Let's welcome @Leonard Kelly and @Christopher Kott

Three years ago I was sitting at my keyboard building what I thought was the best veteran fitness program on the internet. Reps. Macros. A 3 day split. Sleep protocols. And it worked. Over a hundred veteran men coached. Over a thousand pounds gone. Chronic pain down across the board. I hated running it. Not because it failed. Because I finally admitted what it actually was. I was doing exactly what every other coach on the internet was doing, with combat stories sprinkled on top. So I did what any reasonable biochemist with a master's in education would do. I ate a shitload of mushrooms. I'm not writing this to sell you on psilocybin. I've covered that at length on the podcast. But somewhere in there, while I was busy contemplating my entire existence, something landed that I have never been able to shake. I'm not just a collection of cells working in beautiful harmony. That harmony is the essence of God. That experience brought me back to my Christianity. It also rewired what I understand my actual job to be. I'm not coaching veterans to get leaner. Veterans are seeking spiritual guidance more than anything after war. We disguise it as physical change. The body is the doorway. It was never the destination. I think about the veteran who tears up on a call when I ask them why they really want to lose the weight. It's never about the weight. It's about something that's been screaming to get out since the day they took the uniform off. They just never had words for it. So here's my question, and I want real answers. 👇 When you decided to get your health back, what were you actually chasing? Not the number on the scale. The thing underneath it. Harden Up. Dave

Low cost activity for families. Sunday we are going for my birthday because what could be a better gift than seeing tanks! Deep down I want a tank...some day 🤣😍 https://www.warmuseum.ca/war-machines-weekend

Summer only has a few weeks left. When @Eric Hempstock joined this group and got back in the gym it was in August. He was soon down three belt notches. Here's the part most people would miss — the scale hasn't moved much. Muscle's coming back on as fast as the fat's coming off, so the number on the scale is lying to him. His belt isn't. This is exactly why we don't obsess over the scale in here. Weight is one data point. It's not the truth. If you've been staring at a stubborn number and thinking nothing's working, check your belt, check your clothes, check the mirror before you check the scale. Who else has a "the scale lied to me" win sitting in the comments?

What's the habit you thought was harmless that turned out to be running the show? Late-night eating, energy drinks, skipping breakfast, doomscrolling instead of sleeping — the thing you never flagged as a problem until you actually looked at it. Drop it below. Bet we've got more in common than we think.