Aaron Steele
Season 5 Alumni
Aaron spends his days in the software and advertising world as a pixel pusher and script junkie... but when the sun goes down he transforms into the bassist for the alt rock band 'Horizon Arcs’. In addition, he is a weekend novelist, collector of things and a travel enthusiast. He has lived in exotic locations, climbed Mt. Fuji, swam in the open ocean with sharks, backpacked across Europe, skied the Swiss Alps, dined with the Dalai Lama, survived in a far east jungle for a week with nothing but a poncho and a machete and is currently learning to play the Didgeridoo. All true.
Follow My Blogging Journey
Monday, June 12, 2017
Ok this is my third attempt to blog this weekend... let's hope it saves this time. I've blogged about it before and it's still weighing heavy on my mind... what will I do when the season is over? This is a legitimate concern for me, My mind is already trying to convince me that the first meal after the program should be a burger. But that will just put me back to where I was. Diet is my nemesis... I'm ok with exercise, even when i gained all my weight back I went to the gym a couple times a week. Diet Diet Diet... that's the enemy I have to overcome. It's easy to fight the temptations when you have accountability to a program like FWSW but on my own, that's easier said than done some times. I've heard the expression a lot lately "It's all about moderation" but I call BS... I'm a food addict, I know it... it's my crack... With crack addicts, is it all about moderation? Ugh... the struggle is real there has to be a secret.
~A
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
What a difference a year makes. One year ago today I was sitting by my dad's bedside, completely exhausted and at a loss for what was happening. He passed away at 2am the next morning. It was the hardest thing I have ever faced and it's still very difficult to talk about. But... if there is a silver lining to his passing, it lit a fire under me to make some changes. I was not happy with the direction things were going and my dad was one of those people who never settled for that, he always enjoyed his work and life and sitting there watching him slip away lit a spark of introspection that ultimately led me to where I am today. I decided then and there that I needed to make some changes. 3 months later we sold our house and moved to the city. I turned up the intensity in my involvement with my band and we finished our first record this past spring, I set a personal goal to lose weight which is why I am here, and I am working to improve my professional life. Things are moving in the right direction and that is good. But I still think of my dad every day. It's hard to believe that the earth has traveled completely around the sun since i was able to talk to my dad. The sun definitely shined a little dimmer this year. I miss my dad every day but I know he is here with me in spirit cheering me on.
~A
Monday, May 22, 2017
What will I do when the season is over? This is a question that has been on my mind lately. We just passed the halfway mark and as the end of the program is now closer than the beginning of the program I find myself worried about how I will continue. You see, I've been through this before and it didn't work so well for me, hence why I am back. Last time I maintained for about a year and a half before I started to slip... This time I'm hoping to continue working on my goal of reaching 250. But how do I maintain? Just being honest with myself double workouts and hitting the gym 6 days a week is not something I can sustain. I need to find a good balance of my time so that I can hit the gym as needed and still continue to lose weight. Diet wise, I can sustain and that is comforting because it's really mostly diet, if I can get a workout in every other day or 4 times a week I believe I can continue to progress... I need to talk to the trainers to see what they recommend.
~A
Monday, May 8, 2017
Hola all, it's been a busy week and I've not had a chance to blog. On a personal level there have been some great things happening and a big win which I want to talk about first. I'm in a band called 'Horizon Arcs', we're an alt rock band and we just recorded our first album... well, this week the album came out. We have CDs in hand and all of our stuff is available in itunes, google, amazon, spotify and a ton more places. This is a very exciting thing for me as it's been a year and a half in the making. The big win though... is that I have put away my 'fat' wedding ring and put on my 'skinny' wedding ring. When I got married in 2005 the ring I got was just slightly big for me but it wasn't a big deal, it stayed on and was comfortable... well after 6 weeks of working out and eating right that ring just falls off my hand at every opportunity, it was time. I had ordered a smaller ring several years ago which was 2 sizes smaller and wore it for some time until I started gaining weight again, it was a rough day when I had to take the skinny ring off and put the fat ring back on... oh how the tides have turned. I'm now back in the skinny ring and it looks great! Very excited.
~A
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Struggling a bit this week. I'm very tired and my knee is hurting. I'm icing it and taking ibuprofen but it's frustrating none the less. Got up yesterday and did a double workout in the AM. Today we worked out in the AM and will run tonight. Hoping to get doubles in all week. I'm also a bit congested this week, i'm fighting off allergies so i'm sure that's not helping. Anyway I can't complain, I feel good over all and my clothes are loose. I'm down two notches on my belt so that is good. Haven't pulled out the skinny clothes yet but will soon, another week or so. Will try and get back on this week and blog more.
~A
Thursday, April 20, 2017
I don't really have anything to say this week. Maybe that's because my body has now accepted the reality that this is the new routine. I'm feeling good, sleeping good, eating good, clothes are fitting me better and I feel stronger. Life is good. I guess one mention could be that I had a stressful situation at work which got me worked up but it didn't linger... and... it would have been a trigger in the past to go for junk food, it didn't even cross my mind.
If I have more to share I'll hop back on, otherwise catch you next week.
~A
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
James Brown said it best... "I FEEL GOOD!"
I was right... last week everything in my body was telling me to stop... this week i'm looking forward to more. I feel better about myself, I'm more confident, I've got a strut in my step. Life is good indeed. Amazing how if you just push through the negative you come out better for it. Now... If I can only get my food in check. Calorie wise I got this but it's just not as balanced as it needs to be. I need more veggies in my snacks and other meals. Trying to remember the 'my plate' rule with each meal. It's a work in progress. I guess the up side is that I have not had a single desire for sweets or junk food in nearly 2 weeks. I opened the cabinet the other day and my son had purchased reeces peanut butter cups (my favorite)... I looked at them and moved on. Didn't even cross my mind that I wanted them. Little successes like that will make big wins in the long run.
~A
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Ugh... This week is kicking my butt. Everything is sore, I'm tired, by body and mind are telling me to relax, take it easy, just sleep in and order a burger and beer for lunch. It's the mind games that we have to be aware of. I've tried and tried again to do the gym and diet on my own only to go strong for a week or two before the mind games start to set in. RESIST!!! Fight what your body and mind are telling you. I know from experience that if you can push the mind games down and stick to the routine you will move past it. You just have to stay strong and weigh (no pun intended) the positive things that your body and mind are also going through... like feeling better about yourself, more confident, clothes fitting better, better sleep, tighter muscles. All that is good and they far outweigh the negatives. Stay the course. You got this.
Keep fighting the good fight!
~A
Monday, April 3, 2017
Week 1 Down, Week 2 Starts today!!!! I'm sore and tired... my body is fighting it. This is my body telling me... "hey, what are you doing? You don't need this... come back to the dark side... we have cookies." It's part of the struggle we all face, we get motivated and we hit the gym hard but then all of the sudden the alarm goes off one morning and you tell yourself that you can go back to sleep, you've put in a good effort... soon one day turns to two, two days to three, then a week, month year. How to stay motivated is the real question... It's so hard to do without being accountable to someone / something. If I were just starting out on my own this would be the week i start to slip. Luckily I am being held accountable and why it is very important to have a good support structure in place who will harass you if you don't do something. Something I'll need to make sure is in place when the 15 weeks is done.
Looking forward to a good weigh in tonight and for week 2 to start. Oh yeah... and black coffee still sucks but it's starting to taste better.
~A
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Two days of workouts down and I'm feeling pretty good. It's been an easier transition back into working out this time around though I will say that I never really fell completely off of the workout side of things. I slowed down but maintained some sort of exercise / workout one or two times a week. For me, it's always been diet. That is by far the hardest thing to keep in check. Mentally I know what I should and should not have, but that doesn't always translate down to the stomach. I believe the rule is 2 weeks... 2 weeks and you can change your habits. I need to give the diet 2 weeks to take and I'll begin to feel better about my food and have less hunger pangs for the bad stuff... speaking of diet... I'm attempting to switch from coffee with cream and sugar to straight black... Ugh... it's the worst... i'm in 2 days right now and I'm convinced this is going to be hardest part of the entire process.
This is me drinking black coffee...
I will keep fighting the good fight! Wish me luck. ~A
Monday, March 27, 2017
Today is the day! For those who don't know me, I was a season 5 alumni. During my season I lost 76 lbs... that was 5 years ago. Today I'm 3lbs heavier than I was when I started 5 years ago. I did not keep the weight off and have returned to a life of poor food decisions and minimal exercise. But there are good things on the horizon... this is not where my story ends... Today I start all over again, working toward redemption, and changing my life for good this time. I think I'm more nervous this round than I was last round, not because I know what I'm in for, but because I've been given a second chance which not many people get. Where will I be 5 years from now? Will I be in the same place I am now? I know where I want to be but do I have what it takes this time around to change my life for good or will I mess up like last time? Am I strong enough to make it happen? I guess time will tell. Right now, i'm feeling optimistic though, I recognize the opportunity for what it is and am looking forward to embracing it for everything it is. I'd love nothing more than to walk out of the door 15 weeks from now more fit, more healthy, with less weight and a better attitude than I had the last time. That's the goal anyway. Wish me luck! ~A