This week, Nick interviews former pro-wrestler and the world’s tallest competitive bodybuilder, Aaron Reed. Not only has Aaron worked hard to become a beast of an athlete, he’s also the author of the nutrition book The Supernatural Lifestyle, which serves as the basis for the Eat Like Aaron meal prep service he offers in Tampa Bay.
Image created with photo courtesy of Luis Battistini (@luisx_com)
The road that got him to where he is today has not been a cake-walk. In fact, Aaron faced a humorless, life-threatening a-hole, also known as leukemia, as a child. He was diagnosed young and had to beat that monster before he was able to follow in his family’s athletic footsteps.
His late start didn’t deter him from finding his passions, though. Aaron learned early on that he was good at lifting weights and sought his inspiration from legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Fast forward a bit, and Aaron talks about his days in the WWE and how an injury as a pro wrestler led to him discovering that he had hepatitis. Faced with the choice of going back on chemotherapy, he made the decision to treat his illness with nutrition. A lack of help from other fitness experts led him to become a self-taught nutritionist, passionate about using his diet as a healing and strengthening force in life.
Aaron’s three rules to nutrition:
- Eat whole foods
- Don’t combine sugar and fat
- Eat certain macronutrients at certain times
His learned expertise in nutrition resulted in him writing his book in 2011 and subsequently starting his meal prep service, which focuses on raising insulin sensitivity (that’s a good goal) by eating more fat on its own and fewer carbohydrates.
When asked what kinds of meals are included in the Eat Like Aaron meal plan, he told Nick:
- Carbs + protein meal (e.g. chicken and rice)
- Protein + fat meal (e.g. grass-fed burger and guacamole)
- You can have vegetables at any time because they provide fiber (not suggested for post workout)
- Eating fat is important because it helps with hormone production and sex drive (hey-yo!)
Aaron also shared his belief that artificial sweeteners are a big no-no because they dull insulin sensitivity and may be the cause of visceral belly fat. So don’t expect to see those anywhere in his meal options.
As the first body builder we’ve interviewed for the podcast, Aaron set a really high bar (and not just because he’s 6’7″)! He’s a friendly and talkative guy with an incredibly inspiring story and a clear passion for nutrition. Seeing how far his knowledge has already taken him is motivating proof of just how critical diet is to your health.
Do yourself a favor and connect with/follow Aaron on his social channels – Facebook, Instagram (@aaronw.reed), Twitter (@AaronWReed)
Oh! And just in case you need a little comparison to see what we mean by the world’s tallest bodybuilder, check out the side-by-side selfie of Nick and Aaron below.
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Links to this week’s episode
Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss
Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/an-interview-with-the-worlds-tallest-bodybuilder-aaron-reed
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