The Long Way Back — Week 3 Recap

Starting weight: 270 lbs on January 7, 2026. As of January 27, 2026: 254.7 lbs. The first three weeks have come with plenty of water loss—and that’s perfectly fine. It’s expected when you drastically lower carbohydrate and sodium intake. Most of this loss is water, along with some lean mass and fat. This is probably the point where that rapid drop starts to slow down. Eating similar foods consistently will normalize water retention, and the scale should begin reflecting real fat loss more clearly. This week, I finally started tracking calories. I used a TDEE calculator to estimate maintenance at about 2426 calories. A moderate deficit for someone my size puts me around 1900 calories, with the low end near 1700. That’s what ChatGPT gave me as a range. I’ve also started tracking protein, aiming for 140–160 grams per day. Honestly, I haven’t even been hitting 1700 calories most days. The way my meals are structured, the protein fills me up fast and keeps me full for a long time. The upside? I’m still hitting my protein and creating a larger deficit. Even short-term, that will pay dividends. On the activity side, I’ve been more disciplined with steps—11k to 13k per day, mostly on the treadmill at a slight incline. That should be close to 500 calories burned from walking alone. Not an exact science… but again, every step pays dividends. Here’s the part I have to be honest about: This phase is familiar. I know how to lose weight. I’ve done it many times as an adult. The problem has always been gaining it back. I’ve been everywhere from 155 lbs to 270 lbs as an adult—more than once. And at this age, it’s getting harder. So I’m drawing up a plan to fight the rebound. Part one: weight training. I’m running a push–pull–legs split using a Bowflex system I bought on Facebook Marketplace for $150. I also picked up a trap bar and plates so I can build real strength with deadlifts. Part two: slowing it down. Not cutting too aggressively from maintenance. Building something sustainable. Turning this into a lifestyle instead of another crash cycle. Simple enough… right?

Another Campfire Story from Joshua Tree: The Truth about the Roswell UFO Crash

 

Some stories refuse to stay buried.

Roswell is one of them.

Not because of what we think happened—but because of how the story itself has behaved ever since.

In 1947, the U.S. military first announced the recovery of a “flying disc,” only to immediately walk it back and call it a weather balloon. Over the decades, the explanation kept changing: Project Mogul, crash test dummies, misremembered events. But instead of clarifying the truth, each version only made the story messier.

And that’s the part that matters.

Roswell isn’t just about what may have crashed.
It’s about how institutions respond when they lose control of a narrative.

Rapid military involvement.
Sudden reversals.
Classified projects.
Witnesses who never stopped talking.

Roswell became the template—not for UFOs, but for how UFO stories are handled.

Out here in Joshua Tree, we tell these stories the way they were always meant to be told—like campfire stories. Not to prove anything. Not to debunk anything. But to sit with the mystery, the patterns, and the questions that won’t go away.

Because some stories don’t want to be solved.
They want to be remembered.

⬇️ Watch the full Joshua Tree Encounters long-form episode below.

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Joshua Tree Encounters tells the stories of UFOs, high strangeness, and the things that refuse to stay buried.

The Long Way Back: Week 2 Recap

 

I started at 270 lbs.
Today, January 17, I’m at 261.2 lbs.

That’s almost a pound a day this early in the journey. A great start—with an important caveat: a lot of this is water weight. I didn’t fully remove carbs, but I significantly scaled them back. I also haven’t started tracking calories or macros yet. Honestly, I didn’t feel like adding that mental load right away.

For the past 10 days, I’ve kept it simple:
• 10,000 steps daily
• More vegetables for fiber
• Removed starches from my plate (rice, potatoes, bread)
• Cut out chips and most snacks
• Kept one small piece of chocolate after meals

Lifting weights at least 3x per week is non-negotiable. That’s my anchor. Especially during a calorie cut, preserving muscle is critical.

I haven’t been counting protein, but I’ve significantly increased it and added one shake per day.

This is a marathon. Not a sprint.
I’m intentionally easing into it to reduce stress and make it sustainable.

On to Week 3.