So I'm 33 years old and I have been fat as far back as I remember, and I was ok with it for the most part. Sure there have been times I tried to lose weight (taking up football in 7th to 9th grade, trying exercise DVDs from famous tv shows, and even playing loads of Dance Dance Revolution at the local arcade where I used to work), but none of those attempts ever stuck. I was never fully committed. And even though I was not committed, I had plenty of reasons to be motivated to losing weight and getting more mobile: my brother and dad have diabetes so it may run in the family... I had digestive issues and was taking an over-the-counter heartburn medication daily for years and neither caring that I was abusing it nor caring that the long-term use of it may cause kidney damage... about six years ago years ago I had a bulged disc in my back that was pushing on the sciatic nerve in my left leg and even though I had surgery to remove part of the disc and went to physical therapy I didn't stick to the therapy afterwards and had issues moving around for many years. I had all this, and still would not change.

Oddly, I was okay with this life. I was happy being that way. Until one day... I was not. It was August 2016, I was almost 300 pounds, and I was tired. Tired of all the constant digestive issues and living off heartburn meds. Tired of only being able to sleep on my right side because any other pose caused pain. Tired of not being able to drive anywhere for more than an hour without my left leg aching. I was tired of something as simple as bending over to wash supper dishes being a genuine challenge. Tired of eating whatever unhealthy thing I wanted and not caring about the consequences. I was tired of being tired, and now I wanted to do something about it. I was finally motivated to change my life.

But what to do? Well, when researching to find a program, I came across DDP YOGA. I found out DDP had similar back issues and took to yoga to help alleviate those issues. So I figure, "He had back issues and did this and got better, I got back issues, so this should help me feel better too." So I ordered the DVD set, a yoga mat, and a heart monitor. And after joining TeamDDPYoga.com, watching his motivational lecture about living life at 90%, and reading the guides and watching the DVDs...I realized I can actually do this and went to work.  

And boy, did I work hard. Didn't realize doing a 25-minute session of bending and flexing could work up such a sweat. Those beginner sessions were a challenge. But, like the program says, make the workout your own. I was able to modify the workouts to accommodate my condition and build up strength, my way. Even when I was unable to do daily sessions, I modified the sets by working out on the beginner program every other day. Even when I completed the beginner course and was still unable to do daily workouts, I simply increased the amount I could do every other day and went from doing 40 minutes every other day to 50 to 60 to finally 70 minutes every other day. I even did some modifications on the meal plan to make it work for me. I stick with DDPY Nutrition Plan Phase One, but I added an additional serving of complex carbs for breakfast so I don't reach for too many snacks during the day and I added more protein to promote more muscle recovery and muscle growth. And yes, I will treat myself to an occasional serving of coconut ice cream or have a slice of veggie pizza as a "cheat meal", but I have those treats sparingly and in the process of doing this program gained something I never had before with food: self-control. 

As for the results from the program? Well, I made two goals when I started in August 2016: I wanted to lose 100 pounds in a year and commit to doing DDPYoga for a year. In the end, I managed to lose 100 pounds in seven months and as I write this, it is August 2017, I've been doing DDPY for one year, and I have lost a total of 109 pounds. I went from 297 lbs to 188 lbs, and I've never felt better.

I went from having limited mobility to being more flexible and agile than I have been in years. I went from only being able to sleep on my right side to being able to sleep on my back. Went from having digestive problems to having little to no problems. And the heartburn meds? I've been weaning myself off them since I began the program a year ago, and for the past two months I've been off those meds and feeling great. And the best part is I still have more to improve. This journey is far from over. I've made additional goals: continue doing DDPY for another year, get myself to a point where I can do DDPY five days a week, and be able to work out five hours a week.

So far, I can do four days and three hours of DDPY per week. Once I complete those goals, I will continue adding more challenges and continue to improve. When I started this adventure, I wanted my life to be great. After a year of DDP YOGA, I now know it is great. And now I want it to make it even better.