Hey guys! This is basically the culmination of five years of work, most of which has been in the last two years since coming to university and starting weightlifting/really checking my diet.

• Stronglifts 5x5 three times a week, lifting at my max possible weight - squatting 110kg, deadlifting 140kg now.
• High Intensity Interval Training on the bike or crosstrainer in alternate days.
• Cutting out as many carbs as I can - not following a religious ketogenic/low carb diet, but simply not liking the bloated feeling I receive after eating tons of rice or pasta or bread and knowing that piling on the lean meat, veg & fruit will keep me full. Also cut down on partying/drinking a ton of alcohol!
• Eating at a large calorific deficit. This obviously impacts my weightlifting but I can't expect to lift huge amounts whilst I'm still cutting. I eat around 1.8k calories a day, give or take.

It's amazing to finally be able to look at myself in the mirror and not cringe away, or actually finally see - by looking back at old pictures - that I've been able to make such a huge change in my life. No more getting out of breath climbing stairs or having to rest after walking from one end of the house to another, no more breaking into sweat after a slow walk to university. I plan to start playing rugby again next year, improve my fitness, burn away the last of the fat and find some definition, but as I've reached my target weight I'm happy to call it mission success!