My name is Stephen and this is my blog about my Journey to Health. I was not always the fat kid in school I used to be the skinny kid. See the photo below of me as a young kid. I look like a Malnutrition suffering thin kid (don’t hold the shorts against me).
When I look at it, it is hard to believe that was me.
At the age of 8 My father got a contract to work in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East. It paid well and my family embarked on an adventure living there for over 4 years.
Now as you can imagine an 8 year old who had always live in New Zealand, having been with his friends, life was going smoothly. Then had been yanked out of everything he knows to move to a foreign country that looked like the Sahara in parts. Not an easy move by far.
I did not take it at all well. Apart from the huge change I missed everything I knew. My father had been living there for 2 years prior and had turned to food as a comforter as he did not smoke and was not a big drinker(Not that you could there anyway). So Food was his outlet being away from his family.
In the end to cut a long story short the same happened for us. It was hard going outside as the heat in some momnths was diabolical. You ended up in big malls or stuck at home. We started what seems normal these days to drink Fizzy Drinks like they were water. We ate donuts and takeaways and I believe now some of it was a bit of our parents guilt for making us live there.
I don’t blame them for where I am today as every decision is based on myself and what I do.
At the age of 12 we moved back to New Zealand. I was overweight. From that day forth I have always turned to food for comfort or for pleasure. I have not respected my body. In the last 2 – 3 years I have had moments where I have lost bits of weight. Times where I gave up smoking for a while and times where I went to the gym and built some muscle.
All have been good steps in the road, and shall I say training for this year. The Year that it all changes.
On the 7th of December 2010 I gave up smoking for good. You can read about my Journey in my blog Giving Up Smoking here.
It took a month and now I am free. I will Never Smoke a Cigarette again. In doing this I learned techniques that I have transferred across to eating.
A way to make this year the best ever and significant for my change.
The Way I am losing weight this year is through The Slow Carb Diet & High Intensity Training. These will be the 2 key steps to building the body that I want.
I read a book called The 4 Hour Body – If anyone is wanting to get in to Slow Carb or Low Carb Diets. This is a must read.
I am going to be writing at least 1 Blog Post per day for the next year on my exact Journey from Slob to Cut Sexy Super God (have to have big aspirations.)
It pains me to do this but you can see a photo of me at my worst. I hat this photo more than anything. It is a driver to make me change. A Huge One. One I never want to relive. Although it is hard I have to show it as it proves I will not go back.
The Actual goal is to drop from 282 Pounds to 200 Pounds of Muscular Man. So In essence it is to lose 100 Pounds of Fat and Gain 18 Pounds of Muscle. Exciting!
So I welcome you on my Journey. Feel free to stop by and check out any of my posts. If they help just one other person lose weight then I have been Successful.
Also please feel free to throw in your 2 cents on any post. I am not always right (although my Girlfriend seems to say I think i am). So the more info the merrier.
Until then I have a great one and I hope to talk to your soon.
Stephen Martin
The Healthy Monk
Stephen is a man on a mission to lose 36 KG's in 12 Months. To Change his life by testing and trialing diets until he reaches that goal. Make sure you grab the Free Slow Carb Diet Cook Book and Keep up to date on how it all goes! 
