In Oct-Nov of 2022, I was doing my best to complete a challenge given to me by my friend and confidant Bryce Anderson. I completed his 8-week Gutless program for men.
Specifically, this program was designed by Bryce to help guys like me – busy dads who have let themselves go and as a result have acquired the infamous Dad Bod (or worse). On top of that, unbeknownst to most of the guys, their testosterone levels have dropped to critically low standards, negatively affecting their libido, confidence, energy levels and weight management.
I’ve tried a lot of nutrition and exercise programs etc. in my time and had lost faith because they were never sustainable or enjoyable. They wanted me to give up too much to an unreasonable and unrealistic level, or they were so time-consuming that I’d have to give up important things in my life just to do meal prep.
But I trust Bryce for a number of reasons, the main one being is that results don’t lie. Not only has Bryce always been a ripped beast even in his worst of times, but his clients were all getting steady results that lasted (Bryce let me into his secret Facebook group so I’m getting this information from there – it’s not just his marketing, it’s legit!).
Another motivating factor was that my gut had grown over the years and I was starting to get man boobs. Bryce talks a lot about the “Low T <> Gut Fat Connection.” Simply put, your testosterone production starts dropping by 1% per year after you turn 30. The lower your “T”, the easier it is to pack on Gut Fat. The more Gut Fat you have, the lower your T.
Gut Fat produces an enzyme called aromatase. Aromatase converts the T that you are still producing into the Female hormone estrogen. Elevated estrogen causes things like man-boobs and low sex drive. Gutless breaks the Low T <> Gut Fat Connection naturally so men can ditch the dad bod, drop the man boobs and get rid of their big guts.
Bryce and I were talking, and he offered to let me do his Gutless program in exchange for some coaching on my end. So I thought, Fuck it, let’s give it another go.
The before picture
I’d let myself go over the 2 years since my daughter was born. Due to severe sleep deprivation and lack of babysitting support, I hadn’t had the energy or time available to take care of myself properly, and it showed.
I was the heaviest I’d ever been (91Kg). I had man boobs. My usually high sex drive was way down. I was getting out of breath going up stairs. My head had this weird rounded look thanks to my expanding jowls and I started to avoid looking at photos of myself from side-on. I always had “scars” on my waist after taking off my pants because everything was too tight. I had bags under my eyes. I exercised fairly regularly, but kept getting strains and injuries and couldn’t heal properly.
And worst of all, the problem I’d had my whole life was now an addiction: I just couldn’t stop eating sugary treats multiple times per day.
It was time to do something about it. I have a genetic cardiac issue that will turn into a heart attack in the next 10 years if I’m not careful, and will almost certainly kill me early. I need to survive and thrive as a father and a husband who provides for his family.
This wasn’t about looking good, or even feeling healthy. This was about stepping up as a man and doing what is right.
Plus, I hate being a hypocrite, and there’s something off about a Confidence and Integrity Coach who doesn’t take care of his body, right?
Goodbye confusion!
The problem is that I thought I WAS taking care of my body. It felt like I was doing my best.
But over the years, like many men, I’d become saturated with health advice and exercise guidance. I had too much information, and couldn’t turn it into a long-term, sustainable and realistic lifestyle.
Enter Bryce and Gutless.
The simplicity was the first thing I noticed. The scientifically valid and reliable source material was the second thing. The focus on sustainability was the third.
You get a list of ingredients you’re allowed to eat, and if it’s not on the list you just don’t eat it. You’re allowed to eat as much as you want.
You get recipes and meal ideas to ensure that the food never gets old or boring.
You get quick, high-intensity HIIT workouts, including breakdowns of proper technique, that can be done in less than 15mins per day (a massive draw card for me), that get you sweating and match your current fitness level.
You get supplements that boost your testosterone and make the chemical balance in your body support your change rather than resist it.
What struck me right out of the gate was how REALISTIC it all was.
This was something anyone with half a brain could understand and stick to for the rest of their life, without requiring superhuman levels of discipline and motivation, and without needing to become a scientific expert in nutrition and biology.
Results came quick!
I lost 2Kg in the first week without even exercising. By the end of the program, I’d lost nearly 20% of my bodyweight in pure fat, while building muscle.
I stopped having reflux after 2 days (I could put away the medication I’d been taking each night for the last 2-3 years).
I got over my cravings for sugar in a single weekend. (To this day, I can now say no to sugar in a way that I simply couldn’t before.)
But then, just a few weeks in, everything went to hell!
COVID struck my family like a wrecking ball. We all got the bad version: bedridden, coughing out a lung every time we tried to talk, zero energy, nauseous… oh, and still having to take care of an active 2 year old, full time without any support.
Normally, this would be all the excuse I’d need to bail on a program like Gutless. I’m sick, right?! That’s a good reason to eat heaps of shit, right?!
Not only that, I then had to go in for surgery, which included a 5 night hospital stay… with hospital food. Surely, NOW I can excuse myself for eating a tonne of crap, right?!
Relapse anticipated and prevented
This is where the Gutless community comes into effect, and where Bryce shows why he’s priceless.
This potential bailout was PREVENTED.
Bryce and the guys not only prepared me to deal with potential setbacks like this specifically, the program also covered how to adjust to the ups and downs of life.
I kept losing weight every single week, not to mention watching the inches fall off my waistline, which is the most reliable measure of improvement. I ended up coming in under the heart-risk waistline measurement and weighing less than I have in over 10 years.
Every other program I’ve ever done seems to require that you have a flawless life with no outside interruptions. They always require that you expect yourself to have iron will and discipline and never let anything affect you.
That’s probably why they don’t work. We’re not all David Goggins, right?
Gutless has remedies. “You mess up, you ‘fess up, you clean up” is one of their mottos. Bryce knows you are definitely going to slip and trip and stumble, so he not only has preventative measures (e.g. eating lots of fat to kill sugar cravings) but reparative measures for when you lapse (e.g. fasting and extra sweaty exercises the next day).
Gutless is realistic and sustainable
This is what makes Gutless so sustainable (I’m still doing it 2 months after completing the program). You have an answer for every dilemma. There are hacks for dealing with real life issues like: What if I’m staying in a hotel without prepared food? What if I get sick? What if I got drunk last night and fully relapsed?
Whatever your real-life weakness or obstacle, Gutless has a counter that undoes that damage while also giving you a chance to redeem yourself so you don’t get stuck in the shame/quit cycle that so many fitness programs accidentally create.
Gutless isn’t really a program; it’s a lifestyle. There are guys in the group from over a year ago still talking about their day as if they’re in week 3 of the program. And they are looking DOPE!
I would never recommend something that doesn’t work and isn’t awesome, no matter who runs it. My integrity is all that matters to me.
So when I say Gutless is the best program I’ve ever seen and I reckon every out of shape dude should be doing it, I really fucking mean it.
I guess pictures are a 100 words or whatever, right? Here’s what 8 weeks, most of it sick or unable to exercise, look like with Gutless:
Thanks for reading guys. If you want to give this a shot then check out Bryce’s website where you can sign up and get your body back on track. If you have any questions for me then let me know in the comments below.