02/13/2025
The Transformation You Don’t See
Behind the Scenes
Sharing these photos is a bit out of my comfort zone.
Growing up, I was never lean. Even during my wrestling days, I never had abs. Perhaps that’s why I gravitated towards powerlifting over other aesthetic forms of lifting.
Subconsciously, my focus has always been on what my body can do, not how it looks. Perhaps, like many others, I subconsciously adopted a deficit mindset—because I had never been lean, I didn’t pursue goals that would expose my weaknesses.
But today, I want to share my journey—not for the aesthetics but for what I learned along the way and to help those who are looking for someone who can provide the structure, with nuance and understanding.
On October 17th, I made a decision. I wanted to drop into the 165 lb weight class, not for appearance but to see if I could lose weight sustainably and still perform at a high level.
For context, I’ve weighed between 181-199 lbs since college, typically settling around 190 lbs. I’ve been competitive in the 181 lb class, but this time, I wanted to challenge myself to see what I could accomplish. In theory, if I could drop weight and maintain strength, I would go from a top 20-30 national-level powerlifter to vying for the top 10.
I initially didn’t tell people my goals.
Perhaps, like when you’ve shared your weight loss goals, people have expressed skepticism. In my case, many people were vehemently opposed to my goal or process.
Why? I suppose, on one hand, they were looking out for my powerlifting journey and only wanted to see me succeed, fearing that dropping to a lower weight class would ruin my career, personal life, etc.
More likely, unfortunately, many people have a deficit mindset, and seeing someone else succeed in any lofty goal exposes their own shortcomings. But I can only speculate. However, throughout the process, I did give myself some parameters.
Set Boundaries: I gave myself an out. If I noticed my performance dropping, I would stop, reassess, and adjust. Performance always came first. I had weekly SBD performances where I tracked and compared my RPE in my top sets from previous cycles. Throughout the process, I showed growth in both squat and deadlift. Bench was a little unusual in the sense that I was working through a previous injury.
Tracked Macros Meticulously: I used the Renaissance Periodization diet app, which was very helpful. When I started, my targets were around 175g of protein, 75-100g of fat, and 200-300g of carbs. On some days when I didn’t work out, my carbs would drop to less than 50g—those days were rough.
I dieted through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s (although my wife and I are boring and rarely do anything for this one). It was not easy. I learned to be content bringing my own food nearly everywhere. I found it was easier to eat something with others, even if it was different, rather than sit out and eat nothing, or indulge and revert to binge eating what was served. In a few cases, I did indulge, but I planned ahead and adjusted my macros for the day.
By the final two weeks, I averaged 175g of protein, 30-50g of fat, and 35-100g of carbs per day. Everything was measured, though I didn’t count my vegetables. I focused on lean meats, egg whites, and small additions like string cheese, Laughing Cow cheese, flaxseed, and chia seeds. There were a few weeks where I noticed chronically low energy, but the weights were still moving progressively, so I compartmentalized the low energy.
I also made myself get 10,000 steps in every day. We recently got an elliptical, and I found that doing 10 minutes averaged just over 1,000 steps. I could watch a short, entertaining video on YouTube, which helped pass the time.
Practiced & Planned: I tested sodium and water manipulation strategies and did "gut cuts" to ensure I’d feel ready for competition day. The key was practicing these techniques ahead of time. These were performed in conjunction with my weekly SBD sessions.
Made Substitutions: I’m not much of a chef, but I found ways to make meals enjoyable. My Ninja Creami became a game-changer for homemade protein ice cream (using Premier Protein, plain yogurt, honey, sprinkles, and chocolate chips). Small adjustments kept me consistent.
By January 19th, I weighed 166.7 lbs on competition day, fully hydrated and fueled. I actually ended up a little lighter than I expected. Around late December, I realized the goal of 165 was not attainable, so I adjusted and planned to have a higher DOTS score and weigh in around 171. The day before, I was light, so I ate some extra rice.
The morning of, I was still lighter than expected but not close to the 165 lb class, so I ate some more. Upon competition weigh-in, I was surprised when I stepped on the scale and weighed 166.7 lbs.
The process wasn’t easy, but it taught me a lot about discipline, nutrition, and myself.
Will I Do This Again? After some time—yes.
Did my powerlifting numbers drop? Yes, by an average of 8%. Was that to be expected?
Yes. A world-level powerlifter dropped about 3% on his total and won a huge powerlifting meet. If I lost about 8% doing this on my own with ChatGPT, the RP diet app, and myself, could I refine my techniques and do better the second time around? We shall see.
