7 Years In The Making
Rewind back to 2015 for a minute. "Aaron" loved distance running. He spent over an hour daily, on average, doing a combination of running, biking, swimming or some lifts.
Each rhythmic pounding of concrete and splash in the pool was a testament to his commitment. High activity had become his weight loss solution and it was working. He lost 25 lbs to get down to 195.
He was not far from his goal weight, but there was a problem. Increasing activity is a losing battle. He had school aged kids at home and there are only so many hours in the day.
The next year, what used to bring a smile to his face now brought frustrating sighs and winces of pain from his hip. He tried to push through the tenderness, but his training time was forced in half.
Less training starting in 2016 led to him regaining much of the previous weight he had lost. But it didn’t stop there.
He had a total hip replacement in 2021 and while it felt better after recovery, the rest of him didn’t.
Despite all his time and effort in the past he had gained weight over a 7-year stretch. The air in his workout space that was once filled with energy and enthusiasm, now tinged with the struggle of unmet goals.
Picture Aaron standing on the scale, his eyes fixed on the number 240 lbs. The sight of that number represents a pivotal moment of realization and determination to change his life.
He signed up with us at Brother2Brother on May 7th. He was 50 lbs from his goal weight and ready to make a change. After years of struggling on his own, you can feel the weight of old frustrations lifting off his shoulders as he commits to a new plan with added accountability.
After his onboarding call, he got right into the swing of things.
Each morning, Aaron can hear the sizzle of lean meats and fresh vegetables in the pan as he cooks his egg scramble. It may smell like canadian bacon, but he’s burning fat as he front loads his protein intake for the day. He’s leveraged it consistently since then for 80% of his breakfasts.
By the end of his first 22 days he was down 12 lbs which was the most weight he’d ever lost in a month.
He was actually working out less but the lbs were falling off because his nutrition was on point.
One month in, Aaron said:
“The program is living up to the best of my expectations coming in”
But he was just getting started.
Despite family vacations, travel for work, some family birthdays and the birth of a grandchild, Aaron has continued to make progress.
In less than 3 months, he’s gone from 239.8 lbs down to a recent low of 203.6. Over 36 lbs in 13 weeks.
He’s well on his way to his long term target of 50 lbs down. What’s awesome is that he has been able to accomplish all of this despite minimal cardio which is a complete change to what he has done in the past.
He’s focused on lifting to build muscle 3 days per week with time-efficient workouts so despite dropping the weight he is adding strength.
Being down almost 40 lbs has plenty of perks. But the benefits to living a healthy lifestyle extend far beyond the number on the scale for Aaron.
Aaron can actually HEAR that he is healthier. His resting heart rate pounds steady, calm and 8 beats per minute slower despite minimal cardio. The lower heart rate is highly correlated with a lower risk of disease.
That’s 4 million less heartbeats in a year and serious stress reduction for the cardiovascular system. As a father and young grandparent, he can breathe a slow exhale of relief knowing he is healthy for a family depending on him.
The combination of cleaner meals and weight loss has also given him another unexpected benefit. He struggled with heartburn for years and took Nexium every 1-2 days. Since 4 days into the program, the irritation and burning sensations that used to make everyday life uncomfortable have been replaced by increased energy and vitality of a healthy lifestyle.
I’m not going to sugar coat this. Aaron has gotten fantastic results but it hasn’t been by accident. He has consistently checked the boxes and has been fully committed to the program.
-He walks over 10,000 steps per day. Usually 12k+
-He has rarely drank alcohol since starting the program
-He switched from drinking soda to the occasional Coke Zero
-His meals are consistently protein dominant
-He’s not hungry but has still avoided mindless snacking during the day
The reality is that you can get results having some drinks, walking less and being less consistent with your meals. But Aaron is proof of what’s possible for those who dial it in from day 1 and I look forward to watching what he can do in the next 3 months.
Talk to you Friday,
"I was going to try an all almond diet, but that's just nuts."
Brett
Brother2Brother
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-overcome a nagging injury
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