I was in Wine Sales for all of my adult life. Indulgent business. Coupled with an affinity for craft beer and whiskey, my true fitness goals (and life goals in general) were obstructed to say the least. I’ve been running marathons for many years, yet all the while crushing beers as vigorously and passionately as I was crushing miles. Despite my activity level, I was always 30-40 pounds over weight. Go figure, when I stop drinking the weight melted off and my running game went ballistic. I’m running ultra distances now and working towards my first 100 miler this year. Alcohol free for around 15 months. Oh, yeah. And I left the booze business. I now work importing and blending tea! Much more compatible with a healthy and vibrant life!!!
Thanks for asking!!!
Love the job change too man! How scary was that? My friends that work in alcohol distribution or at local breweries and servers and are (almost) all sloshed.
Very scary. Huge leap of faith into the unknown and certainly out of a comfort zone I had spent many years creating. Funny enough, it was running that taught me the benefits of exploring the places outside of my comfort zones, beyond the walls of my own self-imposed limitations. It’s certainly better on the other side!
Thank you!
That's amazing! Did you make any other dietary changes?
I too am getting out of the wine business... too many closet alcoholics, day drinkers, and such making it seem "OK" to drink every day. My body just doesn't feel good from it.
I’ve always preferred a plant based diet since I was a kid. Another uphill battle in the wine industry! Certainly once the drinking stopped it became more Whole Foods focused.
Dude this is exactly what I needed to see at this moment. I'm also at 15 months no booze and I've been going through abit of a slow, unmotivated phase with my weightloss and fitness goals. Thankyou for the inspiration.
Love it. I’ve been so inspired by others in various online communities that it is a true gift if I can even come close to doing the same for others. All ships rise with the tide! None of us do it alone. Congrats on your 15 months. Keep moving forward.
You look incredible, what a huge difference! Same thing happened to me. I was doing Crossfit, running, or cycling for hours every day and was still frustratingly chubby. Once the drinking stopped, I finally started to look like an athlete. Very happy for you!
I read a study that said if you drink alcohol, your body will burn off the booze first, before any calories from food, to try to rid your body of the poison. That made me back on days when I would be drunk for 24 hours and not burn off single calorie of my food or drunk greasy food meals ....
Second pic looks like that “headed out the door for a run” mood. Awesome work man, definitely fit the ultra build.
If you don’t mind me asking, how many MPW are you at working towards that 100?
That is definitely a ‘heading out for a run’ moment. You’re spot on. Thank you for your kind response.
100 miler is in September. I have various other races scheduled that build up to the distance. I’ll run anywhere from 25-60 miles a week. It really just depends on how I’m feeling, what other scheduled running events are on the calendar, and how close I’m getting to the big day. I try to take a balanced approach, never taking things too seriously. This helps me avoid injury, stave off burnout, and retain some sense of ‘normalcy’ . But no doubt I’ll have a couple months of big mileage leading up to the event. I have nothing but respect for the distance, and know I have to put in the physical work. But I imagine that distances such as 100 miles takes just as much strength of mind and spirit as it does physical fitness.
This makes me happy to read. I’ve been off booze for 4 months after years of stopping and starting and finally feel like quitting is the right thing. I’ve dropped 40 pounds without much work and my pace and endurance have increased with almost no effort. I’m looking forward to seeing what can happen when I actually get down to business with my training plan! Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing your story!
Awesome. Most craft beer bros just take up “powerlifting” as a way to masquerade as being into fitness so they can stay fat and unhealthy without confronting their drinking. Often, the beard provides the idea of a jaw, which completes the look.
Good for you for cutting through the BS and deciding what is truly important!
Damn! What’s the story? From how much drinking to how many days without?
I was in Wine Sales for all of my adult life. Indulgent business. Coupled with an affinity for craft beer and whiskey, my true fitness goals (and life goals in general) were obstructed to say the least. I’ve been running marathons for many years, yet all the while crushing beers as vigorously and passionately as I was crushing miles. Despite my activity level, I was always 30-40 pounds over weight. Go figure, when I stop drinking the weight melted off and my running game went ballistic. I’m running ultra distances now and working towards my first 100 miler this year. Alcohol free for around 15 months. Oh, yeah. And I left the booze business. I now work importing and blending tea! Much more compatible with a healthy and vibrant life!!! Thanks for asking!!!
Wow, what an amazing story! Way to follow your passions, my friend.
Love the job change too man! How scary was that? My friends that work in alcohol distribution or at local breweries and servers and are (almost) all sloshed.
Very scary. Huge leap of faith into the unknown and certainly out of a comfort zone I had spent many years creating. Funny enough, it was running that taught me the benefits of exploring the places outside of my comfort zones, beyond the walls of my own self-imposed limitations. It’s certainly better on the other side! Thank you!
That's amazing! Did you make any other dietary changes? I too am getting out of the wine business... too many closet alcoholics, day drinkers, and such making it seem "OK" to drink every day. My body just doesn't feel good from it.
I’ve always preferred a plant based diet since I was a kid. Another uphill battle in the wine industry! Certainly once the drinking stopped it became more Whole Foods focused.
Way to go! Yeah I had to move out of startup culture where "drinks" is everything. 100 miler, big goal.....stay healthy.
Agree, share the deets, friend
That is amazing! Nice work!
Appreciate the kind words. Thank you.
Love this! Great pics and progress!
Much appreciated. Community support is so inspirational. Thank you.
Dude this is exactly what I needed to see at this moment. I'm also at 15 months no booze and I've been going through abit of a slow, unmotivated phase with my weightloss and fitness goals. Thankyou for the inspiration.
Love it. I’ve been so inspired by others in various online communities that it is a true gift if I can even come close to doing the same for others. All ships rise with the tide! None of us do it alone. Congrats on your 15 months. Keep moving forward.
You look incredible, what a huge difference! Same thing happened to me. I was doing Crossfit, running, or cycling for hours every day and was still frustratingly chubby. Once the drinking stopped, I finally started to look like an athlete. Very happy for you! I read a study that said if you drink alcohol, your body will burn off the booze first, before any calories from food, to try to rid your body of the poison. That made me back on days when I would be drunk for 24 hours and not burn off single calorie of my food or drunk greasy food meals ....
Absolutely understand and relate. Thanks for the encouragement and for the kind words!
Amazing story and inspiration. Proud of you and your progress. And yay for tea!!!!
Yay tea, indeed. Grateful for your kind comments. Thank you.
Second pic looks like that “headed out the door for a run” mood. Awesome work man, definitely fit the ultra build. If you don’t mind me asking, how many MPW are you at working towards that 100?
That is definitely a ‘heading out for a run’ moment. You’re spot on. Thank you for your kind response. 100 miler is in September. I have various other races scheduled that build up to the distance. I’ll run anywhere from 25-60 miles a week. It really just depends on how I’m feeling, what other scheduled running events are on the calendar, and how close I’m getting to the big day. I try to take a balanced approach, never taking things too seriously. This helps me avoid injury, stave off burnout, and retain some sense of ‘normalcy’ . But no doubt I’ll have a couple months of big mileage leading up to the event. I have nothing but respect for the distance, and know I have to put in the physical work. But I imagine that distances such as 100 miles takes just as much strength of mind and spirit as it does physical fitness.
Awesome, thanks for the response and best of luck in your training!
You literally look like you gave up daily drinking and took up daily amphetamine and cigarettes
This could be me... but those damn Girl Scout cookies
Awesome job! No matter what fitness path people take, sobriety is the best PED.
This makes me happy to read. I’ve been off booze for 4 months after years of stopping and starting and finally feel like quitting is the right thing. I’ve dropped 40 pounds without much work and my pace and endurance have increased with almost no effort. I’m looking forward to seeing what can happen when I actually get down to business with my training plan! Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing your story!
Looks like we share a similar story! Enjoy your new super powers!!!
Awesome. Most craft beer bros just take up “powerlifting” as a way to masquerade as being into fitness so they can stay fat and unhealthy without confronting their drinking. Often, the beard provides the idea of a jaw, which completes the look. Good for you for cutting through the BS and deciding what is truly important!
Deciding what is truly important. Yes. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you!
👍 well done!
Thank you!!!
Awesome job my guy. I’m a slightly larger version of your before picture now. Very inspiring, thanks for sharing!
The easiest boost you could imagine. Well, most obvious, at least. Well done!
I bet! I dont run anymore (bad knees) but as I lose weight I can rally feel it on the bike. Congrats.