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Burn the Ships: How Joshua Cooper Lost 27 Pounds Without Giving Up Pizza · The Unsexy Businessmen

• Aaron: Welcome to the Unsexy Podcast where we talk about everything that is unsexy in life and how to be successful doing the unsexy things in life. Today we have a very special guest. It is Joshua Cooper, goes by Cooper Loop, and that's what his friends call him. And Josh is I've known Josh for a what 20 years? So over 20 years. I've known Josh for a very long time. Josh: Yeah. Aaron: Funny, funny, funny story that I'm gonna say real quick that I've I think I've I had to have told you this before. I used to work we all actually all worked at the same call center for you worked at yeah we worked the same call center for a long time. and so before Josh got married, his wife and I were on the same team. I beat her in a in a bet and I was supposed to go on a date with her and she blew me off and married Josh instead. Josh: Yeah. Aaron: I d I had to have told you that. I told you that story. yeah, yeah, yeah. I went to HR alright. I went to HR. So I got dodged a I dodged a bullet there. she did, not me. so okay, so Josh, so let's just let's get into your your kind of your Josh: No, I think you did tell me that story. Kelly's told it to me numerous times. She's like, I could have married I could have married Aaron. Alex: That sounds like an HR nightmare. Ha ha ha. Josh: I'm like, you would have been way better off. Aaron: I guess health chur I hate it sounds so weird saying hell journey. I don't like saying that. But let's we Yeah, exactly. Josh: Yeah. Yeah. Where are you at on your journey today? Alex: Well it's because the only other it's like the it's the only other like thing for is like, so what's your diet? And so that's like why you have to have s I don't like diet either. Why do you care about your health? Aaron: Yeah, and I don't like diet either. I guess what here's a here's a real PR let let me let me let I'll do this like real HR appropriate. Why did you want want to be a fat ass anymore? Josh: Mm. Ha ha ha. Yes. That is really where it all started. No, I think for the longest time I had the wrong relationship and Aaron and I, you and I, we've talked about this multiple times 'cause we've gone on multiple food trips together. I used to live in Dallas, Aaron would come out, we would eat a whole bunch of food, watch a whole bunch of movies. but really it's like I think you sa I used have the the thought it's like I work out so I can eat whatever I want. And that's just just such a terrible view. Aaron: yeah. And we still will. Josh: on food and how you and how you live your life. but no I I r I was looking and it was two years ago I bought a weighted vest to start doing walks. I'm like, you know, this is gonna be great workout. You know, I'll be strengthening my core, whatnot. And no I saw zero difference. And sure I probably was growing bone density and whatever those benefits are from from walking with a weighted vest. But like zero scale changes, nothing. And then you and I went to that Pizza Fest in Las Vegas last what was November. And that was at I think that was at the tail end of your supercut that you were doing and you were svel it was obviously you had made a massive change. And that was kind of like the motivation point for me to you know like it's possible. You know, we have a we're similar height, similar build. It's not just Aaron: Yes, sweet. Yeah, no last number. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Sure. Josh: how we were born, you know, it's it's what we can make of ourselves really. And so that was a huge motivating point for me. And it just started me down the path of learning that, you know, protein's your friend. and it's not it's not how little you eat, it's actually what you eat was the biggest changes, right? And I think having well and you guys have talked about this on your podcast before, but just having the knowledge of AI to assist us in all of that. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Josh: I mean the the second that I started discussing it with Claude, giving it my age, my height, my weight, and all those, and it giving me just like basically this is what you need to do to get where you want to be. I mean, it's so simple. It's crazy how it's right in front of you and yet you don't know it because you don't have what you need. Aaron: Mm-hmm. But I do I do wanna say something it is simple to figure out what you need to be doing. It's not simple. And this is why I want to give you credit. It's not simple to actually do it. Cause think everybody knows they should be eating healthy, you know, quote unquote healthy or whatever. But even if you know what those numbers are, sticking to it is the is the hard part. Because I don't know about have did you go on a lot of like yo yo diets, Josh, where you'd lose weight, gain it back? Was that your experience? Or is it just like Josh: Only only once. I did it once back 'cause the company I was working for was doing a challenge for weight loss, right? And so and I that was me just strictly limiting how much I was eating. There was no tracking of macros of of any kind, right? And because I was in my twenties I could lose twenty pounds easily, right? It was just a much easier way of just don't drink sugary sodas and don't eat Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yes. Josh: A ton of food and it's way easy. And then I bounced completely back from that, right? And then I kind of was just like, whatever, and just lived my life, you know, thirty, forty pounds overweight for the last fifteen, twenty years. Right? Aaron: Right. Yes. Yeah. Sure, sure. When you got when you had your weighted vest, Josh, and you're like, all right, I gotta kinda lock in, I'm gonna go get a weighted vest, did you not change your diet at all? You just kept like, I'll have the weighted vest and that will that will be enough. Is that kind of what your thought process was? Josh: Yeah. The the idea was just like I need to be doing something, right? Again and I and I did it religiously every day. I walked with a twenty five pound weight weighted vest. Right? But it nothing. As far as looks and scale wise. Aaron: Sure. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Alex: so essentially you start doing the weighted vest, and then you're just like, crap, I gotta do diet stuff. Josh: See. Well, I mean I did it for a year and a half just because one, I like I have a desk job, right? I'm a software engineer. I sit at my desk all day. So like looking forward to waking up and going out, being in the sun, walking my dog around my neighborhood. That I enjoy that, right? That was this was just like I'll add a weighted vest, you know, and hopefully see some benefits from it, which I didn't. Aaron: Yeah. So let's let's all right. So the weighted vest didn't work. and that's had nothing to do with the weighted vest, had to do with your diet. So once you saw like so after November when we were went to Pizza Fest, which we should go to again this November, and just I want to point out real quick, like you could still have fun and and and and lose weight. Like I still went to Pizza Fest, we still went to Cubistro, we still ate a ton of food at Pizza, at the Pizza Fest, a ton of food. And Josh: Mm. Yes. yeah. Yes. Aaron: Like, as long as that's not like I don't want to get too deep into that, but it's like I think I've talked about this before. As long as it's not you're doing that constantly, you can still have a good time. But what I wanted to ask you, so after Pizza Fest, and you wanted to lock in, you talked to to Claude and you got your numbers, your macros that you're supposed to be hitting. I'm assuming to give you your your calories, your protein, your carbs, your fats that you should be having every day. Is that right? Okay. And then what did you do? No, okay, go. No, go, go. Josh: Yes. Well and I should I should pref sorry, go ahead. I was just gonna say I should preface this. Before I I did speak to Claude, I lost like twelve pounds of doing it my old way. Eating less food, that kind of thing. But I I plateaued. I was not moving the scale for I think it was like two or three weeks. I'm like, What's going on here? And that's when I dis discussed like started looking into what it actually takes. I think I I had seen multiple things from your guys' podcast or Aaron from Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Josh: From some of your reels that you had created. And that's what really triggered me to like start down actually looking into it. And and I'm not kidding. When I discovered the amount of protein I was supposed to be eating, it was overnight the difference. The pounds, it's like it it was just waiting for me to give it the protein so it could r like flush out other stuff. It was crazy. Aaron: Yeah. Do you do you remember do you remember what you were taking originally? Like how many grams you were getting? Do have any idea? Okay. Yeah, okay. Josh: No idea. I wasn't tracking it. And that's the other thing is I was just like, Claude was like, you have to track. You have to. And I was like, I don't really want to. You know, it's the whole thing of like it's gonna add more time, it's tedious, people are gonna think you're stupid taking pictures of your food while you're out, all that stuff, right? And and now because I've seen the results, it's like I don't care. I love it. I don't care. Yeah. Aaron: Yes. Sure. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Who cares? I'd rather I'd rather look stupid and like in shape taking pictures than fat and still taking pictures. Josh: Exactly. It it's just crazy like the difference. No, no. Alex: And most people probably don't pay attention anyways. Like, I th I Aaron: Would you say Alex: would assume most people are just like Aaron: yes. Alex: The p most people are like in their own world too. Like like I always look at it this way, like how often do I think about like the people that I see out and about only enough in case there's some sort of terroristic thing that happens and I need to be ready and know and know what's going on. Like that's about the extent of like the knowledge that I put into individuals. So people probably aren't paying attention to us as much as we think they are. Josh: They are. Aaron: Start profiling. Josh: No, no, they're not. Aaron: That's that's that's so true. All right. So you you started tracking your stuff. do you do you know what your what do you remember what Claude spit out for your your macros, like specifically? Josh: yeah, because I have it all right here. I think it originally let me see. Let me go back to my first. Aaron: And can you give us like your weight? Like give us your weight and your your height and stuff. So is there's anyone that's like kind of similar? Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's your basketball couple. Josh: Yes. Alex: And your basketball comp. Josh: you're gonna be so sad because I don't care about basketball. Alex: So That that's for the one person who listens to that show. Josh: it's not going back to time. I don't have it. Anyways, yeah, so when I first started, I was I'm so I'm six foot forty years old. No almost forty-one. And I started out 242, right? So I lost those first twelve pounds of just the traditional watching what was on my plate, eating less. That was it, right? Still doing my my weighted vest walks and and just limiting how much I'm eating. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Sure, sure. Yeah. Josh: So then I get to two thirty and it's just I'm stagnant. Nothing's happening. Yep. And that's when I you know, start the regimen was clawed. And so it it gave me I wanted to I wanted to be at two hundred pounds, which you realize when you get deep into it, you actually want to be less. I you you think you wanna be at two hundred pounds? I think I probably actually want to be more like like one eighty five, not one ninety. I don't know. We'll see. and so I I have Aaron: Mm-hmm. Just there. Yeah. Josh: Two thousand calories a day that I'm eating, two hundred grams of protein, and I think what's my carbs? Alex: And that two hundred grams of protein is what Claude told you to do. So it sounds Claude's a better AI at this than ChatGPT. Josh: Yeah. Because my I told it my goal Aaron: Trucks. Yeah. Josh: really? See I've never so being a software engineer, I use Claude Code for development, right? And so I've always just I've I've had a subscription with Cloud, so I just naturally switched over to their chat form by already have a subscription for Cloud Code, right? Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, 'cause nice. Okay. Was that more carbs than you thought that you needed to be eating? Like Yeah. Yeah. Josh: Yeah, so two hundred and ten carbs. yeah, most definitely. And that's still I still have a hard time hitting those every day because it just seems so out of place and because it satiates you so much. Aaron: Yes. Yeah. yeah. Yeah yeah yeah. Yeah, I had a conversation recently with somebody who's tried to convince me that I need to be watching my carbs. And I was like, shut the hell up. I was like, I'll take advice from you. Never about health. Josh: Did you lift your shirt up and be like, Yeah, I think I'm okay. Alex: Well, I j Josh, I have a question for you. So what is leading you 'cause I don't think there's any right or wrong answer to this, but like what's leading you to like, I need to be one hundred five? Like what Yeah. Josh: Because I so I'm down to two fifteen right now. And so I've seen the two forty two Josh and I've seen the two fifteen Josh. And that's just me arbitrarily seeing myself in the mirror, right? I don't know because I haven't seen two hundred Josh. That's just me thinking that. I don't I honestly don't know. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's fair enough. Alex: Ver like it's been it's been 'cause it's been like a wild ride for me, so that's the only reason I ask it is 'cause we had we had Gordon Steele on a f a couple of weeks ago or last week. No one knows. And he like has gained weight like throughout like throughout his process of like where he's at and I'm now getting to a point where I'm like, I wanted to be at one fifty three and I'm just like, I don't think th I it's almost like Princess Brian like, I don't think you know what one fifty three actually means and like what that's going to look like. Josh: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And and I'm probably the same Aaron: Ha ha ha. Josh: way, honestly. Alex: And so now I'm like I'm hovering around one sixty five and I'm getting to a point now too 'cause Aaron's coaching me and I'm just like, I think I'm actually like with what I wanna look like, I probably need to be closer to like one seventy five, one eighty. Like honestly. Aaron: Yeah yeah. Yeah, dude, I'd say Josh: Interesting. Aaron: at your size, Josh, because I'm not a scientist at all. I think once you hit two hundred well, here's the other thing, too, man. Have you ever got a DEXA scan? Josh: No, and I know you've been the a prophet on the hill about that and I should go and get one. I know. Aaron: Preaching it. It it makes a big difference. The the main reason is like then you will know how much fat you're carrying and how much muscle you're carrying. And then you can work on obviously lowering the fat and then increasing your lean muscle. I dude, I I I because we have a very similar frame, if you were at 200 and I honestly want to say this is the other thing too, man. Like, I wouldn't even focus on at this point on the weight, I would go get a DEXA scan. And then I would I would look at the lean mass and your body fat. I would worry about more like body fat percentage and like lean muscle mass. Because like right now I'm I'm I'm two I weighed in at 210 this morning. if I had to guess, I'm probably like I don't know, probably like eleven or twelve. I'm in a bulk, so I'm I'm gaining weight. But I mean, if I was at 185, dude, I'd be r I'd be very I'd be very sveled. Yeah. Like I I think I think Josh: Right. Yeah. Aaron: And this is me pro obviously you're just probably like, shut the hell up. I'm gonna do whatever whatever I want, but just Sure, exactly. Yeah. But if you want to look like me, Josh, Alex: But but it also goes back to like what Josh's goals are too, so like we don't know what those are, but I was just I Josh: No no My goal is to look like Aaron. No, no, I think you're right. And I think and what I'm learning in this part, because I'm in I'm in that part where the scale doesn't move, right? I'm gaining muscle, I'm losing fat, and it's just not showing anywhere other than my clothes and the mirror. That's the only thing that's changing, right? The scale is nothing, even though I still check it every day. Aaron: The scale can completely throw you off. Yeah. It is. Josh: Yeah, no, it's huge. Aaron: Yes. Because that's what go Josh. Josh: No, I like I was just gonna say there's I'm just in this hu I don't know why I buy clothes in this transition right now because it's like I've thrown out stuff and Yeah. Yes Yeah. Aaron: Can I give you Can I give you some advice on your fat clothes? Give them away. Get it get rid of burn. Burn the ships. Burn the ships. What that means is you're not going back. I just made that up right now. No one's ever said this. you're you're not going back. I I got rid of all of my fat clothes. So I used to keep them because I knew I was just like, well, I'm gonna probably help out gain it back just in case. But now I'm like, I don't want to have to buy Josh: Yes. No going back. Alex: He came up with that. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Josh: Ha ha. Aaron: my fat clothes again. Well, I more than that, I don't want to be fat again. But it's just like it's just more motivation of like, I I'm not going back to that. That's not an option. I am I'm gonna stick to this. But as far as but that's going back to like the whole weight thing, I think people get really get stuck on that because our I guess we'll we'll get into this in a little bit too about your kind of workout regimen. But you're you are losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. That way that that's why Josh: Yeah. Aaron: the scale isn't moving. And so I think people will weigh themselves and just get frustrated like, well, this isn't working. This is stupid. But this is why, this is why DEXA scans are so important. Because when I when I was at your spot where I was like kind of plateauing, I like, what the hell is going on? And I got like, I think it was my second DEXA scan. I like, I gained like eight pounds of muscle and my body fat percentage went down. I was like, And that's what it kind of more clicked for me than anything else. Was I thought I was doing something wrong or whatever. Josh: Right. Alex: Do you look good? Aaron: And my clothes were fitting better. And so I use that kind of as a barometer, but just that that fucking number on the scale like messes with you so much. And people and I do tell people like weigh yourself every day, because I do, but don't that's not like gospel of like what's happening with your body. that that that number, not at all. And so that I just always and and and they have those other things too. I think Josh, you got that you got the what's that the that scale? Have you got that one? Yeah. Josh: No. Not not at not at all. No, I was talking to you about it, the Hume. I want to do the Hume because it it's not as accurate as the DEXA, but the thing is that you're tracking trends more than anything, right? So if it is consistently showing you trend of what's going on, then But I didn't pull the trigger. I should have. You know me. I'm really good at looking at something and not buying it. Actually, you'll appreciate this. Aaron: Exactly. Yes. Yep. Yeah. that's I do tons of research in the never buy stuff. Josh is going to pick something up. He's picking up a are those a f are those the Federer ones? They're you're like, nah, I'll I'll wait later and spend fifty more dollars on them instead. Josh: You remember when I tried these on in Vegas? don't worry, I went and got later on. Yes, they are. You're like, just buy Josh. Yeah, exactly. Aaron: Josh, in case anyone's not watching this, he showed us a pair of shoes that I told him when we were in Vegas at the outlets to buy. He didn't buy them and then he bought them later. Probably at the pro whatever. So, yes, that that is true. We do a lot of research. Yeah. But they probably have them. I mean, they're not crazy expensive. it's just good to and I would I would get one too, just because if you're still gonna get the Hume, that's I think that's fine. I'm never gonna be like, well, it's not as accurate. Like, whatever. At least. Josh: So when you talk to me in a couple of weeks, I'll show you my DEXA scan. Alex: You need Josh: no, I I looked it up. Aaron: Especially if it's d the DEXA Alex: points. Aaron: scan and then you can look at the Hume and be like, all right, well it's it's off by two percent of body fat. Okay, well I'll just I'll know that that number's somewhere around there as you're using that every day. But it would just it's just so important to to to track that stuff. So are you you are now tracking all of your all of your meals every day? Like through an app? Yeah? Okay, good. Good. Josh: Right. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, yeah. Five like the last sixty four days or something like that. Aaron: Good. How has that helped you? Josh: so yeah, it helps a lot because I'm kinda like you where if you just tell me what to do, I'll do I'll just do it. Right? If it's written down somewhere and I have to follow it, I could follow it. When I'm like going by my heart, I'm never gonna do what I actually need to do, right? Aaron: Yeah, a and yes. Sorry, I was gonna cut you off. Keep going. Josh: And and my biggest thing that hurt me the most is snacking at night. My favorite thing. Kelly and I would get ready for bed, we'd watch Jeopardy for a couple hours and I would eat as much popcorn and candy as possible. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Ha! Pumpcore's fine. Unless it's the and unless you're doing that cheddar one that you showed me. Josh: That was my thing. it's actually not. Yeah, Alex: Jeopardy for a couple hours. That's the thing that surprised me. Josh: it's that sh it's exactly that cheddar one. You know, it's like two hundred calories and anyways, yeah. Aaron: Yeah. If if you do like the air the air fried popcorn, you can do a giant well, it's like nothing. It's just like all carbs. So that's actually a good way. If you're struggling with carbs, just do like air fried popcorn and you can Yeah, a lot of fiber too. So like that's that's that that's not a bad snack to have at all. Josh: Yeah. Usually by that time of the night I'm already maxed out on all my stuff and I'm just ready to go. Yeah. Aaron: good. Perfect. Perfect. Yeah. So I guess then then let's talk about a little more with your your diet stuff. What have what are some like little tricks or like we call snack hacks. What what are your what are your your what are your like go to snack hacks when you're craving whatever? Alex: Snacks, yeah. Josh: Yeah, I use a lot of phage, the zero percent Greek yogurt, it's my favorite thing. Yep, Greek yogurt's my favorite. Yeah. Yeah, you you don't want to say it the other way. Aaron: agree. Yes. Alex: That's how you say it. Aaron: It's not it's not fig. Listen here you fig. Josh: No, I use so one of my favorite ones I was telling you about, Aaron, is that I get French onion soup mix and I'll mix that with Greek yogurt and I use that for any type of condiment situation. So if I'm making a sandwich, I don't use mayo, I use that. If I'm making a burger, I use that, I don't use mayo. That kind of a thing, right? Or even just like with celery or carrots or peppers, it's really good, just that way. Or I'll mix it with white rice. Delicious. I like it that way too. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm the same way. I'm the same. I I'm so glad 'cause there's so many healthy things that I hate and thank God I love Greek yogurt. Like I can just eat it plain. Like I get I see all these people like, man, Greek yogurt's the worst. Like I love it. Like thank thank God. Thank God that's the thing that I do like. Yeah, that I that I I can I can pall it. what else? What else? So Josh: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. It's delicious. And the the other thing is the zero sugar cheesecake jello. You put that in with Greek yogurt and then put it on top of just some crushed up what are those called? No, so it's the s'mores ones. What are those called? Thank you, graham crackers. And then just some fruit on top. And it's like cheesecake. It literally tastes like cheesecake and it's and it's like what, twenty five grams of protein? Aaron: Teddy Grabs. grab crackers. Yeah. Yes. Dude, it's so good. It's so good. Yes. Josh: And maybe two hundred calories. So that's that's those two are my favorite. Sweet and savory. Aaron: Yeah. It's kind of insane. The the like the macros on on non fat Greek yogurt is like a cheat. It's like a cheat code. If you like it, it's a cheat code. If you hate it, find something else that's similar to that. That's the one that that I found that obviously you found that works really well. Josh: And the thing with cottage cheese, you just blend it. I know people don't like the texture of it. I totally get that. I just blend it. I don't mind cottage cheese. I the thing is I grew up with it, right? I grew up with pears on top of cottage cheese. And that sounds like the weirdest thing ever, but I think just because it was in my childhood, it was delicious. Alex: Does it taste good? I've like literally never had it because I Aaron: Cottage. Mm-hmm. No, it doesn't. Yeah. Well, just like you think that really shitty Chinese food restaurant's good that's in Idaho Falls. it's just nostalgia. Josh: Dude, okay, quickly on that. They like have new ownerships. It's terrible. It's terri it's really terrible now. It's not just terrible, terrible. Aaron: it's I gotta go try it I I gotta go try it now. Alex: It's e so it's probably good now. Aaron: Maybe it's good. Alex: Aaron, you should go. Josh: It's really terrible. Aaron: but yeah, I Yeah, tell us about it. Our our Chinese food restaurant closed. It was the it was the worst. It was like one of the one main things I look forward to to going home. Like what about seeing your family? Nope. Going to Diamond Chinese. That was a thing I look forward to more than anything. Yeah. But yeah, that so that's good. so that's kind of your sweet and sa so you have your sweet and savory. Josh: it's so sad. It makes you so sad when something in your childhood's gone. Alex: Yeah. Fix COVID. At least that's what I want to blame it on. Josh: So sad. Yeah. Aaron: s covered by using cottage cheese or non fat grit yogurt. Any any like other like I people don't like when we talk about like I I guess it doesn't matter. Like the processed like I love the legendary Pop Tarts. I think are really good. Throw in the microwave for like fourteen seconds. dude, don't don't. They're so good. Josh: I never tried that. I heard you talking about that. But th this is something I I learned recently and I think you guys were discussing it. I think I w Alex, you were talking about, you know, hitting all of your like your fiber and your carbs and all that. For the longest time I was tracking calories and protein. That's it. I wasn't looking at anything else, right? so I would drink Aaron: Mm-hmm. Fair life, baby. Hey, I just drank one. Josh: Two of these, right? And they have these sparkling protein things. So I'm just I'm literally Alex: Yeah. Is that a Costco? Aaron: Yeah. Josh: just Yeah, yeah, it is. I'm just slamming protein. That's all I cared about, right? And then I heard you guys talk about that and I noticed on my lifts, I was not gaining anywhere. In fact, it was getting I was struggling, right? And so that's when I started I was went back to discussing it with with Claude and and I gave it a an export of what I had beating. They're like Aaron: Yeah. That's Costco. Josh: you're relying completely on processed protein and that's it. And you're not gonna and and and pretty much the only reason I had the gas that I had as long as I did was because I was working off stored fat. And now that I'm getting on less, I have to support with carbohydrates, fiber, all that stuff. And so that's been like my most recent transition is now working in whole foods a whole lot more after I had cut for a little bit, right? So that's that's like the the biggest part of Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Josh: Where I'm out on my journey right now. Alex: The Aaron: Yeah. Alex: Great Carbohydrate Lie. food prepping. Aaron: Well Alex is well, Alex is way better at that than even I am. Like he's really good about like the the ch like getting the chicken, the ground beef. Yeah, like and the food prepping and stuff. I will do the ground beef and chicken probably two or three times a week. I need to get better at that's like the one thing I do need to get better at is like relying more on the whole food protein sources than just like protein shakes and stuff like that. But the the big difference for me was, and you've probably already know this, was like incorporating carbs back into my diet for workouts. Like completely changed how I worked out. so let's get into your workout. What are you doing as far as exercise goes? Josh: Yes. So I still do a weighted vest walk every single day, regardless of what I'm doing for strength training. It's an hour. So it's about three and a half miles. Yeah. It's good. Ten thousand. Well, it's actually more like nine thousand 'cause I end on ten thousand for the day. So I think it's I think it's closer to nine thousand, yeah. But yeah, I love it. It's it's my favorite part of day. so Aaron: Mm-hmm. Perfect. How how long? How long's that walk typically? Or like an wow. Okay. How many steps is that? wow. gotcha. Gotcha. Okay. And then and then what else? Yeah. You do the weighted vest walk and then what else? Josh: And then I do a I have it right here. I have day one is push, day two pull, day three are legs. I rest day four today. day five is upper power, day six is posterior and core, and day seven is rest. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Nice. Perfect. Are you doing this all from home? Nice. Nice. Well, I forgot to s I forgot to mention Josh is a billionaire. So everyone out there, all you have to do is make a billion dollars and you can do all this easily. Josh: Yes, I do have a home gym. Yeah. Which was No. Yeah. Alex: But can I add like h home gym so I I have a home gym, but like it's I'm looking at it. Boflex dumbbells that go up to fifty-two point five, like what are you what are you working with? Fine stuff. Josh: So simple. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, I'm I'm limited as well, which is also awesome with Claude because I could just tell it what I have access to and it builds like everything I need for that, right? so I have dumbbells and the that's from I think my highest is forty, but I have a adjustable little ones that I can put plates on. So if I need to do more, it's a little cumbersome, but I can do it. And then I just have a a bench. Aaron: Sure. Yep. But it works. Josh: It's the ricketyest bench ever that has like these little upper arms so I can do like it just holds the bar for squatting. Like it's very dangerous. So if I d if I if I die it's because of my little setup I have in my gym. So yeah. Yeah, on my health journey I died. Aaron: Yeah. So what I learned is don't lift weights. Josh: But and then I recently added a a pulley system in there too. And so it's been nice to add some other things to it. Yeah. Aaron: nice. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. And are you tracking your workouts too? Josh: tracking me in in the sense that I do them, I need to be better at tracking my actual weight numbers. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Like like weight and reps. Like that way you can see you do reps. Okay. So you just so how many reps you doing, but you don't put how much weight on for those reps? Josh: reps yes. Wait, no. Mm mm. On some of them I do so that I know next week. I know. I know. You gotta you gotta you gotta understand that I am doing these in baby steps, right? I know. Alex: He's a wild card. Yeah. I was like, I I Aaron: No, I know. Yeah, I was just we're Alex: haven't been tracking and I I'm mad that I got away from it. I 'cause I was doing P ninety X like the P ninety X comes with sheets. So like it was easy 'cause it's just like it's a Google sh Google sheet. I'm like doo doo doo doo doo. Type it in after I do it, type it in after I do it. Then I started doing like my own lifts, like on my like on my own, I stopped doing it. And then I so that's been like two and a half months that I haven't been tracking that. And I've just started tracking like again yesterday. So, you know, times and seasons as they say. Josh: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. I know I and it's it's too because I have the paper there so I can check it off when I do a rep and a set and all that kind of stuff. I should just put the number next to it. Some of I do. but yeah. It's something I can I could be better at. Alex: I've only been doing it for two days and I don't think it's necessarily the app that I'm using so you don't have to use that app, but like having it on your phone is really nice. 'Cause I have my phone with me like the entire time of working out. Pop it open, add the number in, back to it. Josh: Yeah, that would be nice. Aaron: Nice. Josh: That would be even smarter because then when I if I ever happen to do travel, it would be there and if I have access to some kind of gym then it's like I don't I know exactly where I'm at. So yeah. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. And the yeah, and the nice thing about the heavy up too is like you could program in obviously your routines, but I like that you could program like rest time. Because sometimes like you'll I don't know how you do that at all. You're like like in between sets, are you just like, I feel good now. I'm gonna start again, or is there like a certain amount of time? Josh: Nice. Mm. No, I'm very I'm very strict on my time and actually it's really easy right now, because the World Cup is on and so I usually have a game on and they have a constant clock, right? That clock is always running. And so I'll do a rep, I'll look at it and I'll be like, Okay, I know exactly when I need to start my next rep. Other than that, I just do a timer on my on my phone on my yeah, on my phone. Yeah. Alex: So you just watch it there. Aaron: yeah. Yeah. Gotcha. Gotcha. Then you start kicking stuff. you just have a yeah, yeah. It's just it's it's nice to have those little conveniences when you're when you're doing your your exercises. and so you said you're at w would you say you're at two two twenty right now? Josh: Two I said two fifteen but I just I'm actually at two thirteen. Like I don't wanna brag, but Aaron: Two thousand Whoa, look at this guy. I'm about to I'm about to be fatter than you. two ten. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It doesn't yeah, it doesn't it doesn't really matter. something's gonna ask you to, so you we covered your your workouts, your nutrition, then that you need to start tracking your workouts better. Come on, Josh. Josh: Exactly. Exactly. Yes. Alex: I I have I have another question. Like if I can like ask Josh: On it. Yeah. Alex: you like your like what your goals are. So your goal is 200 pounds and I think what I have learned this time around going through this, like what's the goal after that? Josh: Yeah. That's that's a good question because two forty two Josh was just to get to two hundred, right? And now that I'm in in my journey now is I just I want to feel comfortable in my clothes and then looking jacked would be great. But honestly that's it. I I don't really have a a number goal. yeah, I know that it w it eventually it'll be okay. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Josh: I've been doing this for a year, maybe two years now. Like what are the muscles I can really focus on? You know, and really like 'cause I where do you where else do you go? I d I don't know. Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Yep. It's just like fine tuning. I'll tell you where you go, Josh. Body dysmorphia. That's where you go too. You're like, I'm still a fat piece of shit, man. And then all you do when that happens is you look at a picture from two years ago like, that guy was a fat piece of shit. Yeah, I'm doing all right. I'm right. yeah, when you could comfortably take your shirt off at a pool. That's when you know you're doing okay. Alex: Okay. Josh: I'm doing okay. Alex: And the main reason I asked that too, Josh, is like I know that that helped for me, like finally having a second goal. Because essentially my goal was like to get to one sixty. I got there and then I was like, now what? and so like now being coached by Aaron, like having like my goal is I wanna have like Tom Hardy's Bane body, give or take a little bit of the vascularness of that, by December. getting ready for a little trip. Josh: Yeah. Aaron: Now what? Yep. Josh: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's like that's gotta be what, like fifteen, twenty pounds of mass that you'd have to add to get to that? Alex: What right, so that's why I've Aaron: I I send him over s I sent him some Tren and some some D ball. These are all stored references for you guys. send him the all that his way, so he should be just fine. Josh: Yeah. Alex: Yeah, so like Aaron: If his heart doesn't explode. Josh: Mm-hmm. Alex: so I got six months and then you're right. So like that's where I was like, I don't know if I actually w I probably need to be eating more and then and I'm sure Aaron's gonna help me out with that, I probably need be eating more and the exercises I'm doing I have to start tracking so I can keep going up and up and up there. I'm at one sixty five point three. Aaron: Well yeah, 'cause you're that's again the progressive overload. Josh: So you're you're at once you're at one sixty, is what you're saying. Nice. And so and you wanna get to one eighty. So does that mean you've changed your goal? Alex: I just so like so like that's the hard thing, like for me is like I I want it I'm like going for a physique goal. It's like it if I get there at one seventy five, I'm like, you know what, I like what this is looking like. I could be cool if I get there at one seventy, cool. If like it takes me to get to one eighty five, whatever it ends up being. So it I don't really have like the wakeful. It's the I and I should probably talk to Aaron about this. Like it's the I also know that I'm going to have to get that body f like my body fat's at twenty percent right now. I know that's probably gonna have to get down closer to like four Aaron: And it's one of those things too where you could do it's it's it was like for the longest time that I thought was impossible was like you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Alex: Right. Aaron: I have DEXA scans to prove that you can do that. And so that's all it is. Just yeah, just lowering the body fat, increasing muscle, and then and then yeah, you'll be you'll be good to go. And I think it's always good to have like lofty goals anyways, as opposed to like, I just wanna, you know, I wanna lose ten pounds and you know, we'll see what happens. having like Josh: Right. Right. Right. Aaron: higher goals and if you miss that exact goal, at least you're working towards something. Like, you know, my goal is you know, to compete at the in that contest next summer. And, you know, if I if I win, awesome. If not, okay, well I have something else to like, all right. Now I gotta push myself to maybe win next year or whatever it is. just always having something. And I think that's why Alex is bringing that up. Like you wanna have something, you wanna know what your next step is, after that. And so I think you said it perfectly too, Josh, was like, you know, if I get to that and I'm I like how I look, but I want my arms to be a little bigger or like I have better abs, whatever. All right, well I'm gonna focus on those that muscle group. And so that that's Alex: Yeah. I just felt like I Josh: Yeah. Alex: was in limbo for two months and I like and now I'm now I have this goal. I'm just like, well that's two months of like it's better I was doing something than nothing, but it wasn't directed towards something, so that's where that's coming from. me projecting onto people. Aaron: Yeah. Yep. Yep. And I I think everyone everyone should have those goals. Well no, Josh: Yes. Aaron: the it's not that you projected because I think we we all do. Like mine's like I gotta build my I gotta get a bigger chest. I have to ha get my my quads aren't aren't big enough. Like there's I think we all have things that we we should we we all should have things that we're working towards, not just be like, Yep, I'm good with how I look. And maybe if like you're Josh: No, good questions. Aaron: Actually, you could talk to any body, even like the best of the best is still like, no, I gotta grow my shoulders a little more. I gotta grow this. They they always have something they wanna they wanna grow. and not even bodybuilders, but like in general, like there's no basketball player or professional golfer that's like, nope, I don't need to improve. I'm great at everything, and I'm not gonna pr except for John Daly. I'm not going to I'm not going to practice at all and drink a thousand cokes. Shoes, who needs shoes? Josh: I haven't seen a driving range in three years. Aaron: yeah, so I it's it is it is something that everyone should always be working to better themselves, you know, whether it's physically or, you know, mentally or whatever it is. But yeah, I totally, I totally agree. Josh: It is a good question. And it honestly be I think I'm so focused on what I'm seeing in the mirror that once I s like I want to see that, that's my biggest goal right now. And so it's hard for me to see past that, even though yes, there is gonna be w whether it's a a maintenance mode or I start developing different muscles. I don't know. What Aaron, what was it for you that made you want to do the the yeah, the contest? Aaron: The contest was somebody in a sauna asking me if I was prepared for a contest. I was like, I could I could do that. I had I I mean, it was funny 'cause even like back then I was like, I know I knew I looked better, but I w again bottom dysmorphia. I like, I don't look. I like if we're in like real honest years, like I've never thought I was that like muscular. Like I was just like Josh: that's right. That's right. You I I remember you mentioning that. Aaron: What for whatever reason, like I don't think I have that big of arms, I don't think I have that big of shoulders, I don't think I have that big of really whatever. And the guy to even just bring that up, he's like, th I thought you were preparing for a contest. You look you're you know, you look like you're that's what you're doing. I was like, I could do that. And so then and then that's w that that just became the goal. I was like, maybe I'll do it. And then Dan, the guy that that the podcast that came out today, which is July second, I just talked to him and kind of Josh: Mm-hmm. Aaron: got in touch with the coach. And so that's that's what led to that. But even with the with the contest or whatever, like I said, it I wanna, I'm gonna do as much as I can to hopefully, you know, hopefully win. But the the other thing too that people don't really talk about is like you're still better in yourself. Like even if even if you don't hit that goal that you you're going after, as long as you're going towards something, you're better in yourself and you're gonna be so much better than you did than you looked a year ago. And that's the other thing I always bitch about too. Like I hate it when people are like Josh: Gotcha. Yeah. Aaron: All I'm gonna start working out and do my thing. Like, I can't believe I'm not jacked in a month. What the hell, man? This is bullshit. Like, you've been eating like shit for decades, and then you're expecting to like look amazing in six months or like three months. Like, that's not how this works. It's gonna take a long time. And it can be frustrating because even me at the gym, I'm like, why don't my shoulders get bigger? Like, why aren't my quads growing? And I'm like, because it's gonna take a long time. That's why. And so just just keep. Josh: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Understanding that you're doing the right things and going the right way and not give up. Josh: Yes. Alex: I had I had a so we were doing this will come out in early July, but we were doing like the coaching session and like we didn't talk about this, but it had like this relative skeletal muscle index from my DEXA scan, and I'm at eight point seven seven kilograms per meter squared. anyways, and like in the classification thing, I have low muscle mass. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Josh: Hey Jarvis, can I get a calculation on that? Aaron: What is that? Alex: It's it's so like I'm in the low muscle mass. I'm not in the healthy normal, the fitness or the athlete. I'm in low muscle mass. And like that really frustrated me and and so that's where the thing is like I wanna look like I wanna look like Bane from whatever 'cause then I know it won't be low muscle mass. but I've been doing this now since November and I'm still in the low muscle mass thing, which just the importance of guidance and direction. I don't even wanna know where I was before that then. Because it was probably like, You're gonna die Josh: Interesting. Aaron: Sure, yeah. Yeah. Josh: That's my so Al Alex, you and I kinda like started around the same time, but you are coming up and I'm trying to come down. It's interesting. Alex: Now so like at that time I think I was weig I weighed like one hundred eighty and like now looking back at it I f I just went about this all wrong where it's like I sh what I I was running a lot, like doing a lot of running and what I really should have been doing is just like lifting weights. Lifting weights and eating better. Josh: okay. Aaron: Yeah. Josh: Yeah. Aaron: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Cause you already had the mass. Yeah. okay, Josh. We like to ask this at the end of every podcast. what advice would you give to people that are either wanting to start or have started and are frustrated in their their we we really need to work workshop this health journey. I just fucking hate that health journey. It sounds so stupid. Josh: It really it really is the answer. Biggest advice is it I mean it it's probably the same thing that they're hearing in all their Instagram reels or TikTok reels is that consistency on your plan is is the only thing that's gonna work. I've seen people in and around me in my life where they have their plan, they want to follow it, but they just don't follow it. They're just not strict enough. And the the most change I saw. was literally every day just sticking to what my macros were, to my workout. And as and it's not easy. I I it's easy for me, right? Because I have a stay at home job. I also we didn't touch on this, like, I'm the one that cooks for my family. So I get to control that environment even more. as far as like the when when we do have the meals made for the whole family, I I get to control that environment as well. So I know that that's Aaron: Mm-hmm. Josh: I have it set up for a little bit easier for me, but it's still possible, especially with all the technology we have at our fingertips, to track exactly what you're doing. And honestly, that is literally it. I know it sounds and and I would want to say this to Josh a couple months ago. Just stop being a dummy and track your food. This it's the best thing you can do is just stop being a dummy and track your food. If you don't do anything, track your food. Aaron: Yeah, yes. Preach, preach, Josh. Yes. And it's and it sounds so stupid, right? Like like whoa, okay, track my foo, whatever. Like that's that is that that's why we always talk about that. Yes. Josh: Is really the best thing you can do. Yeah. But not just not just your mills, all your food. Not just your mills, you have to track all your food. Aaron: Yes. Josh: I've been trying to do that for like fifteen years. Aaron: That's not the only thing. Josh: Do but when I when I saw you in November after your cut, dude, your arms were freaking jacked. And I'm sure they're like even bigger now, which I can't even imagine. And I don't I don't get to see you until September, right? So that's Aaron: thanks. Yeah. Yeah, we're all going to the I should I should ask you this off. I'll ask you something offline. Yes. thank you. Thank you, Josh. I do appreciate it. And you're right. I do dot I thank you. Josh: That went exactly exactly how I expected it too. Alex: 'Cause now Aaron's trying to think like how do I not start talking about this thing that I want to talk offline? So I have to respond to the thing that Josh just said. Aaron: The the thing that makes me uncomfortable. Cool man. Well, thank you so much, Josh, for sharing that. And just I I'm gonna reiterate the fact that we've not talked to one person ever from any walk of life, from any age group, from and we're gonna have we actually have some some women finally coming on. so we're gonna get that demographic in here. And I guarantee you they're gonna say the same thing. Track everything. That is the only way. That's the only way. That's the only way. I'm not gonna keep saying it. Josh: Crack everything. It's the only way. Aaron: But all right, I'll end this. Track everything. It's the only way. okay. thank you so much, Josh. And thank you, everyone, for listening. And I don't remember how this ends. So do all the unsexy things. Do the tracking. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time.