I'll give you guys a bit of a journey here into my past, while this is my first post, i suppose it's fitting as a you all seem to be a bit of an encouraging bunch. I'll start off by saying I'm 6'2" and I'm an ectomorph I'm surprised there are other people who know what that means. haha.

Here I am at about 190lbs in 1999 at what I felt was my peak(in looks anyway):



Here's me in 2004 with my now ex-wife:



Because of my very broad shoulders and my overall density I did carry my weight rather well and still do. In that picture I was pushing 260lbs. I was still gaining weight then. I had a herniated disc in my lower back and was pretty much bed-ridden for 18 months.

Just over a year ago I started training Northern Shaolin Kung Fu at a local school. With no prior martial arts experience I had nothing to unlearn, no bad habits to work around and I've excelled greatly at my school. It also helps that I was training there for upwards of 16 hours/week. I hadn't ever thought I'd do anything athletic again, but it was the best thing I ever did. My first day I was tipping the scales at 302lbs.

These pictures of my progress at 8 months were a shock to me as I had not seen myself this way ever. I was still very self conscious about my body and when I finally had the courage to step in front of my own lens. At this time I was weighing in at 255lbs. But despite the weight, I felt light and strong. I still had the worst endurance of anyone at the school but for some reason I'd work twice as hard as anyone else.



Unfortunately, I still have a bit of a belly, while I can finally see my wedding vegetables again, it's still a long ways off from being flat and firm. It also doesn't help that my abdominal muscles and pectorals have thickened thus pushing out the remaining fat, making it appears almost as though I've made no progress.

Now I look roughly the same I'd conjure except that I'm about 12 lbs lighter.



I conjure that has to do with muscle gain and fat loss combination. In my school we do our workouts in the proper order most times. Resistance training first, then interval training last. We do a lot of metabolic stress exercises which I love.

All that being said, I've been bigger than this muscularly IMO. But I most definitely haven't been stronger or more flexible.

So now this is when the real training begins. I'm here to learn and absorb and put into use the rest of the formula for making myself healthier and stronger. I know next to nothing about proper diet. I am here with humble regards for you all and your dedication to what you all do as it is really no different than my dedication to what I do and love. I really want to finish it off. My arms and legs and back are pretty lean, I just have the waste, stomach and chest area to burn the rest of the fat off and I'm golden. I have goals and motivation, now I just need the know-how.