So annoying! Every day it seems I see another article or social media post saying “insulin makes you fat” or “carbs spike insulin so they go straight to fat.” Complete and utter BS. Here’s the reality: - Insulin is a transport hormone. It shuttles nutrients into muscle, liver, and fat cells. It doesn’t automatically decide, “Let’s get fat today.” - Carbs don’t turn into fat unless you’re in a caloric surplus. If you’re burning more than you take in, insulin spikes won’t make you store fat. PERIOD. - The real issue is chronic overeating combined with low muscle mass and poor insulin sensitivity. That’s when insulin becomes a problem. - Muscle changes everything. More muscle = more storage space for carbs as glycogen, better insulin sensitivity, and less chance of spillover into fat. - You NEED carbs for fuel. And the appropriate amount of carbs eaten with protein, will help you build muscle much faster than relying protein alone. So the question isn’t “Do carbs make me fat?” The question is “Am I strong enough, lean enough, and disciplined enough for my body to handle carbs the right way?” Insulin isn’t your enemy. Your lack of discipline is. Build the muscle, tighten the diet, and use carbs as fuel - not as an excuse.

I was reading the book Atomic Habits this morning and there was a quote that hit me hard: "Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become." That is powerful and it applies to everything in life - especially when it comes to your physical fitness. I'll put it this way... seemingly small, seemingly inconsequential actions you take with your diet can add up in a big way. Let's say you decide to have a very small (one of the mini) bags of chips and a soda from the vending machine when the mid day hunger hits. I mean, that's next to nothing in the great scheme of things, right? 390 calories won't make you fat. But if you do that even just twice a week, you're looking at around 3,500 extra calories in a month. There is 3,500 calories in a pound of fat - so just doing that a couple times a week can add 1 pound of fat per month. Barely noticeable. But over a year, that's 12 pounds of fat you can add! Look at the flip side... If you decide to jump on a treadmill twice a week and burn an extra 400-500 calories, that's not a huge deal - but it will burn about a pound of fat per month, so you could lose 12 pounds a year from that. Combine those two things - eliminate the occasional junk food fix and hit the cardio a couple times a week, and just those small changes can help you lose over 20 lbs in the course of a year. That's huge! It's a microwave society we live in a people want huge results NOW! But we're playing the long game, and every action you take - or don't take - is moving you toward the man you will become. You get to decide, with tiny little daily actions, what that man in the mirror looks like in 6 months. Or 12 months. Or 2 years. Or 5 years. You get the idea. Pay attention to the small things each day, and the big picture will take care of itself.

If you ignore your body long enough, it will soon make itself impossible to ignore.

Hope your weekend was good, gentlemen! What are we working today?? Let's get at it... 💪💪

Gentlemen... this is the official accountability thread for the next 10 weeks. Here’s how this works: 1. Weekly Check-Ins - Post your update every week (on Weds if possible). - Include your weight, quick wins, struggles, and focus for the week ahead. Keep it short, keep it sharp. 2. Day 1 Starting Point - Post your starting weight, stats, and (optional) photos in the comments below. - This gives us a baseline and makes the progress real. 3. Brotherhood Standard - Hit “like” and comment on at least 2 other updates when you check in. - Encouragement is free - drop it often. 4. Zero Excuses - Even if the week went sideways, you still check in. Discipline > perfection. This is where we stack momentum week after week. By Thanksgiving, you’ll look back at this thread and see the proof of what you built. Drop your Day 1 check-in below and let’s get this thing rolling. Forge ahead! Steve @Captain Starnes @Todd Lingel @Tim Mendoza @Mario M