His mind says it’s a mid-life crisis of sorts.

His body says he’s in the best shape ever.

Both the mind and body have combined the last 18 months to transform Casey Jackson.

“I never want to go back there again,” Jackson told Kingfisher Lions Club members at a recent meeting.

The owner of Jacksons of Kingfisher was the guest speaker for the local civic group and was showing Lions a picture of himself from December 2020.

He weighed 223 pounds, the most ever for him.

Jackson and his wife, Jalene, and four sons moved to Kingfisher in 2018 when the family purchased the local Chevrolet dealership.

“For us, 2019 was a transition year and then COVID hit,” he said. “And I put on some weight.”

But Jackson vowed to change it and recently completed a pair of competitions that prove he’s done just that.

In April, he competed in a bodybuilding competition at which he weighed 165 pounds and had about 5 percent body fat.

Then, just six weeks later, Jackson completed the Ironman 70.3, essentially half an Ironman Triathlon.

“I kind of felt like I was having a mid-life crisis,” said Jackson, 38. “I felt there were some things I wanted to do before I was too old to do them.”

And so he’s not done.

Jackson plans to compete in yet another Ironman 70.3 in October and wants to complete a full Ironman Triathlon next April.

The preparation for that, he said, was much different than what it took to prepare for the bodybuilding meet.

Cardio during bodybuilding training was limited as he concentrated on building his different muscle groups with the help of local trainer Matt Scott.

“I couldn’t have done it without him,” Jackson said. “We’re very fortunate to have him in our community.”

His diet was also different, but even more important, Jackson said.

“The biggest part of a transformation is your diet,” he added.

First of all, he strived for a 300 to 500 calorie deficit each day to shed pounds.

The second part of his diet focused on how much of his daily intake of calories were proteins, carbohydrates and fats (also known as macro splits).

In training for bodybuilding, Jackson’s macro splits were 50 percent protein, 35 percent carbo-hydrates and 15 percent fat as he built muscle mass.

Once the competition was over, Jackson had a very short window to transform his body yet again for June’s triathlon in Lubbock, Texas.

The “70.3” means contestants swim 1.2 miles, bike for 56 miles and then run a half-marathon, which is 13.1 miles.

As his training continued, Jackson said nutrition was something he became “passionate” about.

“What we feed our mind and body is a big deal,” he said.

Jackson shared with Lions some of the foods he cooked - and consumed - during his preparation as he focused on proper macro splits.

His food intake was now about 33 percent each of the proteins, carbs and fats, which he recommends as a more healthy approach for everyday life.

Jackson characterized himself as an adequate runner and biker, but knew his swimming was an area he needed to improve.

In his training, Jackson only twice swam in open waters, which is where the competition takes place.

Just a little bit into the opening phase of the race, he knew it was going to be a struggle.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “It about killed me, but I powered my way through. You basically need to have an iron will.”

Safety is a big area of concentration at Ironman events and swimmers had multiple areas where they could rest.

However, they also only are given 70 minutes to complete the phase or they’re not allowed to continue into the biking portion.

Jackson’s time was 72 minutes.

“I was fully prepared to plead my case,” he said, recalling as he came out of the water to come face to face with a race marshal. “And she just said, ‘You better hurry.’”

Jackson made the transition - quickly - to his bike. The 56-mile ride took him right at three hours.

He then ran the 13.1 miles in two hours.

All the while, he said, hydration and nutrition were imperative during the race. He estimates he consumed 2,000 calories during his 6 hours, 27 minutes.

It was mostly in the form of gels, an easily digestible carb, but also granola bars and bananas.

Since the race concluded, Jackson hasn’t slowed down.

He’s continuing to train for October’s race. He’s got a strong focus on improving his swimming and has been given a boost by the Snodgrass family, which lets him use their pond.

You can also find Jackson biking and/or running throughout town several times a week. If he’s on foot, you might see him with his hands full.

“I try to take my time running to pick up trash if I see it and throw it away,” he said. “But if you see me running or biking, be sure to honk or something.”

The distances for the full Ironman Triathlon are doubled, meaning a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a run of 26.2 miles.