How I went from over 200 lbs to a lean mean 150 lbs---with a six pack! Part 1

I turned 30 recently.  For my birthday, I decided to give myself something no one ever gave me---something I never had: a six pack.  Goodbye double chin, man boobs, love handles and stomach rolls.  Hello chiseled face, defined jawline, ripped abs and rock hard pecs.  How did I do it?  Lots of trial and error and tons of dedication---well, at least towards the end.

When I was 22, my supposed male prime, I tipped the scales at 208 lbs.  All fat, and though my biceps looked huge, I later realized that even though they flexed hard, they were mostly comprised of fat.

So I joined the gym, watched what I ate and trimmed myself down to 175 lbs within 3 months. 

Then came the dreaded "last 10 lbs", which took about 6 months to melt away.

So there I was, 23 years old, in the best shape of my life.  At 5'11 and 165 lbs, I was feeling great.  But something was missing. Something that screamed healthy, virile, athletic young man....a six pack.  I tried everything from doing a thousand crunches a day, 30 minutes of hard cardio, and various dieting--namely the Atkins. No six pack.  Just really hard abs under a nice cushion of flab.

And that would be the story from age 24-29, a vicious cycle of falling off the training regime and trying to get back on the horse.  A close friend of mine told me I would never have a six pack, that I just didn't have the genetics, and that I should just give up.  She motivated me over the course of my 5 years plateau, but nothing seemed to work. 

Six months before I turned 30, I was determined to prove her wrong, to prove to myself I could achieve what I wanted, and most of all, give myself something I never had: ripped abdominals.