Nude Spirit | autumn sale ππ retweeted
Progress check in for my coach (wait until the end) π
For most of my life, I believed that being bigger would finally make me feel safe.
I sent this check-in video to my bodybuilding coach this morning. Iβm down to 203 pounds, from around 225 when I began this journey.
And Iβm exceedingly proud of it.
But not for the reason you might think.
The weight loss itself hasnβt been particularly difficult. Iβve been disciplined with my nutrition, walking six miles a day, and following my training program.
The difficult part has been allowing myself to get smaller.
You see, growing up, I was relentlessly bullied for not being strong enough, masculine enough, or big enough.
Somewhere along the way, I learned to associate physical size with safety.
If I could just get big enough, muscular enough, imposing enough, perhaps nobody could ever make me feel small again.
And so I spent years pursuing that goal.
In my mid-twenties, I weighed around 140 pounds. Eventually, I built myself up to 235.
But even then, it wasnβt enough.
I told myself that maybe at 250 or 260 pounds, Iβd finally feel safe. Finally feel powerful. Finally be able to relax.
The goalposts kept moving because the thing I was chasing wasnβt really a number on a scale.
It was a feeling.
About two weeks ago, I had something of an emotional meltdown with my coach. As the weight continued coming off, old fears Iβd carried since childhood began rising to the surface.
I was terrified of becoming smaller again.
And I had to confront something rather uncomfortable: how much of my pursuit of physical size had been shaped not only by genuine enjoyment, but by the frightened little boy who never wanted to feel powerless again.
Thankfully, my coach met me with tremendous compassion and helped me work through it.
And something rather wonderful has happened.
As Iβve continued getting leaner and lighter, Iβve discovered that I actually love how I look.
At 203 pounds, I feel sexier, more confident, and more powerful in my body than I ever have.
And perhaps most importantly, Iβm beginning to discover that I donβt have to keep getting bigger to feel safe.
I can become smaller without becoming powerless.
I still love bodybuilding. I still want to grow, develop my physique, and see what Iβm capable of.
But I want to pursue those goals because they bring me joy, not because Iβm waiting for some future version of myself to finally be worthy of feeling safe.
So yes, Iβm proud of this video.
Not because Iβm leaner. Not because the number on the scale has dropped.
But because I faced something that genuinely frightened me, and I didnβt run away.
Because Iβm learning to distinguish between the things I truly want and the things Iβve pursued out of fear.
And because, at 39 years old, Iβm still discovering new ways to become someone I love.
Sometimes the greatest transformation isnβt what happens to our bodies. Itβs what happens to our relationship with them.
#BodybuildingJourney #BodyAcceptance #MensMentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #Ecstaticism
Nude Spirit | autumn sale ππ retweeted
A passage from βThe Fierce Tribe: Masculine Identity and Performance in the Circuitβ by Mickey Weems, 2008
Our Washington DC condo just went up for sale today. If you or anyone you know is looking for a 3 Bd/ 2 Ba place in the π©΅ of DC with a ton of daylight and freshly renovated, shoot me a DM :-)
Nude Spirit | autumn sale ππ retweeted
Respectfully @KaeEcstatic, I've set you as the wallpaper for my phone screen.















