Episode 201: Jonathan Ressler Reintroduction – Year Two- Who I Am & How Far I’ve Come

Jonathan Ressler

Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose, the podcast that cuts through the noise and the nonsense and all the bullshit that those internet gurus and Instagram influencers are spewing your way. I’m here to hopefully help you cut through that noise and find out what weight loss and sustainable weight loss is really like.

I’m your host, Jonathan Ressler, and today is a really exciting day for me. I’m reintroducing myself because this is actually the one-year anniversary. I’ve been podcasting now for one year, and this is the one-year anniversary to the day of when I put out my first podcast.

I thought a good idea might be to reintroduce myself. So if you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been rocking with me since the start, well damn, hey, look at us now. Look at all we’ve accomplished.

On the very first episode of this podcast, I introduced myself by telling you how I lost 125 pounds naturally. No surgery. No shots. No magic pills. No crazy cult diets. Just small, smart choices stacked up day after day.

That first year, I was riding high. I was finally taking control of my life. I talked about my journey, my struggles, and the mindset shift that changed everything. And honestly, I was pretty proud of myself. I still am.

But now it’s been two years. Two years since I started this journey. I started the podcast one year into my journey, after I had already lost 125 pounds. Now I’m down a little over 140 pounds.

And here’s the thing. I’m not just the guy who lost a ton of weight anymore. I’m the guy who kept it off.

That’s exciting.

Over the past year of maintaining, I’ve learned even more. I’ve stayed consistent. I’ve evolved. I’ve challenged myself in new ways, not just physically but mentally.

I’ve continued to live the lifestyle I built without backsliding. And I’m not saying I haven’t put on a few pounds here and there and taken them off. I have. But I haven’t fallen back into old patterns. I haven’t started over. I haven’t fallen for the same diet traps.

I’ve gone deeper into what real, sustainable change looks like. And I proved to myself, and hopefully to you, that this isn’t a phase. This is who I am now.

So today I want to reintroduce myself. Not because I’m someone new, but because I’ve grown. I’ve changed. I’ve made progress. And I want to share exactly what I learned in year two. What worked. What didn’t. What I know now that I didn’t know then.

Let’s dive in.

I didn’t just wake up one day weighing 411 pounds. I got there one bite, one excuse, and one bad choice at a time over a lot of years.

I was never a skinny guy. I was overweight from the time I was a kid. It took me 59 years to hit 411 pounds.

I avoided mirrors. I wore oversized shirts. I pretended I wasn’t gaining weight. I convinced myself I was big, but not that big. That I was still healthy.

The truth is, I was killing myself slowly with every choice I made. And I knew it.

Physically, I was exhausted. Walking 100 yards was a chore. I avoided stairs like the plague. Flying on airplanes was fucking humiliating. My joints hurt. My energy was gone.

But worse than the physical pain was the mental weight of carrying around a body I couldn’t stand. I didn’t want to go out. I didn’t want to be seen. I didn’t want to deal with the shame of knowing I had completely let myself go.

I had done every diet. Keto. Intermittent fasting. Whole30. Shakes. Points. Juice cleanses. You name it.

I lost weight every time. And I gained it back every fucking time.

Why? Because the plans were unsustainable. I wasn’t changing how I thought. I was forcing restriction until I snapped.

The moment I messed up, I binged and blamed myself. The real problem wasn’t food. It was my mindset, my habits, and my refusal to own my choices.

Then came April 24, 2023. My 59th birthday.

My girlfriend Vicki sent a full-grown man in a pink gorilla suit into my office. It was ridiculous. It was funny.

And then I had to take a picture.

When I saw myself in that photo, I couldn’t unsee it. I looked bloated. Maxed out. Unrecognizable. Like someone inflated me with an air hose.

I didn’t just look overweight. I looked sick. And I was sick.

That photo haunted me. It snapped me out of denial. That was my rock bottom.

I even looked into bariatric surgery. I scheduled it. But deep down, I knew I was looking for a shortcut.

So I made a deal with myself. I gave myself 30 days to really try.

No gimmicks. No crazy rules. Just honesty.

I started making better choices. Not perfect ones. Small, smart choices.

The weight started coming off.

Every pound lost stripped away shame, guilt, and powerlessness.

I realized I didn’t need a coach. I didn’t need shots. I needed to stop lying to myself.

Shut up and choose became my mantra.

By the time I wrote my book, I had already lost 125 pounds.

No surgery. No shots. Just accountability, mindset, and consistency.

Year one taught me that motivation is garbage. Small changes matter. Mindset is everything.

Food isn’t good or bad. Perfection isn’t required. Joy matters.

I wrote Shut Up and Choose because I know how hopeless it feels to be stuck.

This podcast exists to cut through the bullshit and tell the truth.

No one is coming to save you.

And that’s empowering.

Year two taught me ten lessons. Not from a plan. From living it.

You can maintain success without obsessing. Mindset is your biggest tool. Ownership beats permission. Food isn’t the enemy. Joy matters.

I’m not afraid of gaining the weight back because I don’t think like that guy anymore.

Desire always wins. You can enjoy life and stay healthy. Accountability is a lifestyle.

I don’t need to be shredded to be powerful.

Helping others keeps me focused.

And finally, this isn’t a phase. This is who I am now.

If I can do it, so can you.

The only thing left to do is shut up and choose.