I tried DDP Yoga a few years ago, but found that just me, doing it by myself at home, even with my wife and son there to encourage me, I fell off. I just stopped. It’s no secret that I’ve always struggled with food but I had let myself go to the point of being 392lbs and feeling awful every single day. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I am ashamed to admit that on more than one occasion I have cried myself to sleep, not because of just feeling bad or depressed, though I was, but because I was worried that I wouldn’t wake up the next morning. I literally BEGGED myself to make it just ONE more day so I could see my wife and son again, then the next night I would be begging myself to wake up the next day again. I’m 36 years old, and at the rate I was going, I wasn’t going to make it to see 45; 40 may have been generous. My son is 9 years old. I can’t leave him like that.

I finally quit smoking in November of 2017. A week later, I started working out again at a local crossfit gym. A month into it, I had GAINED 10 pounds instead of losing. I had quit smoking, but my diet was still terrible. I went to the gym with the thought of just asking the coach for some tips on changing my diet. What started out as a casual conversation turned into me breaking down, bawling, and admitting my addiction to food aloud for the first time to anyone, all right in the front office where everyone comes in and out of the gym. I was ashamed and embarrassed, but also knew that something had to change.

That was at the end of December in 2017. The very next day, I decided that things needed to change, but I couldn’t babystep into it. All small steps ever did for me before was keep me close to my comfort zone so when things got the slightest bit hard, I went straight back. I over-hauled my diet the next day. I started intermittent fasting and really committing to my workouts instead of just going through the motions.

I was using DDP Yoga to help get me stretched out on the days that my back was bothering me too much to do a workout at the gym, but I have incorporated it into my workouts now. Instead of using it as a whole workout by itself (and feeling dead after), I use DDP Yoga as my warmups and I feel great for everything else I do, AND after. I started this year out at 392lbs, and so far I am down to 332lbs. I have 90 more pounds to go to hit my goal weight, but I know that I am at least on the right path now. DDP Yoga has taken what I have been doing to a whole new level!