We’ve all failed at losing weight. Every year, millions of people make a vow to get in better shape, and every year, millions of people fail to make good on it. Diets become too tedious. Meal prepping becomes too time consuming. That extra hour of sleep becomes much more important than doing cardio before work. For most people, staying committed to a weight loss plan seems impossible – which makes Aaron Bleyaert’s story all the more inspirational.
Bleyaert, a regular on Conan O’Brien’s show and a renowned gamer, recently posted a heartfelt entry on Tumblr that detailed his astounding weight loss and provided readers with four tips to help them accomplish their weight loss goals.
The Michigan native shed 80 pounds in one year, going from chubby to svelte in the process and developing a zest for running, eating healthy, and lifting weights. He clearly knows what it takes to drop pounds, but at first glance his entry looked like every other boring piece of diet advice posted on the internet: don’t drink alcohol (too many carbs), practice portion control, blah blah blah.
Before: Bleyaert was never an exercise enthusiast….
After: ….until his girlfriend broke his heart and turned him into a lean, mean workout machine. Here he shows off his new (and very much improved) physique.
And then you get to tip number three…
“Have your heart broken. And not just broken; shattered. Into itsy bitsy tiny little pieces, by a girl who never loved you and never will. Join the gym at your work. Start going to the gym regularly, even though you don’t know that much about exercise and you’re way too weak to do pretty much anything but lift 5 lb weights and use the elliptical machines with the old people, do it until your sweat makes a puddle on the floor. Then go home and go to bed early and the next day do it again. And then again. And then again.”
Whoa. Bleyaert goes on to discuss his newfound gym obsession at length, detailing the struggles he faced and the painful breakup that helped to fuel his every workout. Everything he writes is relatable to the average gym rat: about picking goal weights, eating chicken breast and steamed vegetables every night, pushing through each and every obstacle. There’s a saying that “breakups make bodybuilders”, and it is certainly true in Bleyaert’s case. As his post progresses, you can see his dedication to the gym growing firmer and firmer. He remarks on the fact that his workouts had stretched from one hour to two; that he was “routinely the last person at the gym”; that at one point he realized that “the only things that exist in the entire universe are you and The Gym.”
If that isn’t the epitome of dedication, I don’t know what is. Bleyaert had the strength to take on a massive lifestyle overhaul, stayed committed to it, and reaped the benefits, losing 80 pounds in a year and getting over the ex-girlfriend who started him on the journey to begin with. His post was remarkably candid, and while his advice to “have your heart broken” might not be applicable to every reader trying to lose weight, the underlying themes of the post are: hard work, consistency, and a desire to improve each day will get you where you want to go. As he puts it, “You realize that it’s not about hitting a goal weight, or lifting a weight. It’s about being able to wait. Waiting, being patient, and trusting that life will slowly inch along and things will eventually get better. After all, change takes time – but time is all it takes.”
Well said, Mr. Bleyaert. Well said.
Check out his Full post here:
Follow his Journey on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/aaronbleyaert/
or his Tumblr blog here: http://aaronbleyaert.tumblr.com/
