weeks he’s looking forward to a story before bed
Resistance, many times, is the path forward..continue