As of this writing, I’ll have been using DDP YOGA for 13 weeks. I can say with full confidence that this program has changed my life for the better! I’ve always been a larger guy, and never really had the best eating habits. I would eat fast food, cup cakes, cookies, and other junk food almost daily. Whenever I would attempt to lose weight, I could never find the key to stay on the right track. I could keep the diet and exercise up for maybe two weeks tops before slipping back to bad habits. 

Because of my weight, I would randomly get pain in my knees, and sometimes my lower back. I’d lose my breath just from taking a short walk up a flight of stairs. Eventually, I just got tired of living this way, and I knew I had to do SOMETHING…but had no idea where to start. My job involves sitting at desk for usually 8 hours at a time, and I never felt motivated to do any active activities.

As a huge fan of pro wrestling, I began listening to wrestler Chris Jericho’s podcast “Talk is Jericho”. On almost every show, he would plug DDP YOGA. What grabbed my attention is that he said “anyone, any shape or size could use this program”. I’d heard of DDP YOGA before this, but never gave it much thought. After finally giving the DDP YOGA website a look, I watched Arthur’s amazing and inspirational video, and was 100% sold! I purchased the Max Pack, and patiently waited for the program to arrive at my doorstep.

While waiting the 2 weeks for the DVDs, I started to make preparations with myself. I bought myself a 32 oz water container, and completely stopped drinking Soda, Iced Tea, and other sweet and sugary drinks. I cut back on sweet snacks as well. I still purchased Fast Food, but tried to limit myself as much as I could. To try to up my activeness during the day, I made the decision to walk to and from my job (2 miles each way). I figured with these changes, by the time the DDP YOGA DVDs would I arrive, I’d have a small head start. 

After about 2 weeks, I finally received the DDP YOGA Package. The very first thing I did was open the included pamphlet, and read it from cover to cover. If there was one main message I had taken from that pamphlet, it was “What do I want.” To this day, I’ve always kept that in the back in my mind, and is the main part of my drive to do better. After reading the pamphlet, it was clear that I needed to expand on changing my eating habits further. I donated every snack and unhealthy food I had in my house, and immediately went to the grocery store. From there I bought fruits and veggies, organic meats, and whole grain products. I also got myself a yoga mat, a heart monitor, and a scale to track my progress. When I weighed myself with my new scale (the first time I’ve done so in years), I weighed in at 343. The first goal I set for myself was 300. I didn’t want to shoot too high, so I figured this was a good place to start. I didn’t know how long it would take me to get there, but I knew that was “what I wanted”. 

I decided to go with the “Beginner” track, as that sounded appropriate for me. I popped in the first DVD right away, and watched the first workout “The Diamond Dozen”. I’ll admit that I was unsure of how well this was going to work for me when I first started. Even with the heart monitor on, I was unconfident as to whether or not I was engaging in the moves correctly, or if I was making any progress. I just felt like I was doing moves. It wasn’t until the second workout “Energy” that everything CLICKED. I finally understood how all the moves connected, and why they were important. 

So in combination with the DDP YOGA, I was still walking to and from work every day. I also fully embraced cooking healthy meals at home for dinner, and bringing in salads or leftovers for lunch the next day. After the first week, I got back on the scale, and much to my surprise I weighed in at 337. I’d already lost 6 pounds! I felt like I’d never lost that much so quickly before. The first physical change I noticed maybe 2 or 3 weeks into the program, where I was finally able to use the second loop on my belt. That completely blew my mind, because as far back as I could remember, I ALWAYS had my belt on the final loop, as tight as could be. 

I normally do my DDP YOGA workouts as soon as I wake up. I’d do that day’s routine, take my shower, get breakfast, and start my morning walk to work. Whenever it was time to do a new workout like “Fat Burner” or “Below the Belt”, I’d watch the DVD the night before. Instead of participating, I’d study the workout just to see what I’d be getting myself into the next morning. There were a lot of times where I’d be watching the DVD and would laugh and say “Wow, there’s no way I can pull that move off”! And then the next morning, somehow someway, I’m able to surprise myself and pull off a “Three Legged Dog” haha.

My progress encouraged me to continue on. As the weeks passed, I lost more and more weight. My back and leg pains vanished. I could climb steps without getting winded. Whenever I felt like I was craving a fast food burger, or a quick cupcake for a snack, I’d remember “What do I want”. If I craved my old habits, I’d just remember how far I’d come along, and how much closer I was to my first goal.

Finally, after 10 weeks of keeping consistent with the diet, the yoga, and the positive motivation, I finally hit my goal!! I’d gone from 343 down to 299! I’m not ashamed to say I had shed a few tears after stepping off the scale. I hadn’t been less than 300 pounds since I graduated high school, which was 10 years ago!

Up until the 10 weeks, aside from people who regularly see me, and my family, I kept pretty tight lipped about trying to lose the weight. I wasn’t ashamed or anything, but I didn’t want to jinx my progress and pressure myself by having people cheer me on. So I decided to share my accomplishment on Facebook and Twitter, and never before had I received such overwhelming love and support!! Many people asked what I did, or how I kept it up. And I’ve PROUDLY been telling them that it was all DDP YOGA! 

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU Diamond Dallas Page. You were able to set me on a path that made me happier, healthier, and lighter. I’m going to keep up with the DDP YOGA, because I’ve still got work to do!!