From the time that I was in the 4th grade, I have fought the battle of the bulge. By the time I graduated from high school, I was in excess of 240 pounds. As I grew into adulthood, I picked up a cigarette habit at age 18. So the stage had been set for the habits that would eventually culminate in quadruple bypass surgery in 2005 at the ripe old age of 50. I was, quite literally, one heartbeat away from death. Ironically, the surgery was the best thing to have happened to me from a health standpoint, because it served as the ultimate wake-up call ... well, it did for 3 or 4 years.

By the time 2011 rolled around, I had gained most of my weight back, and my cardiologist was sounding the warning. So I picked up the Primal lifestyle (by Mark Sisson), and lost back down to 200 lbs. But something was missing ... I was lighter, but I wasn't stronger. Again, old habits took over, and by Christmas of 2017, I was right back where I started. In my 'Before' photo, you will see me in February of 2018 holding my newborn grandson wearing the NEW size 40 waist jeans that I had just purchased. I was so ashamed of myself, and dedicated myself right then that I would make the changes necessary to live a healthy life to watch my 4 grandchildren grow.

Having been a wrestling fan since the 1960s, I knew of Diamond Dallas Page, and remembered hearing something of his Yoga program. I did a YouTube search, and watched Arthur's story. I found a Facebook friend locally that had the original YRG program, so that is where I started. It didn't take me but a couple of weeks to order the updated program. I got a 3-month trial to the app, and now I am hooked. I purchased a 1-year subscription to the DDP Yoga Now App, and now I'm hooked. :-)

I started out at 232 lbs in March, and I am now at 205 lbs, but my strength has noticeably increased, and my body has been reshaped! Ultimately, I would like to be around 190 lbs, but I have no set goals for how long that might take. I guess I need to ink it, and not just think it. The bottom line for me is that I am just a few weeks away from being 64 years of age, and I might just be in the best physical condition of my adult life! Without DDPY, this would not have been possible.