Americans are sick of war. You're welcome to go overseas and fight Iran if you think they should be attacked.
Just stop stealing our money to pay for it.
Mandrik
mandrik@nostrplebs.com
npub1qex7...82qk
Sold baklava for Bitcoin in 2011
Notes (14)
I would rather make less money every year if it means paying less in taxes. That's how much I despise the military industrial complex.
I don't care if my actions have no impact on the state. I'm not contributing towards this shit.
The US has been intervening in the Middle East for decades, causing countless deaths and destruction.
There is no righteous reason for the US to attack Iran.
Fuck the state and fuck the dollar. Put your wealth into Bitcoin before it's too late.
Wanted to say thanks to everyone who came to Mandrik's Meatup III at Fogo in Vegas last week.
I also wanted to thank everyone who enjoyed my baklava. I haven't mentioned this anywhere else, or to anyone else, but the demand for my baklava is there. The product is obviously very good.
Is it time for me to start selling baklava again? I don't know.
I'm thinking about it, though. Maybe I do it during the winter holiday season. Open pre-orders for a limited time, bake all at once, and then ship orders at the same time.
I love baking. I hate handling all the website & shipping stuff. So that's where I am with all this. Sorry to ramble, but I wanted to get that off my brain.
You guys rock. It was a pleasure meeting so many of you in Vegas. I had a blast giving away a record 72lbs of baklava!🧡
Yo, we got a room for 200 at Fogo de Chao Monday at 6PM on the 26th in Vegas. It's going to be the ultimate pleb dinner.
We're gonna fill that fucker up.
I'm guessing you can still get in and get a spot at the table(s) if you show up in time *and* make a reservation, referencing Mandrik's Meatup. Need to do that through OpenTable.
No overpriced tickets, no guests of honor, no VIPs, no speeches or panels, no books to sign. None of that shit.
Just show up, hang out with plebs, and pay your bill.
Good luck! Hope you get one of those 200 spots. If you don't, just grab a chair from the dining room and make some room. 😂
Really excited to attend b++ in Austin next week. I'm especially pumped for my first time volunteering at a Bitcoin conference.
It's so much fun when you have things to do, plus you have an opportunity to meet a lot of great people.
I'll be bringing the baklava, of course. 😄
🔥PROOF OF WORK🔥
June 25, 2024: 204.6 lbs, 25-28% BF
April 26, 2025: 161.2 lbs, 12.3% BF (April 3 DEXA scan)
800+ daily calorie deficit
4x workouts per week
6.1 million steps, 20k daily average
No gimmicks. No skipped gym days.
This is how I did it:👇
I started cutting June 25, 2024 with CoachFHM (Twitter handle) as my trainer, thanks to a referral from nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7ct5d3shxtnwdaehgu3wd3skueqpz4mhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejqqgrt8zt8l5vreng3m04r2xpyn8mms77qkqnqm72fe69p3lxd7ca20y8pse3m . The goal was to build muscle, but the fat had to go first.
Francis' plan was an aggressive 800+ daily calorie deficit for 6 months. I wanted to stick with the carnivore diet, and he wanted me to eat some yogurt and fruit pre-workout. I compromised and agreed to this macro plan:
2005 calories
60g carbs
205g protein
105g fat
A few months in, I ran into issues trying to stay carnivore while cutting. I went into greater detail here:
https://x.com/Mandrik/status/1864306324160315874
TL;DR - my body needed carbs. It was time for a change.
New daily macros:
1885 calories
185g protein
185g carbs
45g fat
Foods I introduced - sweet potatoes, rice (white & black), lots of fruits and vegetables, bread, and more dairy options.
Things were going well, but it was clear this was going to take longer than six months. I'd have run away if Francis told me 10 months, but I wanted to keep pushing after seeing so much progress.
I took Christmas week off, eating maintenance calories with a light workout schedule. It was a much needed break, but weight loss slowed down from there.
January was rough. I live in the northeast US. Cold, no sun, and eating less. Oh, and I was caffeine-free (still am), which makes cutting extra hard mode.
A perfect storm for losing my mind.
By the end of the month I was cracking, and Francis recognized what was going on. He said it was time for a break - eat maintenance level calories for all of February.
I literally wept with joy that first day. I can't believe the toll this cut was taking on me, and how incredible it felt eating a normal amount of calories.
That month changed me as a human being. I began to recognize I could do normal things, like go to a restaurant and even have a little taste of dessert. Enjoy life without overindulging.
Up until that point I had never experienced this. I never felt in control of my eating. I had to restrict myself from certain foods because I couldn't moderate them. That's why the carnivore diet was so good for me.
Not anymore.
I used this energy for one last push. The goal was always to get in that 10-12% body fat range. My weight dropped down into the high 160s, so I knew I was close. I scheduled a DEXA scan for early April. Results?
Total body fat: 12.3%
I could keep pushing. Try to work towards more ab definition as I worked closer to 10% BF. That sounds great, but I was mentally done. I was getting close to cracking again, spending the past few months waking up at 4AM every day. We agreed to end the cut on April 26 no matter what, so I hung in there.
Now here I am, having just crawled across the finish line. Could I have done better? Of course. I still see body fat around my midsection that would have been nice to lose.
I will always be one of those people who needs to be reminded by others of my accomplishments. I focus on what still needs done vs what I worked so hard to do.
So today I take a step back, and recognize that I've accomplished something that I never in my life thought possible. I spent the past 10 months undoing decades of bad eating decisions.
It's ok to feel great about that. I did it!🔥
So I'm going to celebrate this W. Spend a few weeks going to the gym, eating maintenance level calories. Recovering from this incredible and awful experience.
Then it's on to phase 2:
We build. 🏋️♂️
I started cutting June 25, 2024 with CoachFHM (Twitter handle) as my trainer, thanks to a referral from nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7ct5d3shxtnwdaehgu3wd3skueqpz4mhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejqqgrt8zt8l5vreng3m04r2xpyn8mms77qkqnqm72fe69p3lxd7ca20y8pse3m . The goal was to build muscle, but the fat had to go first.
Francis' plan was an aggressive 800+ daily calorie deficit for 6 months. I wanted to stick with the carnivore diet, and he wanted me to eat some yogurt and fruit pre-workout. I compromised and agreed to this macro plan:
2005 calories
60g carbs
205g protein
105g fat
A few months in, I ran into issues trying to stay carnivore while cutting. I went into greater detail here:
https://x.com/Mandrik/status/1864306324160315874
TL;DR - my body needed carbs. It was time for a change.
New daily macros:
1885 calories
185g protein
185g carbs
45g fat
Foods I introduced - sweet potatoes, rice (white & black), lots of fruits and vegetables, bread, and more dairy options.
Things were going well, but it was clear this was going to take longer than six months. I'd have run away if Francis told me 10 months, but I wanted to keep pushing after seeing so much progress.
I took Christmas week off, eating maintenance calories with a light workout schedule. It was a much needed break, but weight loss slowed down from there.
January was rough. I live in the northeast US. Cold, no sun, and eating less. Oh, and I was caffeine-free (still am), which makes cutting extra hard mode.
A perfect storm for losing my mind.
By the end of the month I was cracking, and Francis recognized what was going on. He said it was time for a break - eat maintenance level calories for all of February.
I literally wept with joy that first day. I can't believe the toll this cut was taking on me, and how incredible it felt eating a normal amount of calories.
That month changed me as a human being. I began to recognize I could do normal things, like go to a restaurant and even have a little taste of dessert. Enjoy life without overindulging.
Up until that point I had never experienced this. I never felt in control of my eating. I had to restrict myself from certain foods because I couldn't moderate them. That's why the carnivore diet was so good for me.
Not anymore.
I used this energy for one last push. The goal was always to get in that 10-12% body fat range. My weight dropped down into the high 160s, so I knew I was close. I scheduled a DEXA scan for early April. Results?
Total body fat: 12.3%
I could keep pushing. Try to work towards more ab definition as I worked closer to 10% BF. That sounds great, but I was mentally done. I was getting close to cracking again, spending the past few months waking up at 4AM every day. We agreed to end the cut on April 26 no matter what, so I hung in there.
Now here I am, having just crawled across the finish line. Could I have done better? Of course. I still see body fat around my midsection that would have been nice to lose.
I will always be one of those people who needs to be reminded by others of my accomplishments. I focus on what still needs done vs what I worked so hard to do.
So today I take a step back, and recognize that I've accomplished something that I never in my life thought possible. I spent the past 10 months undoing decades of bad eating decisions.
It's ok to feel great about that. I did it!🔥
So I'm going to celebrate this W. Spend a few weeks going to the gym, eating maintenance level calories. Recovering from this incredible and awful experience.
Then it's on to phase 2:
We build. 🏋️♂️Over half the spots for Mandrik's Meatup in Vegas have already filled up!
I'm working with Fogo to see if we can expand this event to an even larger group.
I hope you can make it if you're in Las Vegas on the eve of The Bitcoin Conference:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mandriks-bitcoin-2025-meatup-tickets-1326133183049
Note: I make absolutely nothing off of this. You'll get a bill at the end of the meal like you would normally. They aren't even comping my meal, as far as I know. 😂
The plan is to take over the restaurant, be excellent to the staff, and have a great time!
🔥ATTENTION NOSTR🔥
Mandrik's Bitcoin 2025 Meatup is taking place 6PM on Monday May 26, 2025 at Fogo de Chão Las Vegas.
All are welcome, and no ticket is required.
You must RSVP through OpenTable, mention "Mandrik's Meatup," and you're all set!
The event page:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mandriks-bitcoin-2025-meatup-tickets-1326133183049
RSVP with Fogo:
https://www.opentable.com/r/fogo-de-chao-brazilian-steakhouse-las-vegas
Select the following:
-Number of guests
-Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
-6:00PM for time
-On the next page, under "Reservation Details," add the note "Mandrik's Meatup."
-You're in!
(Note that OpenTable requires a phone number for the reservation)
EVENTBRITE TICKETS DO NOT GUARANTEE A SPOT AT THE DINNER.
YOU MUST RSVP VIA OPENTABLE ON OR BEFORE MAY 18!
Hope to see you guys there!
It's ironic that "Another Brick in the Wall" was the #1 song when I was born 45 years ago today.
I wouldn't be a bitcoiner if my journey hadn't included rejecting public school indoctrination.
Fulfillment in life comes from being your own man - not a cog in the machine.
45 years old today, and in the best shape of my life. Feels good. 💪
Going to enjoy a slice of cake for the first time in 15 years. Think I've earned it. 🍰
Special birthday wishes to my boy Satoshi, who turns 50! 🎉
GM 4,AM crew 🌛
See you at btc++ in May, Austin!
Beefsteak Nashville 2024 was extra special when my daughters & I served baklava together. nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqgdwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkcqpqejvhdkt8ppefezgz0sgnwdqrn8l4z8muws2k8dz2tv0a57ac2z9srhdwvz
