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Today’s guest is Zack Strength, a former USC defensive tackle turned fitness influencer, known for his incredible meal photos on social media of an animal-based diet.
Zack shares his journey from a high-carb athlete to a low-carb advocate, losing over 90 pounds with a ketogenic diet. He focuses on whole, animal-based foods and intense full-body workouts. Zack emphasizes consistency and finding a personalized routine that works for you, whilst avoiding the pitfalls of information overload in the fitness industry.
Key topics discussed:
- Prioritizing whole, animal-based foods and its benefits.
- The transition to low-carb, ketogenic diet and why it doesn't suit everyone
Zack shares his journey from a high-carb athlete to a low-carb advocate, losing over 90 pounds with a ketogenic diet. He focuses on whole, animal-based foods and intense full-body workouts. Zack emphasizes consistency and finding a personalized routine that works for you, whilst avoiding the pitfalls of information overload in the fitness industry.
Key topics discussed:
- Prioritizing whole, animal-based foods and its benefits.
- The transition to low-carb, ketogenic diet and why it doesn't suit everyone
- Role of consistency and gradual changes in achieving health goals.
- Challenges and benefits of intermittent fasting and extended fasting.
- Emphasis on self-discipline, goal-setting, and personal accountability.
- Emphasis on self-discipline, goal-setting, and personal accountability.
- Navigating misinformation and conflicting advice in the health and nutrition space.
(06:10) Transition to a Low-Carb, Ketogenic Diet
(14:25) Weight Loss and Health Transformation
(20:55) Training Routine and Full-Body Workouts
(28:30) Importance of Consistency and Personal Accountability
(34:45) Mindset and Motivation in Fitness
(41:60) Building a Community on Social Media
(49:10) Balancing Nutrition and Lifestyle
(56:20) Addressing Misinformation in Health and Nutrition
(01:03:50) Inspiration and Personal Growth Through Fitness
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Creators & Guests
What is The Meat Mafia Podcast?
The Meat Mafia Podcast is hosted by @MeatMafiaBrett and @MeatMafiaHarry.
We're two guys who walked away from the typical path to carve out something different. Based in Austin, we’re on a mission to figure out what it takes to live a fulfilled life in a world that often pushes us away from meaning.
We have conversations with people we believe can help us, diving deep into the pillars of health, wealth, and faith, as the cornerstones of our mission.
Whether it's challenging the modern food system, questioning conventional health advice, or building something from the ground up, we're here to explore the tough questions and share the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
If you're tired of the noise and ready to find meaning, tune in and join us!
Zach Strength YT
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[00:00:00] Well, Zach, thanks so much for doing this, man.
Yeah, you have, uh, some of the best meal pictures I've ever seen on Twitter. And that's, I think that's how a lot of people discover you is from your little, uh, from your apartment window, you'll post these beautiful pictures of steak, eggs, fish, all this stuff you're eating. And so I think I saw one of those pictures maybe like a year or two years ago when I had recently gotten on Twitter.
And then I saw you and I'm like, this guy's absolutely jacked, low carb guy, great mustache. So the, the steak pictures led me to you. But then I've really been enjoying just learning from you and all your content on Twitter. Awesome. You know, that means a lot. It's been fun to share content, just give insight into what I do.
And I'm glad it's resonated positively with a lot of people and proven to be pretty helpful. Yeah, it's when we were saying off camera, it's pretty incredible what you can build off of social media because I think you had said you were just looking to get on Twitter just to connect with some other people in the fitness space and almost like unintentionally built out your [00:01:00] account and your brand, right?
Yeah, a hundred percent. So to, you know, expand on that a bit, um, I had never planned on my Twitter account or X account growing as big as it did. Uh, I had had a personal account that Uh, it wasn't really enjoying using, cause there was a lot of, uh, let's say bad football and political takes. It didn't add value to my life.
And, um, one day I signed back in to get some college football updates. Saw some cool tweets that made it into my timeline. I don't know how from some cool fitness and nutrition accounts decided, Hey, I'll start my own. And, um, you know, maybe interact with people in a different community that I've never met before and started doing that all of a sudden it resonated.
It grew and it's. It's been a very nice community to be a part of. That's awesome. What's your, uh, what's your most controversial football take? Oh man, um, I don't really know. I'm trying to think of one. Um, I mean, I'll just say I think Tom Brady is the greatest [00:02:00] player of all time. Uh, you know, whenever you speak to the greats, there are a lot of heated opinions and it's very hard to compare, uh, Positions in football because I was a d tackle which is incredibly different than a quarterback Which is different than a defensive back, which is different than a punter, but all things considered If you had to ask me the greatest player because people like to speak about that.
I'm gonna go with Tom Brady Tom Brady I well, I agree with you So not that controversial to me, but so you, uh, speaking of football, so you played, uh, your defensive tackle USC and you graduate in 2012, right? Correct. How was that overall experience? Just playing at that level with that tradition and the program and everything like that.
I mean, to say it was, I'd like to say, but that's really an understatement and I can't put it into words because I grew up in Southern California. So USC was my dream school to go to. I still get chills when I hear the fight song. Um, you know, I was incredibly blessed to get that opportunity to And, you know, it was just surreal every other week, uh, [00:03:00] during the fall hopping on an airplane to go play an opponent for the team that I love, uh, the game that I love the most.
Uh, just, yeah, absolutely great experience. The tradition there, the football culture there, um, the way the fans were, were so engaged. I mean, that USC Trojan community is. It's so amazing and I'm just so blessed to have been a part and still be a part of that. Yeah, there's definitely like a certain just magic and allure around that program in particular.
Were you, uh, were you highly recruited prospect out of high school? I was not, uh, you know, I was mostly recruited by, uh, smaller schools. I didn't go to a school that really produced all that much, uh, football talent. And, um, I mean, that's, that's no excuse. You can be good playing, uh, anywhere, but, um, yeah, SC was an uphill battle to, uh, play at, but you know, I'm the kind of person that, uh, I like to take on the challenge and I wanted to play at USC.
So, um, you know, if there's a will, there's a way. Yeah. Were you a preferred walk on? I, uh, I did walk on, uh, preferred. [00:04:00] So it's kind of a weird story. Um, I actually, when I originally went to SC, I decided, um, I wasn't going to play sports. I had transferred from another school where I had played football and thought I'll focus on my business degree, but that didn't last.
I ran into a baseball coach there who I had trained with in high school and he said, Hey, we'll give you a spot on the baseball team without even trying out. I'm like, great. Ended up injuring my elbow. I was a pitcher getting surgery on it and then thought, all right, what can I do? And so I walked into the football office one day and I said, um, you know, I want to play football.
What are, what are the tryouts? Uh, they told me when. Tried out, uh, made the team, next thing I knew, uh, it was my first season, they posted the travel roster, I had made it, and all of a sudden I'm being thrown into games, and I'm like, Wow, this, uh, this really panned out nicely. Dude, that's an unbelievable story.
So you literally went there to play baseball, injured your elbow, just walked into the coach's office and just like tried out cold and made the team? [00:05:00] Almost. I mean, what's crazy is I wasn't even going to play baseball there. I bumped into a baseball coach who I trained with in high school, who had became part of the SE staff.
And he was like, wait, You go to SC, and then he just gave me a spot on the roster. Yeah. I mean, that ended when I got injured, and then I thought, Hey, I'll go play football since my arm, I can't throw with it anymore, so. I actually did, um, my, going into my senior year of college, I did Tom House's pitching camp at SC.
That was the coach. That really? Yeah. Dude, he's, uh, just that whole experience was amazing and just like his level of knowledge is unbelievable, but it was so cool just to like be on the field and experience the campus and that was the first time I'd experimented with weighted balls and everything like that, but such a like incredible mind for the game.
Oh yeah, he's, he's incredibly smart. Um, you know, it was cool to, to play some baseball under him and train with him in, uh, in high school and in college. So, uh, it's cool. We both trained with him. Yeah, seriously. And so you, did they, like when you're walking on, I've heard that like with certain D1 [00:06:00] programs, they might not even like give you gear or anything to make the team.
Did they give you gear or like, what was that experience like? So of course you're, you know, at the bottom of the totem pole. And you have to work for, for what you want. And so I didn't care how I was treated because I knew that I was going to try my hardest and get the best that I could get. I don't think I experienced anything like not giving, uh, not getting equipment except for, I guess one thing.
And, um, I think this is something that, you know, helped kind of elevate me on that totem pole was they didn't give any, mouthpieces to the new walk ons for the first practice, which is weird. And they set up the Oklahoma drill, uh, which has been, you know, banned now. And you see a lot of players, um, who shy away from that drill because it's very contact heavy and I was all about it.
So I hopped on in without a mouthpiece, one of the starting linebackers and, uh, laid a pretty good hit on them [00:07:00] and, um, got some cheers and, uh, You know, I, I can't prove it, but I think that earned me some respect and was kind of the start of me, uh, climbing that ladder to playing time. Mm. So it sounds like your mindset in college was probably a differentiator for you.
I think so. I've always been one to, uh, work very hard and aggressively, uh, for what I want. Cause I understand that nobody's going to hand me anything. If I want something, I have to earn it myself. So, um, you know, there's a lot of things where I'm never going to be the best that I am. Uh, person at it, but I won't let anybody outwork me.
Yeah. And you were saying that, um, when you were playing in college, you were walking around around like 295, is that right? I topped out at 293. 2 pounds to be exact. And that was on, uh, that was on my pro day. That's incredible. So how different was just the training, lifestyle, dieting then compared to now?
Because now you're walking around like 220, super lean, shredded. How different was it back then? Yeah. So back then, [00:08:00] obviously I was training a lot more, not just weight training, uh, but a lot of cardio, um, you know, technique training for the defensive line, uh, watching a lot of film, you know, passing my classes and whatnot.
Uh, the lifting, of course, is a lot heavier and a lot more focused, uh, on football, a lot of explosive moves, you know, a lot of, uh, power cleans and, uh, Similar explosive movements as far as eating of course. I was getting my protein in you know Lots of protein shakes that were team provided as well as ordering my own Eating all the meals I could I wasn't tracking anything back then.
I was just trying to be as big as possible To be honest. I did want to hit 300 pounds, but no matter how much I ate I just couldn't, uh, put it on. And then I know a question a lot of people ask me. So maybe people will think it, uh, when they hear this is why would you want to put on all this weight and not just focus on muscle mass and to, uh, answer that it's that, you know, you have to [00:09:00] think about it this way, I'm a defensive lineman across from an offensive or two offensive linemen, and we're trying to take each other on the bigger I am, the more mass there is for them to move.
So if I'm bigger. I'm more of a challenge for them, and it puts me in a better position. And then, of course, uh, mass moves mass, so the bigger I, uh, was, the stronger I would be. Yeah. So you were just focused on pure mass in college. Did you guys have nutritionists or anything that talked to you about dietary choices?
When I played baseball in college, they really didn't talk to us about nutrition. And sometimes I, I think about like, if I knew about, you know, alcohol consumption, dieting, cooking my meals, I sometimes wonder if my career would have been different at all, but was anyone teaching you about nutrition or healthy eating habits or anything like that in school?
Yeah, we actually had a great nutritionist and when I was trying to gain weight, I went to her and, um, you know, I explained my situation. Hey, I'm trying to gain weight. I want to get to 300 pounds, but I'm eating and eating and can't Put on any more weight and she knew what the issue was immediately.
She's [00:10:00] like, all right, so you're trying to get strong. So I assume you're eating a ton of protein, aren't you? I'm like, yeah, she told me I'm probably over consuming protein and I need to get some more carbs in there to, you know, get in some easier calories and to stay hungrier since all that protein is very satiating.
So, um, you know, I didn't look too much into nutrition at that point, at least not into, um, you know, how you have the different insulin. Spikes and hormone changes, carbs, protein, fats, like, uh, I know more about now, but I started eating, you know, a lot more, uh, carbohydrates, incorporating more rice into my diet and whatnot.
And my weight started to shoot up. Yeah. So you listened to her advice, ended up putting on the weight, had a great career. Is there a, is there a college football memory that like sticks out that you're the most proud of? Yeah, I would have to say, uh, the first game that I ever played in just because, uh, it was such a dream to play for USC.
And, um, you know, I had prepped so hard [00:11:00] and was, uh, dedicating my life to being the best football player that I could be. And I had unfortunately injured myself in fall camp. And so, you know, that just wrecked me mentally. And then, um, I get healthy. For the first game, um, or the third game of that season of my, my first game where I was active and I get put into the game and, uh, go in, uh, first play breakthrough the offensive line, you know, quarterback ends up scrambling, uh, by one of our linebackers because he's distracted with me chasing him, fumbles the ball, we recover it.
And so I was like, just so, you know, jacked up on adrenaline and to go in and make an impact on my first play. And um, coach Lane Kiffin had me break down the team, um, at, at the the, uh, at the end of his post game talk to the team. And so that was just like the coolest thing, I guess, that happened to me football wise.
Uh, it's, you know, it's, it's almost like you can't even write something [00:12:00] that good. Somebody who dreamed of playing at this university gets put into a game at the Coliseum, uh, makes a nice play, uh, gets to break down the team. Um, you know, the whole one, two, three team Trojans, whatever we said. So, uh, yeah, that was awesome.
Dude, I can't even imagine how good that must have felt in the adrenaline after that experience. I mean, I'm getting the chills thinking about it now. Just thinking about it. And thinking that you were like potentially gonna play baseball, then you're done making the team, and then you like come in and have an impact like that.
Yeah, it was, it was sweet. Yeah, and so you graduate 2012, Um, did you immediately, did you go into finance like right after you're done playing football? So after I graduated, I actually, um, went into, uh, grad school, uh, did that a year and a half. Um, and then I tried to, uh, go as far as I could professionally in football.
So, um, didn't have too much interest from the NFL, had some interest from CFL. And then a lot of teams, you know, I'm in like, you know, those arena, those, those indoor leagues were talking to me and I thought, you know, uh, I'll, I'll take whatever [00:13:00] path I can get to, to keep playing. So I did a little bit of that.
And then, um, after about a year of going that Avenue, I just had to be real with myself and was like, you know, I've, I've given it my best effort and I've made it a lot farther than I Excuse me. Then I think that, um, I had initially thought that I'd make it to and realize that that level of competition, um, I, I felt like I was starting to fall behind no matter how much work that I put in the, the higher up I, I, I went and thought, you know, I have two degrees from an amazing university.
It's time to put them to good use and um, and get out into the uh, the corporate world. Yeah. How was that transition from, you know, playing football at one of the highest levels to then kind of getting spit out into an office job? I know a lot of athletes struggle with it. What was that like for you? Uh, psychologically, it was very tough, you know, cause when, when you're a football player at a big time, uh, university, it's, You're treated like royalty everywhere you go.
So it was, you know, it's pretty nice. Um, and then, you know, [00:14:00] given that I was blessed with so much size, even going out into the corporate world, people were always asking, like, especially cause I was, I was young, still very large, uh, about, you know, what sports I played. They, they could tell. So still treated pretty, uh, good from people realizing, uh, And I guess people are just being respectful, uh, over overall, but psychologically just realizing like, Hey, uh, you, um, we're in a real cool place living your dream now, kind of doing what everyone else is doing, which, you know, it's not a bad thing, but it's, uh, So, um, you know, I had a lot of friends that I think, uh, struggled similarly because it's a, it's a big lifestyle change, but, um, you know, ultimately it did put me on a good path and I learned so much, uh, playing football and had so many experiences, which really, you know, prepped me for the non football world.
And I think that's, or not think, I know that's helped me be successful, um, today out, um, you know, in a different world. Yeah, it's a it's one of those things where like you're so grateful for [00:15:00] those experiences because they've shaped you into the man that you are and why you you've had a lot of success at a young age.
And then there's also there's like this, I think purity that comes from playing sports at a high level with your best friends, you're around them, you know, 4060 plus hours a week. And I think for me, because I, you know, transition from playing college baseball to going into tech sales, I think maybe I thought I could get that purity of competition in there.
You definitely can push yourself and get that competitiveness, but just that feeling of just competing for that mission with your teammates, it's, it's really tough to replicate that. I think a lot of people struggle with that. Yeah. I mean, you can't really replicate it. Um, I know in, in the corporate world, people try and make these like analogies and you know, you'll see like a PowerPoint of Michael Jordan and some quote and like, yeah, sure.
It's like, Can be motivating, I guess, but then in a way, it's like, it makes you think back to your athletic days and it's like, okay, these are just two, you know, totally different avenues, totally different ways of life. And it's kind of funny, but, um, yeah, you're right. It is, it is a lot different. There is [00:16:00] the sense of competition and drive, but it can't be replicated.
Definitely. So what was the weight loss transformation like for you to go from 293 down to 220, which you're. So it was a lot of fun and it was very educational. So as I was playing football at USC, I started to get a lot more into nutrition and into fitness, trying to be the best athlete that I could.
But I was also thinking about the long term, you know, after football, I knew my diet, I knew my training would have to transition. So I wanted to prep myself with as much knowledge as I could. And one day I came across. This thing called the ketogenic diet. Um, it's either on a website. You know, the bodybuilding.
com forums, or there's another forum, anabolic minds, um, might've been that one. I can't quite remember, but I read about this thing, uh, keto and you know, it sounds like too good to be true. And then I'm reading more about it and I'm seeing steak, [00:17:00] eggs, bacon, butter, like, you know, um, having a cheeseburger, but taking away the buns and wrapping it with lettuce, maybe add a little bit of ranch if, if you wanted to.
And I'm like, wait a second. I can lose weight. Eating these foods that I would much rather eat anyways, then, you know, all the other stuff out there, I got to try this, uh, when I'm done playing football, so my football career ended, I decided, okay, instead of going straight into keto and being too extreme.
Cause I know a lot of people fail when they just try and like, you know, turn on a switch like that. I. First eliminated all simple carbs, you know, so no like impulse candy bars at the 7 Eleven. Um, simple things like, okay, I'll have a meal with like brown rice or have some like quinoa or something. And then I started eliminating those.
So it was like slow carb to low carb. And then I thought, okay, now that, um, I'm getting used to cutting carbs out, I am going to go full keto and [00:18:00] I'm going to start tracking. And I used this app called my fitness pal and. I was reading and I had read over the years that the first few weeks you might feel like absolute garbage, but I, you know, I kept in mind that, Hey, uh, if you want something, it's not going to come easy.
So I'm going to power through this no matter how bad I feel. Um, most people I read suffer for like two to three weeks when they first get into ketosis. It took me more like five. And you know, of course there's times where I'm just like, ah, I want to, I want to quick. So I don't, I don't feel good doing this, but I told myself, just wait till you get through to the other side and you'll feel great.
So after five weeks, something just like clicks and my energy shoots way up. Um, my hunger levels have, uh, evened out. Um, you know, the. scale was dropping, of course, there was the initial water weight loss, and then it continued to go down and then it took about one year for me to lose 92 pounds. So from two 93, all the way to 201 pounds.
And then I thought, [00:19:00] you know, I, uh, I can't get under 200. That is way too thin at six, five. Um, I've lost more muscle and strength than I would like. So let me start. bulking back up with the long term goal of keep my body fat low, but put back on as much of this muscle as possible. So I could be, um, lean, uh, yet strong and muscular.
Wow. So I didn't realize you got as low as 200 pounds. Let's say two Oh one. I don't want to say 200, we need that extra pound. I weighed, I weighed 201 pounds. Yeah. I remember getting on the scale. scale being like, Oh my goodness. Um, and then, uh, started to, uh, increase my calorie intake there. Awesome. It's so interesting how difference every everyone's transition is, because I know certain people that they latch onto a low carb diet and they, they immediately feel amazing.
Like their energy levels are great. They start losing weight. Some people, it takes them a couple of weeks. It sounds like in your case, it was five weeks to, to feel really good. When, do you remember like during that five week transition? Was it, were you struggling more so with like [00:20:00] cravings for other foods or do you think your electrolyte levels were low and you didn't feel like you had that same pop with workouts?
Do you remember what that was during the transition? I mean, thinking back to it, I think it really was just transitioning and, um, putting different fuel for my body to run off of that it wasn't used to. Um, electrolyte wise, I had read that I may have issues, so I was trying to make sure I got in proper electrolytes.
Uh, maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Good. A hundred percent say there. Um, but I wouldn't say cravings were all too bad. Yeah. I would just say that the way I felt was really You know, just off like I had that brain fog that some people speak about where I would literally sometimes be in a conversation with someone and like, couldn't even remember what they, they were saying.
I was like, so zoned out and it just like, wasn't me. And I'm like thinking, Oh my goodness, when is this, when is this going to end? And when it did, you know, things went beyond baseline. And I remember, you know, being at work, [00:21:00] um, Past that five week point, being able to like hyper focus, go the whole day and not even need anything to eat, just get the task at hand done, and um, so yeah, I'm glad I stuck with it.
Yeah, cause you look at the way that it's trans transform your life, it's incredible, and I feel like most people, they just don't give themselves the opportunity to really like, compound that. positive interests where they're just constantly tinkering with different diets, cutting out sugar, working in sugar, et cetera, et cetera.
And they never really get themselves anywhere where it's like, if you just pick one good path from a nutrition perspective and just stick with it, it's like you can have the type of results that you've had. Yeah. I think, you know, one of the unfortunate things of, today's society is that we're all so used to being able to get exactly what we want on demand.
Yes. And it is, uh, created a lot of, uh, impatience. You know, if, if I wanted to get some food and drink right now, I could just pull out my phone, go on an app, order something right here. Um, you know, you want to get something from Amazon, you can have it in a, in a day or two. So people are so used to getting instant gratification.
[00:22:00] So when it comes. To trying to transform your diet. Uh, people I think just get impatient and they, they don't want to do things that are, that are hard and, um, I mean they've, they've kind of been conditioned. So it's kind of, you know, unfair to, to judge other people who have basically, you know, been told, Hey, this is the way you're supposed to, and that you can live.
And it's, you know, quite a, a change, um, where if, if you want to do something significant in changing, uh, you know, your, your body composition, that's going to take a lot of effort. You can't just order it off an app. Definitely. Yeah. Especially in a city like New York, right? We can pull our phones out, go on DoorDash.
Order literally any single type of delicious food, you know, cooked in vegetable oil or whatever process additives and have it delivered right there, right? It's a lot easier in the short term than, you know, walking however far to Whole Foods, getting your groceries, bringing that home, cooking a meal, cleaning up afterwards.
But it's literally like the energy that you invest in that process is like the exact energy that you're going to get back to. You can't replace it. Yeah, exactly. You know, [00:23:00] uh, garbage in, garbage out. Yeah. Yeah. So you, so you get down to 200, you're like 201. Thank you. 201. Um, you're like, all right, I want to put on a little bit more muscle mass.
You get up to 220, which seems like it's a really good, sustainable weight for you. What is like an average day of eating or like food groups that you really enjoy that you're able to stay consistent to and, um, have ultimately worked for you? So, uh, how much I eat in a day, or I guess the frequency I eat in a day is, going to depend on my activity levels and that's usually going to be related to lifting.
So today wasn't a lifting day, for example. So before I came here all I've had today was a black coffee and which I put, uh, some coconut oil, which I don't always do, but I had some tasks I wanted to focus on and make sure the hunger State of Bay put in an electrolyte supplement. And then I had a pound of steak with some avocado and that's all I've had.
I'll have one more meal today. So it's a non lift day. So I'm going to have two meals now, if it were a lifting day, I lift early in the morning. [00:24:00] So, you know, I, I, I wake up around four 40, uh, maybe, uh, five 15. If I got to bed a little too late, uh, go in and lift while it's still dark. And so I, I don't think it's usually the best practice to wait.
to have my first meal to the afternoon. My body wants its nutrients. Um, so on a lifting day, I'll have three meals, uh, maybe a little bit more, you know, calorie wise, given I've had more meals. And then, you know, there may be some days where I'm getting like 20, 30, 000 plus steps and think, you know what, uh, let me eat some of these extra calories here because, uh, it's, it's not going to have a negative impact on me as far as food groups.
I mean, um, anyone that follows me on social media already knows. Uh, very animal based diet. Um, you know, I like salmon. I like, uh, pork, uh, chicken every now and then. Some turkey here and there. Um, but a lot of people do assume I'm carnivore. I would say I'm very close because I eat, uh, Uh, primarily animal based foods, but I do [00:25:00] like things like avocado, um, you know, people might crucify me for this one, you know, some broccoli, some cauliflower every now and then, um, spinach, um, you know, think like green leafy, uh, vegetables, um, but yeah, that's, that's basically the base of what I eat.
Yeah. So it sounds like, you know, You have this kind of template that's worked really well for you on training days. You'll have three meals when you're not training, you'll have two meals, you're getting a bunch of steps in. It's not like you're really fitting your diet into this very rigid box. And I've gotten crucified for that too, where like my story, when like my carnivore healing story with my stomach that that helped.
And I think that helped get us some attention. But now I'm at a point where my, you know, my gut health is really good. I have a permeable gut. So like I'll throw in some vegetables, some fruit every once in a while, but I'm like still relatively like within that hundred carb or less threshold every single day.
And that seems like that's similar to you and that works. Yeah. I mean my carbs I would say are lower a lot of times. Like, um, I think I've only had, Like 13. 5 grams of carbs [00:26:00] today. I have a tracker I've been using that's why I'm being so precise, OCD. But I mean, you know, the 100 150 gram range is a lot lower than what the standard American is eating.
So even though not keto, it's still a low enough level of carbs to keep people feeling good and not feeling the consequences of eating, you know, a higher carb diet like a lot of people do. Um, but yeah. And yeah, that's generally a pretty good sweet spot. And when I consult people on nutrition who aren't looking to do keto, uh, they're generally within that range and, uh, it's done wondrous for 'em.
Yeah. Do you still track a lot of your meals in the MyFitnessPal? So I've been using this app chronometer now. Okay. Because, uh, it links to, uh, different databases. I'm not sure if my FitnessPal has made updates, but I just kind of got embedded into chronometer, I guess. So I like 'em both. I had not tracked and I want to say around.
Eight or nine months until this week, actually. Um, just coincidentally, but, um, it's [00:27:00] something that, uh, I do like to use, um, when I'm trying to lean out. But I'll even go, you know, months at a time where I have no particular goal. I mean, I guess I'll call it gain tenants. Um, or I'm not really trying to lose or gain fat, but just, you know, and not overdo the calories too much.
And I like to see the data, which provides me insight into what I can and can't do. And, you know, how it relates to different lifts and, um, energy levels and whatnot. But, um, yeah, I've done a lot of tracking over the years. I think my record was doing like over 500 straight days and, uh, it's, it's really helped me to learn about myself.
Wow. So 500 days straight. That's incredible. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend anyone go that crazy on it. Um, it's just, I don't know, I got a little OCD with it. Yeah, and I'm sure you're probably at a point now where like you can look at a plate of food and like roughly estimate pretty accurately like the amount of calories and the macronutrients and things like that too.
But it takes time to get to that level of intuitiveness. Yeah, it does, it does take a lot of time. And I mean, [00:28:00] even with all the experience I have. If I'm trying to get to sub, uh, 10 percent body fat, I'm going to track because, uh, knowing those exact numbers, uh, gets important because, yeah, I can lose a ton of fat without tracking a single calorie, but I want to ensure that I'm getting, uh, as much protein as I need without going over on, uh, calories as well, and so the best thing to do is just to throw it on into a tracker.
Yeah. So if you're trying to go for a goal of like, say sub 10% or 9%, is there a specific caloric deficit that you're looking to hit every single day? So I would say I'm probably going 500 plus. You know, I try not to go like too extreme if I'm doing things long term. Hmm. Um, but I mean it really depends on what level of body fat I'm at, how I've been eating.
There's been times where I've. Made it like a 250, 300 calorie deficit. There's been times like last summer, I decided [00:29:00] I don't feel like doing this long cut, so I'm going to go really fast and really hard and to preface it, I'm not recommending anybody do this. Cause if you don't have any, you know, experience, and even if you do, you could be setting yourself up for something catastrophic, but I did a seven day fast followed by five straight days of PSMF, you know, protein sparing modified fast, and.
I lost like, I don't know, 12, 13, maybe 14 pounds, and I was already keto. Yeah. Um, so I know I didn't lose that much water weight when I did that, and the weight stayed off for months. So I know I had, you know, burned off a lot of fat doing that, and so the caloric deficit there was, you know, uh, Fasting for seven days, it's in the, in the thousands, but that's not something typical of what I do.
But just to like, you know, get some insight into some of the extremes that I've, that I've done and, you know, it's fun to experiment, uh, as well, the more experience you get. It really is. What was, uh, what was the most challenging part about doing that fast? I love eating, [00:30:00] man. And so like, I've done a lot of fasts, generally between 24 and 72 hours.
I've done 4 day fasts, 5 days fasts. Uh, that was my first 7 day fast. And I actually didn't plan on going all 7 days. I just thought it was time to fast. Thought I'd go a few days. Once I hit 5 days, I'm like, Alright, I'll make it go all 7. I think day six was the toughest, where I was just getting these extreme, like, hunger pangs.
Um, I don't know if it was because of the fact I had been fasting for six days, or if I knew that, uh, seven days was just a day away. And there was something in my subconscious, you know, or maybe something even out in front that was making me hungry. But yeah, just loving to eat and, you know, missing out on that enjoyment, even, even during times of the fast where my hunger was at bay.
Like I think eating is fun. I mean, like cooking up some steak and eggs and, you know, just. Enjoying the, uh, the taste of it, like taking that away for a week, uh, isn't [00:31:00] the most fun thing in the world. Yeah, I did, um, the longest I've ever done was earlier this year. I did a 96 hour fast of just water and electrolytes.
And that was, I think I lost, Somewhere between like eight to 10 pounds and I noticed it like a clear difference before and after in terms of like my vascularity, the definition and I felt like during that fast, I kept oscillating between just feeling so mentally sharp and having like a new relationship with food and then just being like so hungry and cranky and irritable and I know everyone has a different experience with fasting where some people were like it was the best experience or it was the worst experience.
I just kept, uh, like oscillating back and forth, but it was, it was still great. But I found myself on YouTube just like watching all these food porn videos and steak cooking videos and stuff, which is like the worst thing that you could be doing. Yeah. I stayed away from watching, uh, any like food content other than what I saw on my Twitter feed.
But that's interesting that you mentioned like oscillating because yeah, there were these like times, you know, or it's like you just feel like you're on a [00:32:00] cloud. There's no hunger. You're in the zone. Uh, you get this like hit of euphoria or whatever, you're like, Oh, this is great. I could go forever. And then like an hour later, you're like, I am going to punch the next person I see in the face if they look at me the wrong way.
Yeah. No, literally. I, I reached a point where in the office I was like, I'm just, it was like, I remember it was two o'clock and I'm like, I'm just done working for the day cause I'm just so cranky and irritable and I have like no cognitive power. power at all. And then I wake up the next morning and I feel absolutely amazing after a night of sleep.
So I don't know what that was, but I do, I do think it's a worthwhile experience for anyone to try for a number of different reasons. Yeah. Uh, I, I, I do think so as well. And like you had mentioned, uh, an extended fast really does help. people to reevaluate their relationship with food, which, um, you know, I, I think that's important nowadays with all of the, uh, food related, uh, illnesses and diseases that we're seeing.
Uh, it's, it's good for people to take a step back and, um, [00:33:00] have some type of realization. Definitely. What, um, what do a lot of your training sessions look like? I feel like you're a big, like heavyweight guy and you're consistent with it. Like how many days a week are you lifting? Do you do cardio? What is, uh, what's worked for you?
So generally I only lift three times a week, but they are very intense. And they, uh, are full body sessions. Now, maybe I've trained extremely hard for weeks on end and decide, Hey, you know, today I'm just going to do like upper body with dumbbells or something. But if we're to look at the program that I normally run, it's three full body, uh, workouts per week.
And my focus is on compound movements and I like to go heavy. So the base of my workouts is a five by five style. Um, but I will switch that up every once in a while. Like the last few weeks, I've been doing three sets of 10 on my squat where I've kept bench at five by five, uh, for the most part. Um, but I've also incorporated, you know, like three sets of 10, uh, front squats.
And then, um, in the near future [00:34:00] here, I'll go back to doing five sets of five and increase the weight on squat as well. Uh, but yeah, I focus on, uh, squat. bench press, uh, deadlift, uh, which is overrated, um, row and overhead press. And you're mostly training fasted in the morning too, right? That's correct. So, I mean, I, I do have a, uh, black coffee, uh, before I lift and of course, uh, my five grams of creatine.
Um, sometimes I'll put, uh, some, uh, you know, LMNT, the electrolyte supplement in my coffee. I, I have some of that right now. Um, Just to have that extra boost and stay, stay hydrated, but yeah, nothing, uh, solid. So, uh, yeah, I'd say a fasted state. Yeah. Do you ever, um, do you ever experiment with trying to lift after a meal and notice the difference in your strength or the way that you feel during a session like that?
Uh, sometimes I do, um, but that's normally when I'm traveling and on a different schedule. So, um, you know, if I'm out on the West coast, sometimes I'll, uh, lift later in the [00:35:00] day or I'll have eaten, um, beforehand strength. I mean, I don't know how much the food is, uh, affecting it, but I, I have noticed that.
you know, training later in the day, sometimes, uh, like let's say it's a weekend, um, and I'm traveling and I decided to train at like 11 or 12, I feel stronger at that time. And I have read some research on how, um, people generally are stronger on that time versus right when they're waking up, but, you know, to be more, uh, efficient and to fit into my lifestyle, the best thing to do is to, to wake up before the sun rises and get that lift in and be done for the day.
Yeah, no, I like that. I feel like. You do a really good job of just finding this routine from a training perspective, nutrition perspective that really just works for you at all levels. And I think it's tough for a lot of newer people that are trying to make positive change to figure out where to start on social media, especially on Twitter, because it seems like diets are like very similar to religions.
Everyone's got a [00:36:00] different training schedule. Some people are like, train in the morning, don't train in the morning, train fast, and don't train fast and eat carbs. Don't eat carbs where it seems like your approach has been. You've just found the thing. That's something that's worked for you for years and you tinker and you iterate, but you just stay consistent.
And most people just don't give themselves the opportunity to stay consistent. Yeah. You nailed it there. Like there's such an information overload nowadays that no matter what you do, you're going to be criticized. Oh, you shouldn't lift at this time. You should lift at that time. You should eat this at that time.
You should cut out more of this macro and add in more of that macro. And you're going to have so many different opinions. And what's funny is like you see online, there's a whole bunch of super fit people with vastly different opinions. approach is all arguing about what's best. And it's like, can you guys all just stop and look at each other for a minute?
You're all in great shape. All of your methods work for you. So it's really up to the individual to find what fits his or her lifestyle. Uh, what works with their schedule. And then what you said. Be consistent. If you just have a [00:37:00] consistent approach in you know, how you're lifting and how you're eating, that's going to determine the bulk of your success.
And then you can refine from there as you start to learn more and more about yourself. Definitely. Yeah. Like I don't get the sense when I look at your Twitter. that I don't get the sense that you're like ever telling anyone what to do. To me it just seems like you're documenting your lifestyle and sharing your learnings.
And it's like, look, if you resonate with my content, I'm here to help you and work with you. And I'll take on private clients and stuff like that. But if you want to experiment with carbohydrates or repeat or whatever, like I'm not telling you what to do. This is just what's worked for me. Yeah, exactly. I mean, like, of course, I have my own opinion on, uh, what may be best or, you know, what kind of direction may be best.
But I also acknowledge, uh, the fact that what I do isn't the best course of action for everybody to do. Like, you know, carbs are super controversial. But if I was still a football player, I would not be on a ketogenic diet. I'd be eating a lot of carbs because I have a different lifestyle and different goals.
And I've, I've, I've said it a lot of [00:38:00] times, um, on my social media that, yeah, what I do is insight into what I do and what works for me. And I'm sharing that for the people who are, you know, interested, but I'm, I'm not telling people what to do. And it's kind of funny. Like I can list something like grass fed and finished ribeye, right?
with pasture raised eggs and grass fed butter. And people will start attacking me for saying I'm telling people how to eat. And I'm like, I literally just listed the ingredients that made my meal. I don't know where you get the idea that I'm telling you to eat this. Um, so yeah, it's been kind of funny to see the reactions of me just sharing what works for me.
Yeah. No, it's such a good point. A theme that we come back to on the show is Harry and I talk about the good, better, best model with meat that we learned from these ranchers in Lubbock, Texas called Holy Cow Beef, and they're all regenerative, grass finished, and the good, better, best is like all meat is good, even if it's outer aisle of the grocery store, like even if you're just, your starting point is are [00:39:00] those cuts of meat, it's still better than anything in the outer, the inner aisle of the grocery store.
And then better is getting to those like grass finished cuts of meat. And then best is a grass finish regenerative from a local farmer. And I think a lot of people think that they need to start at the best model. And for me, when I was sick with ulcerative colitis living in New York city, I was literally just, I didn't know anything about sourcing meat.
So I was just buying the cheap budget cuts of meat from the outer aisle of the grocery store. And like that got, that healed my stomach like 90 percent of the way there. So, you know, I try and buy regenerative and source from local farms as much as I can. to tell people that's where they need to start.
That's like being disingenuous to my story cause I didn't know anything about that and just starting to like make better choices in the grocery store and iterating over time. That's, that's what helped me heal. Oh yeah. I mean, and that's a, that's a great approach too. I mean, kind of same for me when I didn't know that much about the sourcing of me and much of the difference of grass fed, uh, grain fed, you know, um, I'm young trying to incorporate a new way of eating.
All right. [00:40:00] What's stakes on sale? Where's the cheapest eggs? Let me get them. And, you know, I'm losing weight and feeling better. And yeah, a lot of people do get wrapped up in, Oh, I need to optimize this where it's, it's not bad and good. It's like what you said, there's good, better, and best. So, you know, do with the best of your knowledge, what you can.
you can do. And, um, you know, of course getting some of these different meats might be more expensive and, uh, could take a toll on some people. Uh, it's, it's fine to, to go for the good rather than the better or the best. Totally. What is your perspective now on, you know, having pizza or cheat meals? I know you have a family and stuff like that.
What's your, what's your balance between like trying to really stay on the path and also being a human being and having a family and things like that? Yeah, so, you know, first and foremost, my priority is the health and happiness of my family. So if we're going to some kind of event together, I'm not going to, like, bring my own steak or, you know, just [00:41:00] not eat the food if it's, like, Inappropriate to, to do so, I'm gonna enjoy myself.
Um, when it comes to cheat meals, I, I don't really feel the urge to cheat that much. Mm. I, I do these, uh, carb ups, or I'll have like a bunch of, like sushi or on my birthday, I'll have, uh, some, some cheesecake. I, I, I do like cheesecake. Yeah, cheesecake. Uh, but I don't really feel like the need to have like, um, you know, some delivery pizza or like a, a pint of like sugary ice cream or something.
But like. Um, a few weeks ago, my, uh, you know, son and wife were, uh, baking some sweets together as, uh, mothers and sons do. And my son had made me one and was very, um, you know, proud and excited. I would be crazy to turn that down. So of course I ate it and told him how delicious it was because it was delicious.
And, you know, I'm not going to let nutrition control my life. The reason I want to eat healthy is so I can live a better life and I'm not going to let that [00:42:00] You know, flip flop and make it the controlling factor. Definitely. No, I think that's such a good perspective. And it sounds like you really understand your relationship with food too.
And you know, like when I come back to the Northeast, I love, you know, New York pizza or New Jersey pizza. Like when I go out with my grandparents and my parents, we always go to this great pizzeria in South Jersey. And I'm like, I would be crazy to go to this dinner or not go because I'm afraid of eating this food.
It's like, it's delicious. I'm going to enjoy one meal with my family. And then the next day, I'm just going to wake up and just get back to the foods that make me feel really good. Yeah, exactly. And like, that's the way to go. And the point a lot of people miss, I think, is that if you're consistently eating healthy, you've primed your body to be this, you know, well oiled machine, so to speak.
Yeah. That it should be tough enough to withstand going out and having, you know, a meal that's totally carefree. Yeah. And if you're afraid that that's going to ruin something, then, you know, maybe there's There's something wrong with your body or your mind. The human body, uh, is [00:43:00] so resilient. It's okay to go off track and enjoy yourself every once in a while.
Yeah. To your point, it's almost like the message on Twitter should be resilience versus avoidance. And I do think because, you know, Twitter threads have gotten so popular and telling the stories about seed oils and processed foods. And I've definitely been guilty of this too, but it does seem like there's so many people that just have such a strong aversion to this thing where.
They're going to events with like steak and fruit in a Tupperware container, or like they're afraid to be on their cell phone. And it's like, guys, like perfection is not the goal here. Like at the end of the day, you're a human being living in 2024, you know, you are going to get exposed to some toxins and you'll be okay.
Exactly. Like, you know, it's, it's, it's good to avoid to the, uh, best to your ability or what's the term, I mean, to avoid most of the time, but total avoidance. Uh, it's, it's really not the way to go. Right. Yeah. So when you're, um, so when you're working with a client, And you're trying to like, say you're taking someone that [00:44:00] maybe wants to lose 30 pounds.
They've never really gone low carb before. They kind of have been a byproduct of that standard American lifestyle. What are some of like the building blocks that you're talking to them about just to kind of like rewire their relationship with food and eating habits and things like that? Yeah. So first of all, I understand when you change the way that you're eating, it can be very tough and you might get hit with a bunch of cravings and you know, your hunger levels might even go up.
So. Um, and the, uh, initial approach with my clients. When we take a review of what they've been eating and we start switching what they're going to eat. I tell them not to worry about how many calories that they're eating, but to get used to eating more of certain foods and cutting out other ones. And then from there we can go to calorie reduction to start heading towards fat loss because that's what most people tend to want nowadays is, is, is, uh, fat loss.
So. I'm not trying to take that extreme approach of we're automatically jumping into this deficit, turning your nutritional life on its head and [00:45:00] going down this path, because that's the way that a lot of people are going to quit. So I like to, to set that foundation of healthy foods before we start getting more extreme and then tweaking things.
I'll take some feedback from there, you know, speak to their hunger levels, um, Look over the, uh, they can export the data that I have them track in an app for me. Uh, we'll, we'll review that, talk about any challenges, and then we'll appropriately cut calories depending on their level of body fat and what their particular goals and timeline are.
Mm. So it's actually a really smart approach that you have where it's more like addition versus subtraction. So they don't feel like they're missing out on that much, but it's actually really smart because if you're having your clients prioritize like good quality protein sources, I would think that they'd be so satiated that they would want to eat less of the junk food, but they don't feel like they're fully missing out on it that way.
They're going to feel better from these foods and they'll eventually develop that intuitiveness of like, okay, when I gravitate towards animal based products, I'm going to [00:46:00] feel really good. I don't even really want this junk food because it's not going to make me feel the way that the animal based foods do.
Yeah, exactly. Like I've had situations where, you know, somebody has told me that they're still hungry after dinner and they're used to having dessert every now and then. But instead of having that, Uh, ice cream cake or whatever, they'll just have a, you know, another steak or like scramble up some eggs and they're like, you know, I feel a lot better, I don't get bloated and then as time goes on, I'm noticing my appetite going down and once you start removing, uh, you know, sugar and those hyper palatable foods from your diet, you start to crave them less.
Yeah. Yeah, it's, it's like there's this, um, it's like if you could just make it through that couple week block that you were talking about and just rewire that relationship, you, it's, there's almost like, there's almost no going back. It's, it's just so, it's so hard to build that initial momentum. But then once you're in that phase of like cooking your meals for a couple weeks and you start losing weight and you're proud of what you see in the [00:47:00] mirror and you just focus on how good you feel mentally and you're gaining that metabolic health, it's like you almost can't imagine another path outside of that too.
Oh yeah, it's crazy how, you know, your palate and your mind are just, like, rewired. Like, people will ask me or, you know, some people tell me, Oh, you're so restrictive. And I'm thinking, like, you know, just because other people are so used to going and having this, uh, you know, sugar laden dessert at a restaurant.
doesn't mean that's what I want. Um, I'm at the point now where like, I literally don't want it. It does not look good to me. Yeah. And, um, I'm, I'm on that different path that I don't think I can go back to unless I intentionally forced myself to start eating junk that I don't want to eat. And, um, I guess, you know, create an addiction for it.
Totally. Yeah. And you're also, it's, it's so intuitive where you're like, I'm ribeye or New York strip for dinner. That's like a King's meal. Like it tastes so much better. Oh, yeah, exactly. I mean, before I ate this way, um, you know, if I looked at [00:48:00] somebody eating, uh, the way I eat now, I'd be like, Oh my goodness, like, uh, that's, uh, that's amazing.
I mean, I remember even, uh, joking around when I was a kid, uh, I was staying at my aunt's place and she's like, Oh, what do you normally eat for breakfast every morning? And I thought, what, what could I say that sounds like ridiculous and unrealistic? And I, I told her I eat steak and eggs every morning and, um, now it's, it's kind of become an actual reality.
Yeah. I'm imagining, I haven't looked at the comments too much, but I always see all your posts, but I get this. So I'm imagining you must get this with the pictures you post, like just push back to like how expensive your grocery bill must be and stuff like that. Yeah. A lot of people will mention it and I really don't like to dig too much into the weeds there because I know finances can be a touchy subject with people.
And so, I mean, I think if you're trying to eat healthy, there are, um, you know, food items at different price points that anybody could work, uh, into their diet. Now it might be more of a challenge for some than for others, [00:49:00] but, uh, it's doable like getting a grass fed and finished, uh, ribeye, uh, from a regenerative farm and pasture raised.
Soy corn free eggs is going to be more expensive than getting some, uh, ground beef and, um, you know, the cheapest eggs you can find, but it goes back to the good, uh, better and best. Yeah. And, um, you know, sometimes I might go to the grocery store and see, uh, a sale on some of this ground beef and some of these eggs and it's, It's not the, you know, most pristine of quality, but I'm like, Hey, why don't I just load up on this and eat it?
I still love it. It's still very enjoyable. Definitely. Yeah. Like the whole foods in Austin, like once a month, they'll do like this incredible sale where they'll do like the pound of New York strips for like 1599. And I just load up. Cause I'm like, I know it's still good enough quality. It's going to satiate me.
It tastes amazing. It's going to keep me on track. And I just load up. And I think too, like the misc. And you're definitely right about, you know, if it's regenerative corn and soy free, it definitely is more expensive. But [00:50:00] then I do look at a lot of people's grocery carts at this, at the store. And I'm like, if you just replace those foods with these animal products, like I guarantee you it's the animal based products are a little bit cheaper, or it's at least like apples to apples equivalent.
Yeah, I mean, that's a big part of it. I think people do miss the point a lot when they're talking about these meals that, Oh my gosh, that's way too expensive. Maybe in a vacuum, it looks that way. But if you look at what most people are spending their money on, like going out. Purchasing alcohol or even you know with their groceries if they're eating food, that's not satiating So then they have to go have more food or ordering takeout It might be amounting to you know near similar Amounts, but you know, of course, I can't know that without looking at someone's grocery bill Just kind of taking a guess out there, but also, you know kind of cliche speaking about you know An investment in your health like you see so many people nowadays on different prescriptions or going to the doctor's so often You know You know, I'm blessed not [00:51:00] to have any health issues.
So perhaps I spend more than most people on the food that I'm eating. But there's a lot of areas where I'm spending very little, uh, to no money. And I feel great. Uh, which is, you know, my, my health is, uh, very important to me. So, uh, I feel like I'm coming out ahead doing what I'm doing. Totally, man. And similar to you, right?
When I had ulcerative colitis before I got off all the drugs and meds from going carnivore, those medications were 400, 000 a year covered by insurance. And it's like, I'm not on any of those drugs because of this diet. So no matter how much I'm spending on food, it's still way cheaper and a better lifestyle than just being on the conventional standard American diet and on all those drugs and meds.
Oh, yeah, exactly. I mean, being in good health is, uh, it is such a great, you know, blessing and experience. So anything I can do to contribute to that, I'm going to go ahead and do it. Yeah. Just like to be, to have the health to, you know, be a healthy young guy and walk 20, 000 steps around New York City and like experience the [00:52:00] sunshine and the skyscrapers.
It's like, it's like a priceless, Oh yeah, it's, uh, it's great. I mean, you know, you, you see so many people that, uh, unfortunately, um, either have neglected to take care of their health or perhaps they, they don't, they don't know any better and, um, can't be as active, but being in a city like New York with so many things to do and having a ton of energy and being healthy, like it's been such a great experience.
Uh, being able to go around and do everything that I want to do, uh, you know, with my family, create all these, uh, amazing memories and whatnot. Yeah. With your son, how do you balance, like, wanting to teach him what you know about nutrition and also, like, Give him the space to be a young kid as well, too.
Well, I don't think, uh, my son should be eating the same way I am, because we're definitely at different points in our lives. And, you know, I've had some people give me a little pushback on that, like, oh, if you would do it, why wouldn't you have your son do it? Yeah. Listen, I'm not going to have my son go try and [00:53:00] squat three plates for reps either.
He's, he's a toddler, you know, we're at different points in our lives and we require, uh, different things, uh, to develop. So of course the, the focus is going to be on him, uh, eating healthy. And I will post some of his meals online every once in a while. Uh, last night I posted some wild caught sockeye salmon with some feta and then, uh, some tomatoes that I had chopped up for him.
But like, you know, if he wants to go to a birthday party, I'm not gonna tell him he can't have that pizza and cake. I will withhold soda, though. That's, that's one of the things I won't let him have is soda. But we give him sparkling water, which he loves. Um, just on a side note, I don't want him to go down that path.
But like, you know, I'm, I'm reasonably lenient, I would say. Um, you know, his friends are hanging out at the park. Um, and somebody wants to give him a lollipop. Is that one lollipop really going to have negative impacts on his health? Like, no, we're going to go home, we're going to brush his teeth, and he's going to be okay.
And he's going to eat [00:54:00] a dinner of whole natural food. Yes, you're like giving him you're like creating a great framework for him. You're letting him still be a kid. And then I'm sure also as he, as he gets older, it's like from a parent perspective, I know there were so many things that my parents tried to teach me, but until I really like learned it and realized, Hey, I'm eating these foods.
This is how it's making me feel. It's like almost like he has to go through that experience himself and realize, okay, when I eat these foods, I feel like this. When I eat these foods that dad is telling me to eat, I actually feel really good too. Like there's like that intuitiveness that also needs to come, but you try and guide him as best as you can.
Yeah. Guide him. And, uh, he's old enough now that, uh, you know, he's talking, he's three and a half, and we can communicate very well. So, like, we'll be at the grocery store, and we'll go buy the candy, and he'll, uh, not, not, like, buy, purchase, like, walk by it. And he'll be like, Daddy, there's a candy, and I'm not gonna eat that anymore, because it's going to hurt my belly.
Um. And then we'll, we'll play at the park and we'll be walking home and I'll ask him what he wants for dinner and he'll make a [00:55:00] comment like I want steak and eggs so I can be strong. So he's like understanding those concepts without me forcing things, you know, upon him, but being reasonable. Totally. Do you have him on the raw milk train yet?
I've let him try, uh, some raw milk, and, um, even though I'm totally fine drinking it myself, like, to be real, um, yes, I do understand that there is more risk associated with having, uh, raw milk, and, you know, I grew up just drinking regular milk from the grocery store, and he absolutely loves milk, and, you know, given that, uh, it has, uh, you know, protein and a bunch of nutrients to help you grow, I'm not gonna, have him be drinking all this, this raw milk, even though I do think he would be fine.
I'm, I'm going to limit that. Um, because you know, why not balance, um, modern technology, uh, with, uh, primal intuitions, I'll say. So, um, I, I do want to, you know, play it safe there. Totally. Are you a big raw milk guy? Oh yeah, I'm huge on it. I mean, I just ordered a whole bunch of [00:56:00] raw milk and raw, um, colostrum.
I make my own kefir from uh, raw milk. You know, I just think being a lot older than my son, I can, you know, withstand God forbid if there is anything to happen along the path of it coming from the farm to my place where it's, it's contaminated. I'll be all right. I've never had anything. thing happen. I don't think it would happen.
Um, but yeah, I love raw milk. Yeah. Do you do, uh, you pick up or they'll get deliveries from some of the Amish farms in Pennsylvania. Is that where you go? Yeah. Yeah. They, they, they, they ship out every like week or two from a couple of farms in, in Pennsylvania. Sometimes, uh, when I'm driving through Pennsylvania, um, I'll make a point to go stop at a farm, uh, to pick things up as well.
Dude, their quality of food is incredible. I remember, I think I ordered, uh, The first time I ordered raw milk was from, I think it was Miller's Organic Farm in Pennsylvania. I was like, this is, and it's to this day, it is by far the best raw milk I'd ever had. It's so creamy. It tastes like a milkshake by itself.
Oh yeah, Miller's is great. Um, actually my last [00:57:00] order came from them. Um, yeah, I love their product. I mean, that, that milk has that, that cream top on it. And like you said, it's like a milkshake itself. And so, um, It's hard to stop drinking it, it, at one glass. That's the problem is that it's like it's so easy to get into a caloric surplus.
Drinking it because you want to drink half a gallon at once. Yeah, I'll measure it out so I can stay keto Uh, you know, and then i've i've experimented doing like a few raw milk fast thinking Okay, this way I can drink a ton of it without going over on my calories as well Yeah, if I want almost like a dessert coffee, I'll do like a dark cup of coffee.
I'll take a little bit of raw cream and then our chocolate noble protein powder and just blend that up, dude. We gotta get you some, I know I was texting, we gotta get you some of the chocolate noble cause it's like a divine dessert and there's organs in there, beef protein, the raw cream, the caffeine from the coffee.
It's, it's like jet fuel to start your day off. I'm like visualizing, imbibing that right now and I'm salivating. You [00:58:00] might be 6'8 afterwards. Are you the colostrum guy too? Um, you know, it's something I've recently learned more about. So, uh, my last order, I, I ordered, uh, three jars of it. And I'm actually going to put a new order in to come, uh, next week.
So, um, You know, with like new information out there, it's, it's something that I don't want to just like dive on into and like, you know, take the bait on without too much research. I want to do some experimentation and see how I feel. Um, when I drank, I think it was eight fluid ounces for three straight days in a row.
I mean, I, I felt, uh, amazing, but that's, I think too short term to really make any judgments. And, you know, recently I've. I've been locking in on a lot of things like I normally do. So I'm thinking, well, I already feel pretty great. I don't know how much greater I can feel, but it is something I'm going to continue to experiment with since it is so nutrient rich.
Yeah. It'll be cool to see how you feel if you experiment doing it for a, for a long period of time. And you [00:59:00] know, it is an amazing product. I feel like. ARMA has commoditized it. So the colostrum powder where people think like, Oh, when I drink, when I start taking this, it's like a magic pill or my hair is going to get thicker.
My skin's going to get better. I'm going to lose weight. And I'm sure some of those things are true too, but it's just become like very commoditized from some of these colostrum powder brands, but I'm sure, um, just drinking the raw source from a farm, it's going to be incredible. Yeah, I mean, um, it would make sense that it would.
So, you know, I'll, uh, I'll update people online as I have more of it as to what my thoughts are. Yeah. What is, um, what's your biggest source of motivation right now? What motivates you the most with, you know, the coaching, social media, like what's your, what's your biggest source of motivation just to keep going and putting out a great message into the world?
I mean, I'm a very competitive, uh, individual at my core and I always want to put, uh, the best effort and have great results and into things. So I've always been a big fitness and a nutrition guy. So like, I mean, when it [01:00:00] comes to, to weightlifting and like physique, that's something where like. You know, it can't just be handed to you.
Like for people that have played sports, um, everyone's been in that situation where perhaps somebody else, uh, was a starter over them or got to play in a certain situation. Um, because maybe they were playing with the coach's son or the coach, like the other player, for whatever reason, a lot of people, you know, at jobs and may have been past that.
up for, uh, a promotion, um, or got turned down at a job interview for something they deserved and it was completely out of their control. So when it comes to fitness and nutrition, I love the fact that it's completely in my control and I can hold myself a hundred percent accountable. And you know, seeing in the mirror, um, on the scale, the weights that I can put up, uh, seeing myself make progress.
Like that feeling is just like so addicting and just, it creates this voracious cycle and makes me want to do better and better. Um, so I [01:01:00] just love seeing, um, my work come to fruition and have, you know, visual, uh, real world results. Yeah, it's actually a good point is it fitness truly is one of the fairest pursuits in the world where it's like outside of you Having some type of like underlying chronic disease if you put in the work from a nutrition weightlifting perspective It's like, you know Your genetics are almost malleable to a certain extent and anyone is entitled to have amazing health and a body and a physique that You're proud of Yeah, that's true.
And I love that you brought up like genetics too, because I see some people bring up, Oh, it's genetics, it's genetics, it's genetics, but like, yeah, genetics do play a certain role. Like, I know there are some people I played football with that no matter what I did, I wasn't ever going to be as strong as them or as fast as them.
But now, you know, I'm not competing against anybody except for myself. So I'm not going to say, Oh, genetics are a limiting factor. I'm going to do the best that I can do with my genetics. And then I'm going to be, you know. very proud of, of seeing results. So that's kind of [01:02:00] the path that I'm going down.
Definitely. It's so easy to even look at something like, you know, testosterone levels. Hey, I want to improve from a score of 400 to 800 because I want to get healthier, like just to look at them as these arbitrary metrics, but we, I, it's so interesting, like just by improving your hormones or losing weight or getting stronger, like we're talking about, it really is just this gateway to become a better version of yourself.
Like, I'm sure the more in shape you've gotten in the healthier you've gotten, it's just going to make you a better dad, a better husband, better your job. Like, we're not talking about this stuff for the sake of like just being ripped and having six pack abs. Like, yes, that's a great byproduct. Right. But, um, The whole reason why we're talking about this is if you do the things that we're talking about, there's no way for you to not become a better person, I think.
Right? Yeah. I mean, there's that halo effect. Like there's that misconception where people in the fitness, uh, get stereotyped as these big, dumb meatheads when nothing could really be further from the truth. So, you know, I have my [01:03:00] program that I follow in the gym. I have a certain philosophy. follow the way that I eat, but it's not limited to the way I'm lifting weights and the way that I'm eating.
I work within this structure as a, as a parent, you know, as a corporate professional, and everything I do, I'm very, you know, diligent and very organized and very driven. So it's more like, you know, not just having this one that that's the only thing I'm somewhat good at. It's that halo effect of, you know, how I do, this is how I do everything, which I think is what his, you know, or not think I know it's led to, you know, a lot of my success in other fields of my life and which has allowed me to set myself up for the opportunities that I've had.
A hundred percent, man. And, and again, you're someone that. I've learned a lot from Harry's learned a lot from I think you have an amazing brand. I think you're the information you put out is super approachable. It's intelligent. It's easy to follow. And I think there needs to be more people in the health and wellness space [01:04:00] that kind of replicate that approach, man.
So, you know, I just really appreciate you being willing to do this podcast. I'm glad that we got to meet finally, definitely need to get you some noble too. So we'll make that happen. And, um, dude, I just, you know, appreciate you and a lot of the work that you're doing right now. Of course, Brett, really appreciate the kind words, uh, means a lot, and um, yeah, wishing you and everyone who watches this the best of, uh, health and the most of gains.
Awesome. Thank you, brother. I appreciate it. Alright.