A year and a half ago, I didn’t wake up with a dramatic epiphany.
There was no mirror moment. No rock bottom. No doctor’s ultimatum.
What I had was something quieter—and far more dangerous: acceptance.
Acceptance of being tired.
Acceptance of carrying extra weight.
Acceptance of telling myself “I’ll get back to it someday.”
And one night, that sentence finally sounded like a lie.
The First Choice
I didn’t overhaul my life overnight. I didn’t follow a perfect plan.
I made one decision: I would stop negotiating with myself.
I started with intermittent fasting—eight days in, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: clarity. Hunger came and went, but discipline stayed. The noise around food quieted. For the first time, I wasn’t eating out of habit, stress, or boredom. I was eating with intention.
That alone shifted everything.
The Nightly Commitment
Then came the bike.
Every night, no matter how the day went, I got on it for 30 minutes.
High intensity. No excuses. No bargaining.
Some nights I was motivated.
Some nights I was exhausted.
Some nights I told myself I’d “go easy.”
But I learned quickly: consistency matters more than motivation.
The first few weeks were brutal. Legs burned. Lungs fought back.
But slowly, something changed.
My body adapted.
My mind hardened.
My confidence grew.
The Weight Fell Off — But That Wasn’t the Real Win
Over time, the scale started moving.
Ten pounds. Twenty. Thirty.
Eventually, 50 pounds were gone.
But the biggest transformation wasn’t physical.
It was mental.
I stopped seeing myself as someone trying to get healthy.
I started seeing myself as someone who shows up.
I wasn’t chasing a number anymore.
I was building trust with myself.
What I Learned Along the Way
This journey taught me a few truths that stuck:
- Discipline beats motivation every time.
- Short, intense effort done consistently is powerful.
- You don’t need perfection—just repetition.
- Your body listens when your mind stops making excuses.
I didn’t become someone new.
I returned to someone I forgot I could be.
Why I’m Sharing This
I’m not sharing this to show off before-and-after photos.
I’m sharing it because I know how easy it is to believe change is for other people.
It’s not.
It’s for the person who’s tired of restarting.
It’s for the person who thinks it’s too late.
It’s for the person who just needs proof that simple, hard choices—done daily—work.
If I can do this, you can too.
Not tomorrow.
Not when it’s convenient.
Today.
JT
