How Excuses Made Me Gain 100 Pounds (And Why I’ll Never Let That Happen Again)

Excuses are the biggest goal killers. 

They don’t seem dangerous at first. 

They sound like rest. Like self-care. Like "being realistic." 

But they’re not.

They’re the little whispers that pull you off track. 

The tiny lies that keep you average. 

The justifications that sound reasonable in the moment— 

But leave you soft, slow, and stuck.

And I know this from experience. 

Because I didn’t gain 100 pounds from one bad decision. 

I didn’t just wake up one day and say, 

“Screw the gym. Screw my health. Let me ruin everything I worked for.”

That’s not how it works.

When I was 18, I had just finished high school football. 

I wasn’t training for a sport anymore, but I told myself I’d keep going to the gym.

Then came the first excuse: 

“I don’t need to squat anymore. I’m not an athlete.” 

That was the thought. 

It was hard. It sucked. I didn’t want to do it. 

So I told myself I didn’t have to.

I swapped squats for leg press. 

Next week? I skipped leg press too. 

Then I stopped training legs altogether. 

Then I started skipping the shit I didn’t like. 

Then I missed a full day. 

Then a week. 

Then I wasn’t going at all.

That’s how fast it happens.

It didn’t feel like I was quitting. 

It felt like I was just taking a break. 

Resting. Resetting. Planning to get back to it soon.

But the truth is—I was slipping. 

And I didn’t stop slipping until I had gained over 100 pounds.

Discipline doesn’t vanish in one big moment. 

It dies from a thousand tiny lies.

“I’ll start again Monday.” 

“It’s not that important today.” 

“I’ll just skip this once.” 

“I’ve earned it.”

Bullshit.

Every single one of those is a crack in your armor. 

And every time you give in, you make it easier to do it again.

There is no neutral. 

You’re either sharpening your edge, or dulling it.

And if you keep negotiating with your standards, 

you’re already losing.

I learned that lesson again during my first bodybuilding prep.

I was 100% locked in. 

Didn’t miss a workout. Didn’t miss a rep.

Then one day, I showed up to the gym— 

and forgot my sneakers.

I could’ve left. 

Could’ve told myself I’d make it up later. 

Let the excuse win.

But I caught myself. 

No. That’s not how this works.

So I hopped on the treadmill. Barefoot.

People stared. 

My feet got shredded.

Blisters everywhere. 

But I ran. I got it done.

Because I refused to break my streak. 

Because I knew—if I gave in once, I’d start making excuses again.

Blisters are temporary. 

Trophies are forever. 

And the pain I felt that day wasn’t even close to the pain of breaking a promise to myself.

That moment taught me something I never forgot: 

The work doesn’t care about your feelings.

And your goals don’t give a damn about your excuses.

So now? I don’t skip squats. 

I don’t skip leg day. 

I don’t skip the hard shit.

For 20 years, I’ve squatted every single week. 

Not because I love it. 

Not because it’s easy. 

But because I made a promise to myself—and I keep it.

If you’re not where you want to be right now, 

It’s probably not because you’re incapable. 

It’s because your standards are too low. 

Because your excuses are louder than your goals.

So raise your standards. 

Do the hard shit. 

Stop making it negotiable.

You don’t need to “feel like it.”

You need to get it done.

And if you’ve been slipping lately? 

Check your excuses. 

They’re probably the reason you’re soft.

#TRUEFitnessAndFocus #NoExcuses #DisciplineIsFreedom #SharpenYourEdge #NeverMiss #DoTheHardShit #EarnItEveryDay