Latest / The Unsexy Businessmen / Heart Attack to 404 Pounds to Cut: Joshua Varozza's Health Rebuild
Transcript
- Alex: Welcome to another edition of the Unsexy Podcast, where we talk about the unsexy side of everything. And as I have said multiple times, we have a killer guest today. One of the best guests that you could ever have. No pressure, Josh. We have Joshua Verosa. I know Josh from back in the day, some church stuff where we would hang out at church activities and got to know him pretty well then. And then essentially I moved to Utah. I've been following him on social ever since. And he has gone through an amazing transformation from a physical health standpoint over the last 10 to 15 years. And that that's what we we wanted to talk to about. And one thing, Josh, that we didn't mention before we started is like we are when I was inter engaging with Josh about it, he's like, he'll get into it. He's like, Well, you know, I kind of cheated. The way that I did it is kind of cheating. And like, and like what we want to represent on this podcast is less things about like we want to get rid of that. Like you did things that are making your health better. Like it's not cheating Joshua: Sure. Alex: if the end goal is great. So I just want to kick it over to you, Josh. Like how what started all of this? Because you were like I'm gonna say something offensive really fast. Like you did the Joshua: go ahead. Alex: dudoir photo shoots where it's the fat guy, no offense. It was the fat guy Joshua: Yeah. Alex: doing pictures, being all sexy. Like your whole brand was around beard and being a big dude, what what changed? Joshua: Well, I knew it wasn't healthy. You know, y I had a heart attack early on, I think at like thirty four thirty five, I had a heart attack. And so that was scary. It didn't it didn't invoke immediate change. I in fact I got heavier after that. And so I got all the way up to four four and I just decided it was it was time to see, you know, what the options were. And so I started with Kaiser to go through the gastric sleeve procedure. But Kaiser drug tests and if you if you don't pass they kick you out of the programs I I didn't get to do it. And so ultimately we went to Tijuana and I had gastric sleeve done in Tijuana. So that was in Aaron: W Joshua: twenty eighteen I hit four hundred and four pounds there. Alex: So twenty eighteen you get the gastric sleeve and then a p did like the weight just melt off? Joshua: It really it kinda does, yes, because they make your stomach into the size of like a toddler's stomach. You cannot eat. I mean, you are very, very, very Yeah. They Alex: Just breast food. Just breast milk? Joshua: I mean they literally cut out your stomach. Aaron: Are Alex: okay. Aaron: do you is like the appetite just gone? Like it's like physically you can't eat because your stomach is physically smaller, but like are the is the temptation to eat gone as well? Joshua: So so that was it was explained to me a little bit like that. They remove part of your stomach that has the the emptiness feeling. I can't remember how they described it, but it is what drives hunger. Alex: I just They come in, they cut out your stomach, and then what what happens from there? Joshua: Well, so then you go on a liquid only diet for like ninety days. All I could have was like potato soup and stuff like that and jello. And like you really do start losing weight like immediately. It's it's quick. the recovery time's very slow. You kinda pull out like some drain tubes once you get back from Mexico, it's kinda gross. But after that the weight did Alex: W wait, wa wait, why liquid only? Like I just is the the science behind it I Joshua: Be Alex: am Joshua: because the sutures in your stomach are still healing. Remember, so they they dissolve on their own inside of you. I think that's Aaron: So so you're only doing liquid you what did you say you started out again? Was it four ten, four hundred eight? Four four, okay. Joshua: Four four. Four four is my Aaron: And then you were on a liquid diet you said for ninety days? Joshua: Like sixty, ninety days, somewhere around there. Aaron: After the ninety, whatever whatever when you could start eating solids again, what were you weighing? Do you remember? Joshua: No. No, I didn't keep track of it. I sure should have. Aaron: D do you would it would it be crazy to say it was like like if you had to guess like fifty pounds or a hundred pounds? Joshua: yeah, an easy fifty pounds came off me quick. Very Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: quickly. Like the first hundred pounds, they do melt off you really, really quick. And then you kind of hit like a it starts slowing down, slowing down, slowing down. And so I got down to like two two sixty, which was like I hadn't been that I don't want to say light, but I hadn't been that less heavy. Aaron: Yeah. Alex: Ha ha. Joshua: twenty years. You know, I was over two fifty in high school, so that that was cool to get down there. But that's when, I know it's super fashionable right now, but that's when I got into the peptides, trisepatide and retta and I've lost another fifty pounds. I'm down to well, I bulked up a little bit, so I'm like two twenty right now. But Alex: W so why why'd you so you you got on the peptide train, so you get down to that two fifty, sleeves doing the Lord's work for you, cut you cut down a hundred and fifty pounds, go to peptides Joshua: Yep, yeah. Yep. Alex: like so so what what was the transition there? So first it was heart attack, don't want to have a heart attack, lose weight. Now working out. Joshua: Bro, I want so badly to be the exact opposite of what I've been my whole life. So that's Alex: Gotcha. Joshua: what I'm working towards right now. I have always been morbidly obese. I want to know what it's like to be on the other end of that spectrum. Aaron: Yes. So what what made you get into the the peptides then? Like the sleeve was working. What did did you just stall like two fifty? You're like, I gotta try something else. Joshua: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You kinda just you just kind of stop. You c you stop losing weight. Aaron: Gotcha. Joshua: And so I really wanted to get to this point where I could tell people I lost two hundred pounds. I lost an exact two hundred pounds. That was my goal. And I I never saw that to fruition. I got down to two eight. So I was like just four pounds off, but that was as close as I got. Alex: I mean that's that's still insane. That's that's ha Aaron: That's still an insane amount of weight. Joshua: Yeah. ChatGPT likes to remind me how big that is. Alex: Ha ha ha. Aaron: When this is something we we I think I would talk I can't remember if we talked about on a podcast, but are do you go to the gym? Joshua: Every day. Aaron: Okay, so when you're lifting weights, do you ever like at any point when you're lifting around two hundred pounds with whatever it is, like it's a leg press or whatever is are you like, my god, I can't believe this used to be on my body. Joshua: Yeah, it's so funny to me because what I did something the other day. so I've been walking around with a weighted vest, right? It's 40 Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: pounds. 40 pounds. And like putting it over my head and putting it on in the morning for my walk. It's like almost a struggle. And to think I've lost almost four of those is just insanity to me. Aaron: Yeah. yeah. Yeah. Alex: And so like how like what what's like the plan that you're you're doing right now? So you're you're at the gym, like is there like a lot of things that are going into it at this point, or is it just just winging it? Joshua: So I'm I I started out by winging it and then I've really been using AI to structure my workouts and so that's been very very useful to me because I didn't want to pay someone to teach me how to do these things and she's been really great, so I don't I don't know why everybody's not using her. but so I do four four days And I just rotate those four day workouts four days in a row, and then I start over chest on day one. So I just I g a constant working out every day. Unless I'm like on vacation or I have to work or something like that. But I I try to work out every day. Alex: And and then has nutrition been pretty easy like with the stomach sleeve or like harder? Joshua: No, no dude. I'm s I still eat I still eat like shit. Like it it I'll be honest. It's just a a lot less. No, no, it's a it's a lot less. Aaron: Yeah. But you can't eat as much. Yes. Yeah. Right. Alex: Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Right. Well, I want to point out though, like, just to go back to Alex's first point where people are like, you need to sleep. Well, no wonder you lost a bunch of weight. There are I think the like the most famous person that that got the gastric bypass with I think it was Chris Christie, did it and then gained all the weight back. So it's not like you s you still have to be Joshua: Yeah. So that's that's common. Aaron: somewhat disciplined. Joshua: Well there's two different kinds, right? There's gastric sleeve and then there's gastric bypass. And so Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: I think with the bypass, a lot of people do gain their white weight back, but I've seen it on both sides. And yeah, you can stretch your stomach back out. So you do have to I from my perspective, I don't know how. I don't know how people are stretching their stomach out because it is absolutely miserable. Miserable when you fill that stomach up. Even if you drink too much water fast, it's a miserable feeling. Alex: Is it just like pain or discomfort? Like what is that like? Joshua: Just extremely Aaron: Just fullness. Joshua: stuffed. Just extremely, extremely Alex: Okay. Joshua: stuffed. Like uncomfortably. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: And so and so has that b done a pretty good job, like for you? Like you're just like, I get Joshua: Yeah. Alex: to that stuff point, you're like, I'm done eating for a while. Joshua: Yep. Yep. Yep. Aaron: Well, what is like a typical day look like for you, like nutrition wise? Like I know you say you kinda eat like shit. Joshua: So in addition to everything I've been doing, I've been trying to intermittent fast. I stop eating at nine and I don't eat till one o'clock the next day, so sixteen hours. And I think that in Go ahead. I think that Aaron: Gotcha. How are you getting No, sorry, keep going. Keep going. Joshua: in with trizepatide and with RETA, I think that's really been what the cutter has been. Aaron: Yeah. How are you getting enough protein? Joshua: so that's a new thing. And I've been really trying hard to get protein. And my goodness, what they think you should eat in protein and what you can actually get down in protein are two totally different things. Like ChatGPT is telling me I should be trying to get 200 grams of protein a day. I struggle to get a hundred. Like I don't I and and if I Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Joshua: get too much protein, I got a stomachache all day. I don't know how other people are doing two hundred grams of protein. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well I think it's because other people have this the stomach size of an adult as opposed to a child. So it probably makes it a little bit a little bit easier. Joshua: Maybe that's what it is. Yeah. Aaron: yeah, that's that's so are you are you are you tracking at all like what you're eating or are you just kinda like I eat till I'm full and I'm I'm good to go. Gotcha. Gotcha. Joshua: No. I eat something. That's it. Yeah, yeah, I eat some full. I'm trying to switch to like a meat meat only. We cooked some tri tips the other day and I've been digging into them quite a bit. Just meat, meat, meat. Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And are you so you're pretty disciplined on your going to the gym and stuff. What is like I guess your goal with the gym is to build just build more muscle or just stay in like shape or whatever? Joshua: I wanna I wanna I wanna see what definition looks like. Like I'm finally seeing it in my shoulders, in my in my arms. Aaron: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Alex: Yeah, they look good, dude. Joshua: Like that's something I've I've never I've never had before. So I wanna keep chasing that. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, mm-hmm. Alex: Well dude, I was noticing like in your Maui ph photos, like 'cause like I said, I've been like watching you for fifteen, twenty years at this point. And like the like maybe Aaron: Stocking. Alex: that tan was doing the Lord's work, man, because like you were looking like Joshua: Yeah. Alex: tr really cut. And so I that's why I was asking. Yeah, you're looking really good, so kudos. Joshua: Yeah, you can really see it when it tanned like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now I get why the bodybuilders tan before competitions. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Alex: Exact exactly. And ru and rub the oils on. Tan and oil. It Joshua: Yeah. Alex: makes you look incre so hey, maybe there's something you could do there. Get some s yeah, Joshua: I should start carrying around oil. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Aaron: Yes. Alex: yeah, yeah, just everywhere you go, just putting it on. Hey, I think it Aaron: Well Alex: I think it'd look fantastic and get as many pictures as possible so I can see them. So so Joshua: I love it. Aaron: Well, now that P. Diddy's in prison, there's a lot more baby oil out there. So you shouldn't have a problem finding that. You'd be good to go. so Joshua: Well Aaron: sorry, go Alex. Alex: I was just gonna say, like Josh, like the big thing with this is like you had the heart attack. Obviously, it took you a while to like make changes after like the heart attack happened. Like, what was like what was it what you said earlier where it's just like I just I've never been health, I had never been healthy in my entire life and I want to be like, were there other whys that were like motivating you to to to bring that weight down? Joshua: well it's just like some corny stuff, right? Like I wanna I want to, you know, be a grandfather. I want to see, you know, grandchildren one day. And like when you recognize like if you don't start taking care of yourself, there's a high probability, knowing I already have heart problems, that I'm not gonna make it that far at that weight. And I don't I don't think I would have made it that far. No way at four hundred pounds. Aaron: No, no way. Alex: And do you feel like you've already seen those like do you feel the changes? Like I don't know if you've like gone and talked to your doctor or anything and you're just like, Hey, the ticker's looking great. Like ha ha has there been that positive? Joshua: Yeah, like I'm off I'm off blood pressure meds. Like that's unusual Alex: heck yeah. Joshua: for anybody. Normally when you get on blood pressure meds, you're kind of on them for the rest of your life. But my doctor took me off, which was I thought an accomplishment. I thought that was pretty dope. Aaron: No, that's huge. D do Alex: That's crazy. Aaron: you did you do a lot of blood work like pre surgery and then s post surgery, like a year later? Like I I'm as like have you done anything like with your blood markers and like all all of that or? Joshua: You know, I I do regular blood work and I mean every we they didn't do anything when I went to Mexico, I don't think. I don't remember doing any blood work there. They're just kinda like, here, pay us and we'll cut your stomach. Aaron: Yeah. Alex: Do you have the pesos? Joshua: It was it was the creepiest thing. We had arranged this with an American. Like everything for this hospital in Tijuana is done with an English speaking wonderful arranger lady, right? And Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: but you get there to the hospital and no one speaks English. No one, no one speaks English. And and that's where it got like really, really uncomfortable. But then they take you in this waiting room where they put the anesthesia in there and there's like naked chicks everywhere because they're about to get some plastic work done and it's like this super uncomfortable environment. Everybody was getting boobs that day. Aaron: Wha what was the address of this place again, Josh? Alex: Tijuana, Tijuana, one, two, three. Joshua: And they were sitting there with a Sharpie like marking these ladies up and you're just like, Don't look, don't look. Aaron: Like the Alex: So you're all in the same room together? What Joshua: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's where they're they're giving you the the juice to put you under. Aaron: did you check to make sure your kidneys were there when you were done after Joshua: Hey d I got a funny story about that trip. I was super I was on a lot of pills on the way out of Tijuana and we had to go through the the border patrol thing. And for whatever reason I was being like extra honest and they were like, Do you have any drugs on you? And I was Yeah, dude, I got hella prescriptions from the hospital. And so so they go through my bag and I had like seven thousand dollars in cash because I was gonna try to pay cash while we were there. And Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: They're all how much money is here? And I was like, I don't know, bro. They took us to the secondary checkpoint because they wanted to tear this dude's car apart. And they did. They took they took this dude's taxi. They took everything out. They searched his car up and down. And ultimately I I was trying to explain to them why I'm traveling with this cash. I was trying to pay for this procedure down there. And so Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: they weren't gonna give it back to me, dude. They thought I had over ten grand, which you can't transport ten grand across borders. So they thought I had ten thousand. And ultimately my wife showed my business card for my bail bonds company. And that's what released the my money and us. Isn't that wild? But now I'm on a watch list. Aaron: good. Yeah. Alex: Did they they say why? Like, you're a bail bondsman, so obviously you're carrying seven thousand dollars for a reason. Joshua: Yeah. And it it was at the t it was at the height of my fame, Alex. I told him just Google me. Just Google me. That's all you have to do right now. Just Google me. Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: And they wouldn't they wouldn't do that, dude. Alex: man. So Aaron: What was the rec what was the recovery time? Like like you go get your surgery are you in Mexico for like a couple weeks? Joshua: You're no, you're there for like three days. They put you they do the procedure, you're in the hospital for like for like a day, two days, until you like you can fart, fart and burp. And you just have to walk the whole time because your stomach's full of air after they do the procedure, because they pump it up to cut it down. so the once you can pass gas, they're they're very comfortable. And then they put you up in this like five star hotel in Tijuana. So it's Tijuana, but it's still a very nice hotel. Aaron: Motel Six. Joshua: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But like you're fed, you're taken care of, it was it was really Alex: I can't wait for the comments on this one. Joshua: nice. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. that's cool. That's cool. Okay. Alex: Put you up in the hotel and then so you did you had Joshua: And then you sit there for three days to be like monitored. But but to be honest with Alex: Do you Joshua: you, I don't remember them visiting me all that much while I was in the hotel. They're just making sure there's no complications, I guess. And then Alex: It it's just it's just blowing my mind. I know that you're getting the anesthesia, like fine, you're getting anesthesia, but it still blows my mind that you're in so when they do the surgery, you are in your own room. It's not like a factory where they just have Joshua: Well Alex, I Alex, I don't remember it. I was knocked out. Aaron: Yeah. Alex: Too shit. Too shit. Joshua: I know that I woke up in my own room. Aaron: Maybe. Alex: I've just tried to Aaron: You weren't witnessing surgery while you were getting your anesthesia, right? You weren't like seeing other people get that Joshua: Wouldn't that be wild? Wouldn't that be wild if you were like awake watching them put all these heated tubes through you? that would be so gross. Alex: You're already blowing my mind just with you being in the room with all of those naked people. Like that that that that alone is blowing my mind. This d you know what? Joshua: They weren't they weren't the chicks you wanted, Alex. Aaron: Ha. Alex: Not yet. Not yet. Joshua: Ha ha ha. Alex: gosh. No, so that's that's and then you just come home. So that's good. You went you went with your wife, you went with Tammy, and then Joshua: Yep. Yeah, yeah. Alex: and then she was watching over you three days, and then back to the US. Man. Joshua: Yep. There was a Denny's across the street from the hospital. That's all she ate. Alex: Just b out of fear of like food poisoning? Yeah, that Joshua: Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Yeah, great great tacos at Denny's. Alex: dude, that's awesome. Aaron: so you get back. All right, so let's get back to where you're at, you're where you're at now. You are, what's your current weight? Joshua: I was two twenty two this morning. Aaron: Okay. Are you are you trying to bulk back up? Is that what you're doing? Are you like bulking to to gain muscle? Okay. Joshua: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Do you d have you use you use Chat GPT, which I totally endorse? I Alex and I both love using AI to to help out with with like nutrition and and lifting and stuff like that. are you d do you have like a specific like nutrition plan at all for for gaining gaining weight or just like I could just eat whatever I want, whatever. Joshua: So I mean I've really been focused on the protein. That's that's where, Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: you know, I think that I'm lacking. I just need more Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: protein in my life. That would be the only nutritional thing like I'm aiming for. I don't watch Aaron: Sure. Joshua: my I don't really watch my calories. I know that I'm significantly under what a s a man my size should be eating calorie wise. Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: Like we were figuring I I'm probably under two thousand calories a day at least. Easy. Easy. So that's the Retta, Aaron: wow. Yeah. That's it. Joshua: right? Aaron: Yes. Have you have you thought about coming off of Reta? Alex: But but that is because it's so hard to get the calories. Yeah. Joshua: I'm terrified of coming Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: on Fredda. I like I really am Aaron: Do you think if you come off it you'll just kind of start eating way too much? Joshua: I don't know, I just don't wanna find out. Aaron: What's your what's you we've we tried to do this with another podcast guest that we had, but what's your dosage? If you don't mind saying. Joshua: Okay, so I'm at five Reddit, teamtide. Did you hear me? Aaron: You do you so you're still mixing Retta and and and TERS, okay. yeah, because TERS is more that's like the appetite suppressant more than Retta is from everything that I've read. Joshua: Yeah. Right. Aaron: why don't you just do just the is it because you want the benefits of Retta True Tide and also to the kind of the blunting of your hunger? But like don't you still not get hungry because your stomach's so small? Joshua: I get hunger pains every here and there. they're pretty easy Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: to ignore and then they dissipate pretty quick. But Aaron: But I mean, even if you have your hunger pains, like you you're not gonna be able to eat like a two you couldn't eat physically like two thousand calories or three thousand calories in a sitting, right? Like your just stomach wouldn't be able to handle that much food. Joshua: I could crush a three by three right now if we really wanted to. Alex: Minute now. Okay. Aaron: What is that's just it is it is interesting. yeah, I've I've heard of people that that do that do both Reddit and Terzepatine. yeah, that's that I I just wonder how how are your gym sessions? Are do you have plenty of energy at the gym? You do? Okay. Joshua: Yeah, I do. I mean I I I take a lot of caffeine, bro. Lots of caffeine. Before but I won't Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Alex: Okay. Joshua: let myself have any energy drinks afternoon. But like my mornings are just crushing monsters. And so I'm ready to just do anything all day. I'm ready. yeah. And I'll do Aaron: Yeah. You're right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Joshua: one of those C fours before the gym. They makes you tingle, you know, and I'll just be Aaron: Uh-huh. Are you tracking your lifts at all? Joshua: Yes, it just I just started with a an app actually that I really like. It's called Heavy. And it tracks it tracks everything. really? No. Alex: That's what we use. Aaron: Yeah. It's a sponsor of the podcast. No. No. Alex: We w we wish. We wish. We Aaron: There's w I when I say sponsor the podcast, I'm we sponsor them by paying for their app. Joshua: Yeah. Aaron: yeah, that's the one we yeah, we love we love heavy. That's what Alex and I both use. Joshua: Okay, cool. Alex: Do do you do you love seeing the total weight that you lifted? Like, you lifted a hundred thousand pounds today. Joshua: Isn't that wild? It's all you lifted a jet fighter and I was like, What? Alex: That was my goal. Yeah. Aaron: Then then you start telling people. You just start telling people like I lifted a jet fighter at the gym today. They're like what? Joshua: I just wonder how it comes up with that. Alex: How do you know that? Heavy. Joshua: Like there's a you say an elephant. Why a jet fighter? Why Aaron: 'Cause it's cool. 'Cause Joshua: Yeah, you know. Aaron: it was sponsored by Maverick too. that's why. Why Alex: Yeah. Aaron: don't you go watch movie again? yeah, that's we're we're we're giant proponents of just tracking everything. So I love we use the heavy app, like I said, and it's just cool to see your progression as as you're lifting. it's always a giant motivator, right? Alex: Yeah. So like how are you how Joshua: So I've used it for two weeks yet, so I don't have like a ton of data on it, but I do try to push myself now. But I think I need to become more comfortable with staying at the same weight for like two weeks and then trying to push Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Joshua: it up. Aaron: Well, the other thing too, like what people don't a lot of people don't understand is it's progress progressive overload isn't just lifting more weight. It's like it's also the amount of reps you're doing. So let's say you're you're doing, you know, you're just for whatever, let's say you're bench pressing 200 and you're consistently doing 10 reps, and then let's say your goal is 15. Once you get to 15, then you add, you know, two, ten or whatever. So it's I think a lot of people just think like I'm not lifting more like well you're you are because you're you Alex: The total. Aaron: have more reps. Yeah, the total amount of reps are up, so you are getting stronger. So don't let that be the thing like the actual weight part of it be the part that is discouraging because yeah, that that honestly leads to more injury when you're just chasing weight as opposed Joshua: Okay. Aaron: to like good form and and reps and stuff like that. So that's only my little bit of advice that you can take or not. Joshua: No, I think I'm learning that like I'm thinking I'm learning that I don't need to push myself more. You're you're right. More reps would probably be more useful than more weight. Aaron: And it's it's you're still stimulating the muscle. Like it's still doing it and you're not you're not sacrificing form because I saw I saw at the gym today. Like there is a guy who is lifting way too much that he should be doing and his form was crap. And the only reason I I I wish I I don't I'm not the kind of person who could go approach someone and tell them, Hey, your form sucks just because I I'm not that guy. But Joshua: Yeah. Aaron: that the reason it's like kind of personal to me is cause I was that guy who was like lifting way too much and then I blew my shoulder out and ever since then I all I give a shit about is is good form and reps. That's all I don't I don't know what my max is on anything because I don't ever max out anything. Joshua: okay. Alex: Yeah. And then Josh, like what's what's kind of the like the next next steps for you? Like what are you hoping to accomplish over here in like the next three to three to six months? Joshua: I guess just more muscle, more definition. I want Alex: You're on your way. Joshua: I want like hard biceps. I want I want my titties to not sag so much. You know, coming off being fat kid. Alex: Well I hear there's a place in Tijuana, nice and firm tits. They are available. Joshua: I think Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: Dude, so I've looked into like getting Aaron: They got markers and everything. Alex: Yeah. Joshua: skin skin removal. Skin removal is one of like most awful procedures ever. Recovery. And so I don't think I'll ever do it. But I I have so much skin. Aaron: Yep. Yep. I have a buddy who was four, I think he was he was like mid fours, like four fifty, four sixty, and lost, he got down to like two fifty and he did part some skin removal and he's like, dude, it took so long to recover from that. It was it was miserable. So yeah, it's just trying to fill it up fill out that skin with muscle. Yeah, I I get you, man. I totally understand. I totally understand that. 'cause I was actually the question I was gonna ask you, is like w if you see any any downsides of losing so much weight. And I would say that's probably what most people would respond with. It's just like just the loose skin kind of sucks. But I just see dude the battle scars, man. Like you worked your ass off to like get to that. Like, good for you. Like what Joshua: You you get a little self conscious though at the gym, you're surrounded by all these like good looking cut people, right? And then you're doing like j let's just say shoulder presses, right? And your shirt comes Aaron: Yeah. Joshua: up and that skin hangs out and you get a little you get a little embarrassed. You gotta I guess work through that. Aaron: Yeah. Sure. Yeah. But it's yeah, working through it. And then I think the thing that's nice about gym culture, I think, for the most part, is when I see someone that has some loose skin I I I myself have some loose skin, but when I see somebody else have loose skin, I'm like, that's right. That dude put the work in. Like, good for him. Like I'm never like, ooh, that's so gross. I'm most I'm I my reaction is complete opposite. I'm just like, dude, dude worked his ass off. Fucking awesome. Like, good for him. Joshua: Well, I guess we're own our our own worst critics, right? Aaron: A hundred percent. A hundred Alex: Hundred percent. Aaron: percent. Yes. Just so just Alex: Well dude, and if you're Aaron: just know that. Know that when you when you're like super self critical, like you are the one who's thinking that. They're not thinking that. That's what I kinda have to tell myself when stuff like that happens. Alex: And it always goes back to would you rather have like the loose skin and live longer and see the grandkids or have have the tight skin? Like it it's it's worth it. It's one hundred percent worth having whatever downside we create in our head to be able to have a heart that's healthier. So you're off of you're off of medications that you thought you'd never be off of. Like there are and I think that's the interesting thing too, like when you're at the gym, like there's these stories that you have no idea. It's not like you talk to every single per person that you see at the gym, like neither do I. I don't necessarily Talk to go up and interact with people. I talk to some people, but there are so many wins that are non-visible. Like coming off of a medication, no one's ever going to know. Like, and without you telling us, we would have had no idea, right? Like, I see the stuff on Facebook that you're posting, and that's why I reach out to you. I'm like, holy shit, Josh has lost a ton of weight. I am curious how he went about that. But I don't know all of like those other things that like I didn't even know about the heart attack, dude. Like, so I didn't know that was the reason that like that. That is why the entire journey started. And all I see is like the end result. And the end result is looking really, really great. And I would assume, based on how it's looking, the other benefits are there as well from like a health standpoint. So every now and then I have to just go on a little bit of a of a monologue there where it's like there it's it's the end goal is like what the most important thing is, and you're hitting that, which is awesome. Joshua: So my wife, my wife always tells me, and she's so smart, she's the smartest chick I've ever known, but there is no award for how you lose weight, right? So there there is no first place. You just we need I've become so judgmental of other overweight people now. I I know that's so shitty of me to say, but at at this point there is just no reason to stay overweight. There are so many things out there to help you. And and and I want to tell everybody that was at my that is at my size or the size I was at, hey, these are the options I can hook you up with a guy. We can get this fixed. We can get this dialed in. Aaron: A doctor, a doctor, a professional doctor. That's the guy you're gonna hook him up with. Alex: Or a really nice person who speaks English and helps you on your journey to Tijuana. Aaron: Ha ha Joshua: Yeah. Alex: To where but so that's actually how we end up like ending our podcast round is we usually say like what is your advice to anybody who's listening like just the stage is yours. Joshua: Easy easy, man. Just ask for help. The reality is is when we get to the size that I was at, we have a significant problem. It's not it's not a little problem. We have a food we have a food addiction. You know I I understand that sometimes genetics do play a role in people's weights, but like for the most part, I think that we're all, you know, just eating. We're overeating. I saw this funny meme the other day. and I'll have to paraphrase it, but it was something along the lines of I'm gonna be a personal trainer, I just need ten fat people that I can tell they eat less and drink more water. Something like that. Like it's really it's supposed to be Aaron: Yeah. Alex: Ha ha. Joshua: that easy. Just eat less and drink more water. But it's not it's not as easy as that, you Aaron: And get ten thousand steps. Yeah, Joshua: know? Aaron: yeah, that's funny. Alex: Well, Josh, we really appreciate you taking the time. We know that it's that time is precious and a finite resource that we have. So we appreciate you coming on. I I'll continue to give you a thumbs up and likes. I might not comment on everything that you're posting, but I'm definitely cheering Joshua: Sorry. Alex: you on from the sidelines, man. I really appreciate you coming on today. Joshua: Yeah, guys, thank you Aaron: Yeah, thanks, Josh. Joshua: so much for having me. Alex: Well, everyone, thanks for listening today. and you can follow Josh. just so he he already told you, you can Google him, Joshua Rosa, and you'll find all of his, you'll find his Instagram, his Facebook. really awesome follow. Highly recommend him. And go be unsexy, everybody. Joshua: Thanks guys.