There it was—right there on the scale. 241. A number I had never seen before. Not on any scale I’d ever stepped on.
Now look, I’m not a professional athlete. And if I was, maybe that number would make sense—if it came with 241 pounds of muscle. But that wasn’t my reality. Not even close.
The surgeon’s assistant saw the look on my face and tried to soften the blow.
“Oh, our scale isn’t always accurate.”
I laughed and said,
“Oh no. That’s me. And that’s unacceptable.”
“Surgery is the right solution for your spine,” he said.
“But you’re going to need to lose weight if you want this to work long term.”
He explained it clearly: I was carrying too much extra weight, which could cause complications during surgery—and slow the healing process afterward.
I wanted to be mad. But he was right. I had let myself go. I was carrying 60 extra pounds beyond my in-shape days. And I knew it.
I had known for a while. I just didn’t want to face it.
I found excuses. I justified it. I laughed it off when I needed to cry it out.
In the mirror, I could almost still see that version of me—the one who was strong, capable, fast.
But then I’d see a photo… or catch a side angle on video… and it made me sick.
I hated what I saw. I hated how I felt. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t just feel disappointed—I felt convicted. So I made a decision. I would change.
Not just drop some weight—but rebuild my entire approach to health, habits, and healing. I asked my surgeon for his recommendations. Then I turned to something new: ChatGPT.
I spent hours talking to it—testing ideas, poking at nutrition plans, checking supplement research, writing meal prep strategies, troubleshooting emotional eating triggers…
Until finally, I landed on a solution that felt like me. Not someone else’s program. Not an Instagram guru’s funnel. A plan I could stick to. A system that made sense.
This site is the living, breathing record of that rebuild. I’m still in the early stages—down nearly 10 pounds in the first month post-surgery—but I’m not stopping.
This isn’t a comeback.
It’s a full reset. (Read More)
If you are seeing this message. First, thank you so much for stopping my. If you will fill out the form to the left, I will email the cookbook as soon as it is finished. I am currently building this website and frankly, it is taking longer than I thought it would. So, I appreciate your understanding and patience. I will complete the cookbook very soon (within the week) and get it out to you. This is the free version and as such, is not formatted the way it will be but it will still be quite useful to you.
I am not a chef or nutritionist. This is just a cookbook that I have created with lots of hours invested chatting with chatGPT to come up with a diet plan that I can lose a lot of weight with. It is experimental and I welcome any and all feedback. – Paul
I’m not a fitness guru. I’m not a dietitian, doctor, or nutritionist. I’m just a man who got tired of being stuck.
If you’re here reading this, maybe you’ve felt that too.
Maybe your “scale moment” wasn’t a number—but a look in the mirror, a lab result, or just the sound of your own breathing when you climb the stairs.
Whatever it is… you don’t have to stay there.
The change I’m chasing isn’t about looking good on camera (not that I would mind that). It’s about honoring the body God gave me. It’s about showing up for my wife and family. It’s about fighting for a future that doesn’t quit when life gets hard. And frankly, I would like to enjoy the amazing hikes available here in Hawaii without stopping every few minutes to rest.
And now—with chatGPT in my corner—I’ve got tools, insight, and structure I didn’t have before.
If you want to follow along, learn what I’m learning, or even build your own plan—I’ll show you everything I’m doing. No hype. No filter. Just real change.
As I have mentioned many times since I started this process: this is not the finished product. You are witnessing or participating in the beginning steps. The work is currently being done – I am still working on losing weight.
So what do you want to do now?
