Speaker 1: 0:02

If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the truth, is offended by the word fuck and about 37 uses of it in different forms gets ass hurt. When you hear someone speak the absolute, real and raw truth, you should leave Like right now. This is Shut Up and Choose, the podcast where we cut through the shit and get real about weight loss, life and everything in between. We get into the nitty gritty of making small, smart choices that add up to big results. From what's on your plate to how you approach life's challenges. We'll explore how the simple act of choosing differently can transform your health, your mindset and your entire freaking life. So if you're ready to cut through the bullshit and start making some real changes, then buckle up and shut up, because we're about to choose our way to a healthier, happier life. This is Shut Up and Choose. Let's do this Now. Your host, jonathan Ressler.

Speaker 2: 1:15

Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast, where we cut the noise and the nonsense and all the lunacy the diet industry is spewing at you from whether it be TV commercials or internet gurus who know how you should lose weight, even though they probably never lost a pound so actually they probably lost a pound or two. But the reality is, I'm here to cut through all that garbage and give you a little bit of sarcasm and tell you about my 140-pound weight loss journey and how I did it and why you should be doing it too. But, having said that, I always talk more about what you should do, how you should do things, and I think today I'm going to talk about something a little bit different. Today I'm going to talk about the benefits of doing what I did, because for some of you, maybe just knowing what to do isn't enough. Maybe you need to know or hear what some of the upside is of losing weight and getting healthy, and I would say the number one upside is obviously getting healthy.

Speaker 2: 2:09

So, with that being said, I want to say Disney may call itself the happiest place on earth and, honestly, for good reason. Disney is an incredible place, unless you take little kids and holy shit, it's a nightmare, but anyway there's definitely magic walking down Main Street and hugging Mickey and taking pictures with all the characters and watching the fireworks light up the sky. There's even a lot of fun in there Nightclub Island I don't even remember what it's called, but you know there's a lot of fun. It's a place of joy and wonder and nostalgia that honestly captures, like the hearts of everyone that goes there, the hearts of millions of people. But here's the thing with Disney Disney's magic is fleeting, the fireworks end, the ride stop or the lines are so long and you head home and a lot of times especially again if you're there with little kids you get home more exhausted than when you arrived. So I was thinking about that happiness and what it really means. And to me, I guess real happiness, the kind that lasts, isn't found in any theme park. It's found in how you feel about your body, your mind and your life. So for me, the true happiest place on earth isn't a destination, it's a state of being, and that's where I am right now. It's what happens when you lose weight, reclaim your health and honestly transform your life, when you feel good in your body, confident in your skin and free to live fully and do all the things that you want to do, the entire world becomes a happier place.

Speaker 2: 3:37

So today I want to talk a little bit more about the life-changing benefits of weight loss and why getting healthy, losing the weight is the ultimate ticket to joy. But before we dive into the joys of weight loss, I know some of you probably think joys of weight loss it's a fucking nightmare. No, it's not. Actually it should really be a joyful process and you won't lose weight and keep it off if you don't find the joy in the process. But anyway, it's important to acknowledge the burdens of living with excess weight physically, emotionally and mentally. And believe me, if you're overweight and I'm not, I don't know if you're five pounds, probably you won't feel much of those burdens. But if you're 20, 50, 100, I was over 100 pounds overweight there's a lot of burden in that.

Speaker 2: 4:24

So the physical weight obviously excess weight can make everyday tasks feel monumental. I've told you all the things. Literally, walking 100 yards was almost impossible for me without stopping to rest and I dreaded walking anywhere. So whether it's climbing up a flight of stairs or carrying groceries or just standing, honestly it's just standing in place for extended periods of time. The physical strain is constant. I remember and I've told you this before I used to ride around in the handicap cart in a store, whether it be a grocery store or Home Depot or Costco I had to ride in a handicap cart. It's crazy. After I lost the weight, going to those places was a pleasure. I didn't need the handicap card. Losing weight allowed me to leave those carts behind and transforming like that One's dreaded chore of going to any store for pretty much anything Once I lost the weight, it made it a manageable and honestly simple and enjoyable task.

Speaker 2: 5:25

And then you have the emotional weight. So the emotional weight is carrying those extra pounds isn't just hard on your body, it's hard on your mind. You feel some shame or some guilt or embarrassment, and it's easy for that to creep into your daily life. Some people avoid social events. I know I did. I would go out somewhat, but not as much as I wanted to, because I don't know if I was so self-conscious. But people are self-conscious. I wasn't self-conscious because I had a fucked up vision of what I looked like. Once I saw that, I realized that I needed to make a change, and you also, when you're immensely overweight, which I was. You feel like you're being judged by other people every time you order some food. So the mental toll of weight can create a vicious cycle, right? So it's emotional eating leads to weight gain, which leads to more emotional struggles, and breaking that cycle by losing the weight starts with.

Speaker 2: 6:20

I guess it really started by. I said I want to be healthy, so you have to reclaim your health. And when you prioritize your health and lose the weight, the changes go way beyond the physical. It's not just about what you lose, it's about what you gain. And I always say that the bigger I got, the smaller my life got, or the smaller my world got and I know that's a cliche, but I got to tell you it was the truth. The bigger I got, the smaller my world got. I couldn't go places, I couldn't walk. I couldn't go on a roller coaster, I couldn't walk 100 yards. A booth in a restaurant was a fucking nightmare. It's just your world gets really small when you put on or carry all that extra weight. So I got a new lease on mobility. So the first thing that I noticed, honestly, after losing weight is how much easier it became to move and I don't. I'm not just talking about move, like walking, I'm just talking about getting out of bed without all the aches and pains and stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 7:18

I've told you a thousand times how exhausting I used to feel just walking through a parking lot or strolling through a park, which I didn't do because it was just I never knew if there was going to be a bench close enough for when I had to sit down. But when I lost the weight, those activities they just I was freer in them and they were much more enjoyable. I missed certain family and friends events because I was worried about how far I could walk without needing a break After losing 140 pounds. Truthfully, after I lost like the first 20 or 30 pounds, I started doing more things. And I'm not saying all of a sudden I was mobile after 20 pounds, because I wasn't, but I was a lot more mobile than I started. The pride and the joy that you get from being able to walk is really a great motivational factor for getting this done.

Speaker 2: 8:07

As I told you a couple minutes ago, I used to ride in the handicap cart in the store. It was embarrassing but honestly it would have been more embarrassing to collapse on the floor because I was so exhausted. So I did it and I've been in plenty of stores and I've seen plenty of fat people in carts and they're not handicapped, they're just fucking fat. And so was I and I. It's humiliating but it's necessary, so I get it. Those tools the handicap card or using a rail or whatever they were helpful when I needed it, but they definitely made me feel limited and, like I said, once I lost the weight I didn't have to do that and I was able to walk freely through a store, I was able to walk through a park, I could walk around the block. It was just a big difference.

Speaker 2: 8:53

Another one is just comfort in public spaces, right, so I mean weight loss transformed how you experience these public places, from airplanes to restaurants and the beach. I live in Florida. I couldn't go to the beach because I didn't know if I could get from my car to the beach and back. But I'm about to get on a plane, actually in a couple hours. So let me talk about flying. Flying and you know, I've told you this before flying can be a nightmare when you're fat, right, the worry of whether the seatbelt's going to fit or if you're going to spill over into the next seat really kind of overshadows the whole trip. It's the nightmare part of the trip. I bought my own seatbelt extender at one point because I was so fat. The seatbelt clearly didn't go around me and it was so embarrassing to ask the flight attendant for a seatbelt extender, so I bought one. That's crazy, the relief and the freedom that I'm feeling right now, knowing I'm getting on a plane and I don't need a seatbelt extender. It'll go around me just fine and it just makes the trip much better.

Speaker 2: 9:53

And I'm that same though this thing that I call booth anxiety. Every time I went into a restaurant I would make sure no, no, no, I want a table. I don't like booths Because the truth is your stomach got in the way or it might be too tight. It would make the hole, literally. I sat in a booth a couple of times where my stomach was pressing against the table. Talk about an unenjoyable meal. That should have been a wake-up call for me every time, but it wasn't, because I guess it wasn't important enough to me. I wasn't making small, small choices. I'd sit down in a booth with my belly pressing into the table and I'd still eat like an animal.

Speaker 2: 10:25

So after I lost the weight, I can slide into a booth with ease. It's simple and I know that may sound like a small victory to some of you out there, but the truth is it brings me tremendous relief and tremendous joy to know that I can go sit anywhere in any restaurant and I can slide into the booth no problem. Honestly, I still prefer a table. I just like the idea that I could slide back and move to the side. But I don't have booth anxiety anymore. The only thing that's available is a booth. I'm sitting in the booth. That's a huge relief. I don't even I don't know how to even put that into words. What a big relief that is.

Speaker 2: 11:03

I also sleep so much better. Sleep is so important for your health and your happiness. But excess weight, being that fat, definitely kept me from sleeping. I could only sleep on my back, because sleeping on my side was a chore. Sleeping on my stomach, forget about it. It was like sleeping on top of a mountain.

Speaker 2: 11:22

But one of the biggest benefits of losing the weight is no snoring. Snoring is very, very common for people that are carrying a lot of extra weight, and it's more than just annoying to whoever you're sleeping in bed with, to your partner or whatever it can signal, and it did signal some serious health problems like obstructive sleep apnea. I had it, so I can tell you, and that was causing many other things. But after I lost the weight my snoring basically went away. I'm not saying I never snore. I snore maybe a little bit a couple times in a night, but it basically is completely gone. And better sleep for me means more energy, a better mood and, honestly, better overall health for you, for me and for anyone sharing your bed. It's definitely a big benefit, not only to you but to your partner, your significant other Definitely a big benefit not only to you but to your partner, your significant other. And losing the weight actually really increased my sleep quality by reducing that sleep apnea. So I now, for the last year and a half or year, depending on how you count it I wake up truly rested for the first time in I don't know 50 some odd years. That kind of energy, waking up, feeling good, getting out of bed and feeling good carries over into every other part of your day. So big benefit better sleep and no snoring. I never really suffered from this, but I find that I'm even more confident than I was before losing weight.

Speaker 2: 12:54

For me, losing weight wasn't so much about well, no, it was about looking good, because I looked at myself and I was like, wow, you are disgusting. But it was more about feeling good in my own skin and I told you this in my book and I was masterful not seeing myself on any reflective surface. I literally I brushed my teeth and I shaved in the morning and I honestly didn't even see myself. I guess that was because I trained myself not to really see what I look like. But when I lost the weight I was like, wow, look, I look a lot. Wow, once I actually got an honest picture of what I look like. Now I look in the mirror and say, wow, that's a lot of progress. I'm telling you that my iPad that I didn't use for many years didn't recognize me in facial recognition. That's a pretty serious change in your face. So seeing the physical results of your hard work is definitely empowering and, honestly, when you're not I know I was massive I say I look like I was having quadruplets.

Speaker 1: 13:56

And.

Speaker 2: 13:57

I think I used to say it didn't really bother me, even though I knew people were staring at me. I guess now, maybe in hindsight, maybe it did bother me a little bit. But when you're not worried about how you look or whether others are judging you because I know now, honestly, I'm an ex, I'm ex, I'm not a skinny guy, but I'm, you know, an ex massive guy and when I see a big, fat guy or girl, I definitely judge them. I definitely think so. I know people were doing that to me. So I'm just much more comfortable in social situations, whether it's a party, a work event, family gathering. Weight loss gives you the confidence to show up and engage. So if you're going to get on this weight loss journey with me, if you're going to do this thing, you'll be amazed at how your confidence improves.

Speaker 2: 14:41

Of course, one of the biggest benefits is improved health. I don't know what else to say. Losing weight doesn't just change how you feel. It changes your future. It really does. Being obese, carrying all this excess weight, is linked to so many different health risks, like diabetes, which is the only one I never had. I don't know how I didn't get diabetes, but heart disease. I had congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure. I had it all the time Losing even a little bit of weight, even in the first month. It dramatically reduced my risk of those conditions and I think ultimately added years to my life. Another, I guess, health thing is that joint pain right.

Speaker 2: 15:22

My elbows hurt, my knees hurt, my ankles hurt my thigh, everything hurts. Well, thigh is not a joint. Well, I guess it is, or hip, but everything hurt. I woke up full of aches and pains, and that's very common with people who are carrying a lot of weight. So when I lost the weight, even in the beginning, again the joint pain became less and less, to today, where I really very rarely have any joint pain. So when the strain on your joint increases, that leads to less pain, which I just said and greater mobility, something that I was dying to have. I wanted to be able to walk around.

Speaker 2: 15:59

And another benefit or I guess another health benefit is when I got my labs done, when I went and got blood tests, the weight loss led to measurable improvements in my cholesterol, in my blood sugar, my blood pressure. Those are not just numbers that you should know, like hey, you should know your cholesterol. They're not just numbers, they're signs of how healthy you are, and the better your numbers are, the stronger your body becomes. So the mental benefits I mean, I'm sorry, the health benefits are just immeasurable. Well, actually they are measurable, but they're what it does to your body. And, as I told you many times I was on eight medications. I had every ailment a fat guy could have and now I'm on zero medications, I don't take anything and I don't have any of those ailments. All my heart issues are gone, my high blood pressure is gone, my cholesterol is normal, my resting pulse rate is normal. I could end the podcast here because of how important that is to me. Another benefit is you're in a stronger place, mentally right. Weight loss can have and has for me, honestly had profound effects on my mental health.

Speaker 2: 17:16

You know, when you finally lose the weight, you prove to yourself that, hey, pretty much anything is possible For most people. If you're severely overweight, you feel like I can't do anything about this. I was there. I was laying in the hospital. I was like fuck this, I'll just. You know, just let me die. You think it's insurmountable. When you lose the weight and you change your entire body, your outlook on life changes, you say you know what, if I did that, I can do anything. So I really believe that losing weight creates a ripple effect in your life that basically eliminates all self-doubt and it replaces it with self-belief and confidence. If you're overweight right now, you know damn well that there is nothing harder than losing weight when you're following a fad diet or you're quasi-committed, because I do believe you have to get in a positive weight loss mindset to lose weight. But once you lose the weight, holy shit, your confidence just goes through the roof. And I think it gave me better emotional health and I wasn't depressed. I wasn't anything like, oh, maybe I will Fuck it, I don't even know, maybe I was depressed, but it gives you better emotional health.

Speaker 2: 18:27

Exercise, which I do. My exercise is walking, that's what I do. I don't go to the gym. In case you forgot, I fucking hate the gym. I don't lift weights, and I'm not saying going to the gym and lifting weights is not good for you. Of course it is and you should do it. I just don't.

Speaker 2: 18:43

And I believe you have to do what you're willing to do. You know I'm not willing to go to the gym, so if I make myself go to the gym it becomes unmanageable. I don't want to do it and then I'm like, ah, fuck it. So, but exercising and eating healthy, it just reduces all those symptoms of any anxiety or depression. Again, maybe I had it, maybe I didn't, but the simple act of taking care of yourself creates a positive feedback loop right, and we're feeling good motivates you to keep going. It sure as shit did for me. I work better, I'm more social. It just puts you in a great mental state.

Speaker 2: 19:24

And then, of course, there's the everyday joys that you never expected. So the truth is yeah, okay, you want to lose weight because you want to look good or you want to. Whatever your reason is, whatever your why is, I mean, there should only be one why, and that's to get healthy, to live longer. But whatever your why is, if it's a shitty goal, like to fit into a size pair of pants or whatever, fine, but it's those small, unexpected benefits that really brought me the most of joy. So, like, for me, clothes shopping became exciting instead of frustrating. I don't have to wear a 5 or 6X shirt anymore. I can actually shop in normal people's stores Wow, that's incredible, and I was a big fan of Rochester big and tall, and I still am Great store and DXL not as good of a store. Since they took over Rochester, rochester also has fallen down, but that's in a podcast for another day. But the reality is I can find stuff that fits me well and makes me feel good when I wear it, and I don't care who you are and what you tell me. That's a confidence booster. And now I can also enjoy some of those physical activities that I couldn't do. Like the idea of hiking to me would be like holy shit, I'd rather chew glass. But now I'm not saying I'm a hiker because I'm not, but going for a long walk, I really enjoy that now.

Speaker 2: 20:44

Swimming I was always a really good swimmer when I was young, but when I was huge you would think that like a whale could swim well. But I couldn't swim well. Everything hurt me. So I swim now and I told you I go to the beach. I was afraid to go to the beach for years, not because I gave a shit what anyone thought I looked like, cause, like I said, I really didn't have. I didn't know what I looked like. I had some other crazy self-image. But the thought of just going walking from the car to the beach and then sitting down and having to get up, it was like there's no fucking way. I'm going there. So I'm enjoying physical activities that I couldn't enjoy for years. So I do like to ride my bicycle, so I'm riding my bicycle too, so you get to participate in life a hell of a lot more when you finally lose the weight.

Speaker 2: 21:30

I mean just easy things. I can do things with my kids and my kids are all adults now but I can do things with them that I couldn't do two years ago. I couldn't walk around and go shopping or go to a restaurant without trying to figure out where I was going to park it close to the place, so I wasn't basically dying on the way in. So I told you that I'm not really going to talk that much about what you should do and I think that I'll give you four easy things that you should do. That'll kind of get you started on your journey if you haven't started already.

Speaker 2: 22:02

So first well, this isn't really the first thing, this is the most important thing is that losing weight and reclaiming your health doesn't happen overnight. Sorry, it just doesn't happen that way. You didn't, like all of a sudden go to sleep last night and put on 75 pounds this morning. It takes time. Putting it on took time and taking it off takes time. But it's achievable with small smart choices, small, consistent steps.

Speaker 2: 22:28

So the first one, which for me I think was the most important, is that I focused on progress, not perfection. I started out I went all in, but I just made small changes. And again, that could be don't drink that soda or that I would like to sweet tea. Don't drink that. Drink some water instead and you'll see how much better you feel. Or walk 10 minutes a day. I didn't do that for over a year because I convinced myself that I couldn't. Then one day I went out and, yes, I couldn't walk as far as I walk today.

Speaker 2: 22:59

But just take that. Know that you're going to make mistakes. Know that you're going to eat something bad. Know that you're going to go out drinking one night. Know that you're going to eat too much. Know that you're going to eat a donut or ice cream or cake or candy, whatever your thing is. That's okay. It's okay. It's not no one, no one, is perfect on a weight loss journey, and it's okay. You didn't blow it. You just had a small bad choice. And the great thing is you can make your next choice a small, smart choice, and you stay right on track. So focus on progress, not perfection.

Speaker 2: 23:31

Number two is definitely celebrate every victory, no matter how small it is, and especially non-scale victories. Obviously. No matter how small it is, and especially non-scale victories, obviously, we know, when we lose weight, the number on the scale changes. But there's other victories, like for me it was honestly being able to tie my shoes, it was being able to walk, it was being able to sleep at it. They're just as important as the number on the scale. I promise Once you start to see those small, non-scale victories, you'll be motivated.

Speaker 2: 23:58

The next one is you have to find joy in the process. Okay, I found joy in the process. It took me a little while, but I found joy in the process. I was really excited about how I was losing weight and how much better I felt and all kinds of joy that I was finding. Like if I, honestly, if I drank a glass of water instead of an Arizona iced tea, like I was like, damn, yeah, I just yeah, that's progress. And so I really found joy in the process. You have to make it enjoyable or you won't stick to it.

Speaker 2: 24:29

And again it kind of goes back to the first one I said. You know, if you make a mistake, big fucking deal, you made a mistake, so what? So you know, if you make a mistake, big fucking deal, you made a mistake, so what? So really find joy in the process and enjoy what you're doing and know that you're doing it for a really important reason, and that's to be healthy, to get your life back. If you're more than 50 pounds overweight, you're not living the life you deserve, so find some joy in that.

Speaker 2: 24:53

And then the last one is for a lot of people, this is important is find a support system. You know, when you go on a diet, everybody out there is going to tell you you should do this, you should do that. They're going to tell you wait, are you sure you should be eating? Fuck them. Find the people that support what you're doing Don't judge what you're doing and encourage you and motivate you, and that could be your friends, your family or even go to an online community because you want to be with like-minded people. You don't want to hear all the people telling you, like when I was on paleo, oh, you can't eat. But you know, give me a break. You have to do what's right for you. That's why I think the diet industry is so completely full of shit. They give you a meal plan that's set for someone else. I can't eat someone else's menu. I want to eat my menu and I know, and you know what we should be eating how much of it? When we know all that shit, it comes pre-programmed. It's just a matter of how important your why is how healthy. How much do you desire? Are you burning to be healthy? And that'll keep you on the track. So I think that's also really important.

Speaker 2: 25:59

So look, I started this thing out by talking about Disney, and I'm a big Disney fan, so don't get me wrong. Disney's magic is wonderful. I love it, it's great, but it doesn't hold a candle to the transformation that comes when you lose weight and get healthy. Yeah, disney's a great place, but I got to tell you, losing a lot of weight and feeling healthy is the best feeling you 'll ever have. You feel confident, you feel strong and you feel free. I know I feel free for the first time in a long time in my body and, honestly, the entire world just becomes a happier, more magical place. So, while Disney I guess they have the castle, the fireworks and the characters the real happiest place on earth is waiting for you. It's a life where you wake up energized, you go to bed proud and you live every moment fully. That's what's out there for you.

Speaker 2: 26:51

The only question now is are you ready to find it. So I guess that's all I have to say on the topic. You can be happy if you choose to be happy. That's why I named my book Shut Up and Choose. The choice is yours. You know what to eat. You know the right choices to make. Whether or not you make them, that's another story. So that's it for today. You can get my book Shut Up and Choose on Amazon, getting a lot of five-star reviews. Keep selling people who are sending me emails. It's changing lives. That's all I can say and that's unbelievably gratifying to me.

Speaker 2: 27:25

You can also get my video course. It's called Live Life, love Food, lose Weight. You can get that at learnshutupandchoosecom. That's learnshutupandchoosecom 23 videos all short, around five minutes or less. You can watch it probably in a couple of hours and I promise you it's life-changing. It really dives deep into the mental and the kind of things that I did along my journey, the things that people that I'm coaching are doing now and seeing amazing results. So if you know someone that needs to lose weight, please get them to get that video course. It will change their life and they'll never have to be on a diet again. I'm really excited about how well that's selling and I'm really excited about the results that people are getting. So now you have all the tools. You know what's out there for you if you want it. You know the unbelievable joy and excitement that you can have, the fulfilled life and the healthy lifestyle and all that. It's all out there for you. So stop making excuses, stop complaining and stop procrastinating. Right now it's time to shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 28:28

You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose. Jonathan's passion is to share his journey of shedding 130 pounds in less than a year without any of the usual gimmicks no diets, no pills. And we'll let you in on a little secret no fucking gym. And guess what? You can do it too. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a fucking blast. If you did, make sure to like, rate and review. We'll be back soon, but in the meantime, find Jonathan on Instagram at JonathanWrestlerBocaRaton. Until next time, shut up and choose.