Justin’s Story: Chapter 1 (20 Pounds Down in the Thick of a Southern Summer)

In the South, we swear by three things: college football, mama’s sweet tea, and church on Sunday.

But there’s one thing we won’t do without: air conditioning.

When Justin, owner of S-Tek Heating and Air, started working with us, he did it smack dab in the middle of the craziest season an HVAC business can face: the dead of summer. After fifteen years in the business, he knew the drill—early starts, frantic service calls and workdays that stretched well past 7 or 8 PM, whether it was Tuesday or Sunday.

But to his surprise, this wasn't just another rigid program destined to fall through the cracks of a busy season.

Three months later, Justin is down 20 pounds—dropping from 196 to 176, a number he hasn’t seen on the scale since high school. At 38, he’s thrilled with the physical changes, and he isn't the only one noticing.

Outside of the HVAC world, Justin is a serious paintball competitor, traveling to tournaments nationwide. He’s proof that a healthy routine doesn't have to take over your life; it just needs to fit into a hectic schedule and leave room for the things you love.

Why did Justin end up looking for a different approach?

Like most of us, he’d experimented with every program under the sun trying to find something that delivered sustainable, real-world results. From keto and low-carb diets to intermittent fasting, nothing seemed to stick. He’d done random workouts but lacked the confidence to know which exercises to do or how to build a cohesive routine.

“I got tired of trying the diets that I couldn't stay on,” he said.

His concerns about starting another program were valid: a demanding routine stood no chance against the onslaught S-Tek faced in a typical summer.

Instead, he discovered a system built for the real world. The food he loved was never off-limits, and the structured workouts took all the guesswork out of his fitness routine.

For Justin, the freedom made all the difference: “This is the only program I’ve had success with along with being able to eat some of my favorite foods when I want.”

How did he make workouts fit around HVAC season?

During the busiest weeks, Justin’s summer days typically kicked off before 6:00 AM. His preferred morning workouts never had a shot with heavy installation jobs scheduled early to beat the worst of the heat. The rest of the day was for never-ending service calls. Often, he wouldn’t make it home until 7:00 or 8:00 PM, leaving virtually no time—or energy—for a traditional evening routine.

It also left zero room for a workout to happen by accident. Justin quickly realized his best window of opportunity was to head straight down to his basement gym the moment he walked through the door—before ever settling into the couch.

“I wouldn't get comfortable at home until I did my workout so I had less of a chance to miss it,” he said.

It’s a simple strategy, but it solved a major problem. After a grueling day, sitting down first almost guaranteed the workout would get pushed aside. By training before allowing himself to unwind, Justin successfully built the habit into his daily routine.

The decision was still his to make. The lesson wasn’t to wait for a perfect time; it was to carve out a place to do the work within the messy schedule he already had.

How does training carry over into Justin’s life?

Paintball gives Justin a powerful reason to focus on his health beyond the number on the scale. He travels nationwide for tournaments, and he refuses to let his physical conditioning hold him back from performing at his absolute best.

Everyone has a specific "why" behind the effort they put in. For Justin, it’s dominating on the paintball field. For us, it’s seeing the world on two wheels. For you, it might be chasing grandkids or finding the energy to travel. The mission is the same: build the foundational habits that allow us to truly enjoy those parts of life for decades to come.

He says people have noticed the change in both his appearance and his performance on the field. While those are Justin’s personal observations rather than official tournament statistics, they’re the wins that matter the most to him.

The intentional choices he makes during an ordinary workweek are his practice ground for when his surroundings change. He’s mastering the art of staying consistent while traveling and making smart food choices without needing a perfect environment. “You play like you practice” applies to lifestyle habits, too.

Building those skills takes intentional repetition—a process that transforms conscious decisions into actions that are unconscious—and entirely automatic.

What about his favorite foods?

Pizza is one of Justin’s favorites. Rather than treating it as a forbidden luxury, he learned how to integrate it in ways that work for him.

When the craving hits, he opts for cauliflower crusts, lower-carb wraps, and other calorie-friendly options. Recipes like Eva’s Baked Pizza Fake offer another alternative when you want those bold flavors in a meal that still hits your targets.

But there’s always room for the real thing, too. A core pillar of our coaching is teaching you exactly how—and when—to integrate your favorite pie into your strategy. You get to enjoy every slice without feeling like your progress is lost. By saving pizza for specific moments rather than making it a daily habit, he maintains complete control of his nutrition.

That flexibility has been a gamechanger compared to his dieting past. On keto, Justin remembers feeling terrible for days just for enjoying a sweet treat. Today, his routine gives him the blessing to enjoy food without the toxic mindset that an "off-plan" meal will ruin everything.

But make no mistake: flexibility still takes effort. He isn’t suggesting that every food choice fits every goal—he's learning how to find a realistic balance he can stick with for the long haul.

How did he handle business travel and vacation?

A business trip to San Antonio gave Justin the perfect opportunity to test his routine away from home. In this case, working out in the morning cleared his schedule before the day's busy agenda could derail his momentum. He left Texas feeling confident about his ability to handle future trips.

Vacation called for a different strategy. Knowing that sweets are his biggest temptation, he found a practical balance by sharing treats with his wife. He was able to satisfy his sweet tooth without overdoing it.

For Justin, travel proved that execution doesn't depend on a perfect environment: “The choice is still there no matter the situation,” he said.

A business trip and a vacation don’t have to look identical. The truly useful skill is knowing how to make a decision that fits the occasion—and returning to your usual routine afterward. For a deeper dive into the practical side of eating while traveling for work, check out my guide here.

What changed during the first three months?

Justin's first three months speak for themselves: a 20-pound weight loss in Phase 1 forced him to trade in his old wardrobe for smaller work pants. With compliments rolling in about his new appearance, seeing a weight that hasn’t been there since his high school days wasn't just a win on the scale; it was a powerful personal victory.

He also reported a surprising bonus: the chronic elbow pain he’d been battling completely vanished. While his individual experience doesn’t pinpoint the exact clinical cause of the relief, it was a massive quality-of-life improvement he noticed every day.

Justin is proud of how far he’s come—and for a good reason. In the past, this was always the point where he would have slipped back into old habits. This time, he feels confident that he has a routine he can maintain permanently.

While Justin’s results highlight a massive victory, they represent a highly individualized path through Phase 1. Everyone starts from a different baseline, meaning your individual timeline, pace, and final outcomes will be uniquely your own.

What is Justin working on in Phase 2?

As he transitions into Phase 2, Justin’s primary focus is building greater consistency in tracking his workouts and body measurements. During the peak summer rush, logging data felt like just another chore on an endless to-do list, and he admits he didn’t always record the effort he was putting in.

While Phase 1 focused on establishing a rock-solid foundation, the next chapter gives him the ideal runway to practice those lessons and scale his progress as his seasonal schedule shifts.

Better metrics from consistent tracking will give Justin and his coaching team a clear, data-driven map to review. While body weight and waist measurements reveal macro trends, workout logs show exactly how he is progressing in his training. No single metric tells the full story on its own, but having the complete picture makes every coaching conversation significantly more valuable. It’s a skill he’s still building, alongside the habits that have already helped him get this far.

In our experience, a full year of coaching is the secret to making these changes permanent. It means guiding clients through the entire gauntlet of life—holidays, summer vacations, and chaotic back-to-school schedules. Each calendar disruption provides a fresh opportunity to practice making conscious decisions when a familiar routine isn’t available. A full trip around the sun gives those habits time to become second nature, because lasting change is built on consistency, not a temporary fix.

Who is Justin outside the program?

Justin built S-Tek Heating & Air around a simple promise: an honest second opinion and an affordable option customers can trust. Those are principles we deeply value. Our mission at Shifting Years Health & Wellness is to give clients the advice that would have helped us. We're proud to share his story and his business with the community. They're our only call when it comes to staying cool in the summer. S-Tek Heating & Air can be reached directly at 205-855-0400.

As Justin begins Phase 2, he’ll keep working on the routines that fit his business, his travels and his time on the paintball field. If you’d like to talk about building a health routine around your own life, contact Shifting Years Health & Wellness to start a conversation.

Stay tuned for Chapter 2…

Regards,

Henry