Gabe Pluguez

CHRISTIAN BUSINESS OWNERS: You call yourself a Leader but your body tells a different story. We help you get fit through Biblical Mindset Shifts, a Sustainable Nutrition Lifestyle, Tailored Training, and Christ Centered Accountability. More info linked below:

Everyone is going through something. Christ is what empowers some to endure with Joy.

Being afraid to step on the scale is a reflection of that part of your heart that’s afraid to come before God and be held accountable for all you’ve done. Overcome this two ways: - Exposure therapy: Just do it and watch yourself not die. - Knowing more deeply, the grace of Christ: You say you believe in the God who brings dead things back to life, I promise you’re not too far gone with your fitness. Step on the scale. Get the objective measurement. And go from there.

If you wan't to look jacked, not just smaller as you lose the weight, you need to train hard and heavy. No way around it.

A lot of people are afraid of wanting more in fear of disappointment. The problem is that the path to more is disappointment. Jesus modeled it on the cross. Death before resurrection life. There is no escaping this.

If you’re a girl dad, the worst possible thing you can do is go “full pink”. Full pink is when you castrate yourself to be sweet. Girly girl, Kissy kiss. Never, ever hold this back when you’re WITH mama and daughter. But when you’re not? You need to be lifting heavy. You need to be familiar with the scent of gunpowder. You need to be fighting. You need to be inhaling tobacco smoke at the cigar lounge with your guys semi regularly. You need to maintain the things that keep you sharp. You are the masculine presence in their lives. You are the protector. You love on them. While being fully prepared to annihilate anybody who threatens them. You give kisses. You have the tea parties. Then you go and strangle other men. Girl dads need this.

If you want a muscle to "pop" you need 2 things: 1. Leanness 2. Bigger muscles There is no hack. Disciplined nutrition. Intense training. Consistently, for years on end.

Proverbs 23:2 "..And put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." Direct warning from King Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man to ever live. He’s saying gluttony is so destructive that you should be willing to interrupt the process of that food making its way to your stomach by stabbing yourself in the neck.

if you don't spend time with God nothing else matters

Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." What kind of sacrifice are you bringing to the mission God gave you? A low-energy body? Or are you bringing your absolute best. Are you eating in a way that is holy (set apart) and pleasing to God? The VIEW of his mercy should energize a holy and pleasing sacrifice. If it doesn’t, you need a more clear view of his mercy.

My wife recently started working on getting leaner and it’s been genuinely awesome for our marriage. There’s something hot about her, putting her mind to something and accomplishing it. Higher standards are attractive. They raise the temperature of the room. It drives me to be even more dialed. It creates circumstances where we are congratulating each other, and on our bodies none the less. I can’t stress enough how massively potent the energy can become in your marriage when both you and your wife are working towards excellent physical stewardship. I am so radically grateful to God that I married a woman who honors her body. I am so radically grateful to God that excellent physical stewardship is something I lead well in. Geez guys it is SUCH a blessing I can’t stress this enough.

If your disciplined in the office but not at home, you should probably change that

legend

Christian Business Owner and father of 3 loses 16 lbs and keeps it off through Biblical Mindset Shifts, a Sustainable Nutrition Lifestyle, Tailored Training, and Christ Centered Accountability

@chrishume_ Beautiful

Wife was gone for a few days Told my contractor I wanted to America-maxx this summer 20k and two days later I'm blessed with this bad boy Hopefully HOA is okay with it

@Nal2ia Thanks for your feedback.

@Gabepluguez Spiritualizing attraction and personal fulfillment, using God’s will to justify a transition that began emotionally before the engagement fully ended. Desire, “peace,” and chemistry are being elevated above covenant integrity, humility, and careful discernment.

I met my wife while I was engaged to another woman. It was on a yacht in Croatia. “Business trip” fund raiser with 30 of Nashville's highest level entrepreneurs. We were among the youngest, our mentors insisted we tag along to learn and level up. We had no clue that what took place on that yacht would lead to the end of an 8 year relationship, 14 months of long distance dating, or a marriage and now a beautiful 9 month old baby. Here’s what happened. My ex-fiancée and I's relationship was teetering on the edge of a prolonged collapse On the surface everything was hunky dory. High school sweethearts. The wedding was paid for. We had our lives figured out. But, we were misaligned on fundamental values. We voted differently. We believed differently. We even valued health and wealth differently. And that misalignment was tearing us apart. I thought I was doing the noble thing, sticking with someone who was out of alignment with who God made me to be. I valued sustaining prolonged suffering. Got my identity from doing hard things - and that relationship was one of them. But, here’s the truth. My “noble suffering” - was killing her. I created confusion and insecurity while she was in the process of discovering her identity. My pride was killing the person I loved. We invested thousands of dollars into relationship retreats and counseling (none of which were Christian btw). All to no avail. Things only got worse. And so, the day I left for Croatia, we had just finished a brutal argument about who knows what, and something felt unsettled. I was on a plane-- alone, flying across the ocean with this feeling in my gut that my life would be different when I got back home. My fiance had basically gone radio silent, so I took the opportunity to reflect on my own. Finally, I arrive in Split, Croatia, board this beautiful mega yacht, make my rounds introducing myself to the group, settle into my cabin, have dinner, and get myself a good night's sleep after a long day of travel. And the very next morning, I saw my wife for the first time. Now, this wasn’t a hallmark movie moment where we lock eyes from across a room and instantly fall in love. No - my guard was up. I was engaged. In fact, I made it a point to specifically avoid the (very hot) younger woman on the boat. I had my boundaries. Nonetheless, when I first saw her, it was 6:00 am on the deck on the yacht. I had gone up to hit a morning workout, thinking surely no one else would be up at that time. But there she was. Doing handstands behind the bar. I noticed her clearly fit, very hot body, quickly averted my eyes, and walked across the deck over to the dumbbells. But then, something happened. While I was training, she waltzed right over to me, pointed out my calves, and asked “How do you train your calves to get them so jacked?” I proceeded to give her the most scientifically articulate, unromantic answer possible in order to make it clear that I was not available - and it worked. The conversation ended promptly and we went our separate ways. But then my entire life began to shift. After this initial interaction with my *now wife*, we had a “mindset session” at the back of the yacht that essentially prompted us to consider the promises God had for our lives. I thought through my business goals, primarily - and got radically clear on my mission, and what I felt like God had for my life. And in that process of considering what God had for my life, it was the first time in 8 years that I had ever allowed myself to imagine life with someone else. I wasn’t picturing my *now wife*. But I had shifted from this place of accepting unnecessary suffering, to truly operating from vision. Instead of thinking “I can make it through this.” I started thinking “What does God want for me?” And the possibilities began to open up. Now, before we continue, if you’ve made it this far - I want you to hone in on one crucial lesson: Stop making decisions from a place of unnecessary suffering. And start making decisions from a place of what God wants for your life. This isn’t fake Christian self help garbage. This is the nature of Christ. I am NOT saying avoid suffering. You WILL suffer. You must LEARN to suffer well, without numbing yourself, without your faith in God fading, without your identity being corrupted. BUT - there is no nobility in unnecessary suffering. Jesus did not suffer unnecessarily. Jesus suffered from a place of desire, to glorify God (himself) and to spend eternity with his people. Ephesians 1:5: “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—” Jesus was willing to suffer HONORABLY, because he WANTED to glorify God (himself) and he WANTED his people. John 17:24: 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. He wasn’t suffering from a place of compulsion, lack, or need - but from a place of Godly desire. Godly desire fuels unrivaled pain tolerance. Godly Desire fuels consistent obedience. Godly Desire empowers perseverance. If you are in Christ, and in intimate relationship with him, through prayer, his word, the gathering of the saints, and through christian accountability, ask God “Lord, what do YOU want for me?” Not what do “I” want for me? What do you “YOU” want for me? The cool thing is when you’re living by the spirit, submitted to Christ, your desires start to align with his. Please be weary when you pray these prayers, the heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). This is about God’s will. Not yours. Our will (apart from God) leads to destruction. When it’s Godly desire, in alignment with God’s will, it radically energizes action that leads to fruitfulness, righteousness, and peace. So, if this is resonating, remember: No more slave mindset “I’ll just suck it up and accept this as is.” Ask God: “What do YOU want for my life?” Now, moving on. My world began to shift. I began to allow myself to consider what God wanted for my life and the vision was becoming radically clear. Later, (2 days into the trip). I had my first real conversation with my *now wife*. We were eating lunch in a group. And of course, when I first actually looked her in the eyes- I felt it deep in my soul. The most beautiful creation I had ever seen. A feeling which I promptly shoved deep down because, well, I was engaged. Anyways, during that conversation I learned that my wife had actually also been previously engaged, which got my attention. It prompted me to ask God why he presented me with this amazing, beautiful young woman - who had recently ended an engagement? What was God trying to show me, or teach me from the presence of this woman? So following that conversation, I continued to pray and contemplate. Throughout the rest of the trip I put on fake smiles when people would ask if I was excited for my wedding. All the while averting my eyes and only speaking to my *now wife* in group settings. (I have witnesses) And after ~ 7 days of deep prayer and conversations, on the other side of the world, I had come to a place where I knew something had to change. So, the trip ended. I flew home, and as soon as I arrived, my ex-fiance and I ended things. It was beautiful, really. We both knew it was time. We said our goodbyes, and I felt like a piece of me had been amputated. I broke down and wailed. 8 years of built up energy - released. My neighbors probably thought someone had been murdered. But after that release - I felt something I had never felt before. Peace. Perfect peace. Shock. Rawness. Pain. But peace knowing I had just made what seemed like an impossible decision that was in alignment with God’s will for my life. In that moment I learned that happiness is not peace. Happiness can be deceitful. Happiness can keep you stuck. The pursuit of happiness kept my ex-fiance and I stuck in that relationship. But peace? Peace is different. Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. You get peace when you live by the spirit, even if it’s hard. Then began the healing process, which was really just surrendering my wants to God's will, which deepened my relationship with God forever. And, eventually energized radical action. Including the pursuit of my wife, half way across the world - from Florida to Canada, long distance for 14 months. That faith empowered obedience during our dating like never before in the area of purity (although we still struggled). And, that faith energized us to submit our lives to God, truly considering what He wanted for us, not what felt like it would make us happy in a given moment. That faith presented opportunities to know Him like never before (through struggle, perseverance, and breakthrough). And of course, that faith resulted in blessings beyond what we could ask or imagine. That trust in God’s will, it brought me my wife. My best friend. My indistinguishable helper. That faith brought me my daughter, my perfect lovely daughter. That faith, and all God did through it, it’s served as a monument for me to look back on in remembrance of God’s goodness. A year and half of marriage. A growing family. Community in the Nashville area that strengthens our faith. Alignment in our business that would not be possible without my indistinguishable helper. All through faith in Christ, and His will for our lives. So, if you’ve made it this far. And there’s a part of your life where you’re currently living in unnecessary suffering, here’s my encouragement to you: Ask God what HE wants for your life. He is the perfect father. He delights in your well being. And his plan for you will GLORIFY Him and testify to his goodness. There WILL be suffering. But when you’re submitted to Him? It IS all worth it. Hope this blesses you. - Gabe

3 years ago I was invited to observe a Fake Navy Seal “leadership event” put on by 2 two of Nashville’s most highly respected business owners in the finance and real estate space. Guys you’d know by name if you’re in the Nashville business world. They brought a group of ~40 men into a room, yelled at them, made them do menial tasks, and if the attendees messed up, they ran "punishment laps". I didn’t attend as a participant, but as an observer. A mentor of mine encouraged one of the leaders to have me observe because I had lead and atended men’s events in the past so he thought my feeback would be valuable. So there I was. Sitting in the back of the room. Silently observing “true leadership” from a group of men twice my age. But, the truth is - I was utterly baffled by the hypocrisy being spewed from the mouth of these overweight, hedonistic, "masculine leaders.” It was honestly disgusting. And here’s why: These men weren't leaders at all. They propped themselves up. Convinced a group of 40 broken men to give them a few grand for the weekend. And proceed to regurgitate empty self help platitudes they got from a Tony Robbins event they attended 7 years ago. Funny enough - they actually brought in a guest speaker who happened to be Tony Robbins’ old camera man. He revealed his former occupation to me behind closed doors, but in front of the guys he “worked very closely with Tony”. This dude was a complete sap. Late 60’s or early 70’s. Fat. Divorced multiple times over, proud of it. And I remember him giving me the unsolicited advice that apparently “all women are hurricanes.” Lol. Maybe to you buddy. Anyways, as the event went on I did my absolute best to refrain from judgment, observe honestly, and hopefully learn a thing or two. But things only got worse. In between punishment laps, the “leaders” would stay back, and basically talk crap about the attendees who were having the hardest time completing the tasks or the ones who seemed the most insecure. Not "honestly critique." But completely fake fun of and belittle. It was hilarious because every now and then they'd tag along for punishment laps, and they were so out of shape they could barely keep up with they group. You could see their fat bellies jiggling out of their shirts as they yelled at these other guys to run. It was comical. and sad. AND AGAIN - these “leaders” were not no-names. These guys would be seen on billboards across the city. They are well respected. Their businesses reach millions. You would *probably* recognize their faces. But, unfortunately, their baffoonery only escalated from here. At one point the “leaders” just completely checked out and started talking about their latest shags. 45-65 year old guys. Bragging about snagging some tail while the attendees were out running laps. They eventually approached my table and lectured me on their attendees' supposed incompetence. And of course they highlighted their own brilliance. It was honestly shocking. Now, I want to make it clear, I am no saint. I’m still not sure If this was one of those situations where it was right to hold my tongue, or if I should have spoken up. But there was something about the situation that made me want to see how it was all going to play out. So, this went on for a couple hours. They’d talk about “leadership”. Tony Robbins' old camera man would be particularly loud. The attendees would mess up a task, run laps, and the cycle would repeat until it was time to eat. Now what I find most hilarious is that at this MEN'S LEADERSHIP and "discipline" event… They ordered pizza for dinner. I thought it was a test or something haha. But no. The overweight, imbecile, “leaders” gorged themselves on papa johns right there with the attendees. Perfect healthy dinner before walking on slightly warm coals 👍 Anyways, my point is this: Most leaders are hypocritical. They lack integrity, they “lead” to elevate themselves instead of serving others, and their heads are so inflated, they don’t think anyone see’s through their crap. But we do. True leadership is not telling people how to live their lives because somehow you have it all figured out. True leadership looks like this: Mathew 10:26 whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” True leadership involves being above reproach: 1 Timothy 3:2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. So if you’re like one of these guys, and you call yourself a leader while your body, habits, and character behind closed doors tell a completely different story - forewarning. We see right through you. And if you truly have a desire to lead others from a place of integrity, get your habits and your body above reproach. It signals distrust among the people God’s called you to lead.

I'VE LOST 30 LBS OF FAT & HAVE KEPT IT OFF FOR 5+ YEARS. HERE ARE 12 BIBLE LESSONS IF YOU’RE STUCK OVER 20% BF. 1. Proverbs 23:2 "..And put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." Direct warning from King Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man to ever live. He’s saying gluttony is so destructive that you should be willing to interrupt the process of that food making its way to your stomach by stabbing yourself in the neck.

Eat a ton of pickles. Pickles are close to 0 calories and high in sodium. They satiate you fast.

@robbuildsstuff God bless 🙏

@Gabepluguez Love your biblical perspective man