Total loss of 120lbs in the past 20 months and also got LASEK surgery , I look different and same at the same time , atleast in my head.
I am 23.5 now

First pic: the old me. The other two: a few years, a lot of consistency, and plenty of lessons later.

Four years ago, I was 92 kg, sedentary, and honestly didn't think much would change after 40.

Today, I'm 73 kg, stronger than I've ever been, and still working towards my goal physique.

It wasn't a straight line. There were injuries, periods when motivation disappeared, and a divorce somewhere along the way. But the gym became one constant I could always come back to.

What worked for me wasn't anything revolutionary:

• Consistent weight training
• Eating better without giving up ghar ka khaana
• Prioritising protein
• Showing up even when motivation was missing

The biggest change wasn't just physical. It was how I felt about myself.

Turns out, 40 isn't the age when you start slowing down. It can be the age when you finally start showing up for yourself.

Still a work in progress. The glow-up isn't over yet.

Just 60 days alcohol free. No filters on both. (I got lip filler a week ago which is why my lips are more plump in the after picture.) I look scary in the first picture. Morning, hungover, on a bender - probably already had some Tito’s before taking the picture. I did originally take it so I can look back at how disgusting I look in case I ever tried out the sober thing.

*Edit: I didn't expect this post to blow up so much. I appreciate everyone's kind words and encouragement! I cannot respond to everyone, so for those asking for my skincare routine: First and foremost, HYDRATE. I drink water from a 40 oz tumbler, I drink about 3 of those a day. I cleanse my face with Cetaphil cleanser. Then I use COSRX OneStep Peptide Collagen Toner Pads. I apply dermastart clear choice sport shield spf 45. Then I apply KrX Mela Defense Whitening Serum. I repeat the same before bed minus the sunscreen. Before bed I also add Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Lift + Sculpt Eye Cream. GOOD LUCK to everyone on your journey! #ODAAT

PSA: Can all the people that don't know how to discipline themselves and put in their 110% stop projecting and nitpicking every detail of these pictures? And trying to convince themselves and others that this isn't possible or realistic, that it's the lighting, that it's the camera lens, the position of the photo, that my freckles are darker in the first picture, or anything else you're trying so hard to justify yourselves with? Lol, clearly you've never been a full blown alcoholic that decided to make a 180 - not only by putting the bottle down but adding a lot of other healthy things to your new routine. I purposely posted a picture without a filter, edits or make up and put my bare face out there even though the first picture was embarrassing. I did it so others can get some motivation because I used to LOVE seeing others progress pictures and it gave me hope to be there one day too when I was ready. There is no benefit here for me by posting some unrealistic picture lol. Yes, it is very possible. Please don't let people like that make you think otherwise or discourage you.

If you had told the version of me on the left that I’d finally be able to recognize and feel like who I always was inside I don’t know if I’d have believed you!

2024 was one of the worst years for me. I was in a toxic relationship, binge eating, hating the frick out of myself, but excusing the behaviour I had with the fact that I was rarely hitting the gym, and thought it was enough.

fast forward two years later, im taking myself seriously, eating healthier, crushing the gym which became one of my comfort places, being active and slowly learning to love me for who I am, not as an extension of somebody else. :)

The most beautiful chapter of my life (motherhood) came with its fair share of struggles and one was excessive/rapid weight gain. The second pic (before)I was approximately 14.13 st around 4 years ago and first pic/current weight is 11.3 st, still going 💪🏽

Yes im aware I look emo lol. Anyway I was really struggling at the time and wasnt taking care of myself, my mental health was also shitty back then. Making an effort to maintain skincare and cleanliness now, also growing into who I am way more. Hopefully I look a little better. I think i do. I just wanna know what this subreddit thinks.

My first postpartum experience was not kind to me lol.
I had another baby in between, and it was much easier for my body to bounce back the second time.

Coming up 1 year sober this November after my fiancé left me because I couldn't stop drinking. The heartbreak is still there, but my life has gotten significantly better. Went from 320lbs to 215lbs(since last weigh-in). Got a good steady job(I was unemployed when she left too). Started doing plays again in 5 years. Rehearsal time used to cut into my drinking time. I started playing guitar again after getting my late father's guitar back from the pawn shop- when I needed to buy alcohol... The only regret I have of sobriety is not doing it sooner before I lost the love of my life...but honestly, if she hadn't left me, I'd probably still be drinking. The heartbreak of her leaving masked the detox and withdrawals of the alcohol. Could use some encouragement to know I still got this, and that I'm still a decent looking guy.

The last picture is from my beach vacay last month; I don’t wear makeup super often but I’m much more confident in myself, which made a big difference!

It's been over a year since I've last posted anything in regards to making any changes in my lifestyle, and I've made a couple of changes:

1. I have gotten off of anti-depressants, which overall (surprisingly) improved my quality of life.

2. Eating clean, which is probably my greatest reason I have lost so much weight. Although I haven't been using a scale, I have taken photos throughout my transformation and will show them too.

3. Hitting the gym: as of the beginning of this month, I have signed for a gym membership and have been consistently going to the gym. Since ive only just started, there's no major difference, so we'll see in due time.

4. Quitting alcoholism: Although I was not a severe alcoholic, I was very quickly heading down that path, (especially after a hospitalization because of it), so I had decided to let it go, as I deemed it not beneficial to my path of self-improvement (duh).

I believe that I've still got a LONG way to go, especially since I need to build muscle and lose more fat, as I am still overweight, and want to be able to have more strength, stamina, and endurance for better careers/looks.

(Any pictures past the ones in my Grey shorts is in the middle/beginning of my journey, as I am far more overweight in those pictures)

360lbs to 160lbs 😎. Was basically housebound during Covid due to depression and a cocktail of antidepressants that were overprescribed and ineffective. Turns out I shouldn’t have ever been on them as I’m medication resistant. It never felt like I was full and it completely messed up my hunger cues. I ended up working a very physical job and taking low dose edibles on days that life seemed overwhelming. This overtime helped me build up the courage to start living again and going out with friends. No exercise routine or diet. I just ate smaller portions of what I wanted to eat and no longer felt “starving” like I did on the medications. I have a lot of loose skin which sucks but I’m very happy being mobile, active and in a much better place.

glow up [18/23/26] the most confident i've ever felt

Ever since I was younger, I always struggled with anxiety, self esteem, and self image issues. Always thought I looked like an ugly duckling with no hope of sprouting. Boy was I so wrong.

From born day to 18, I was lucky enough to go to school with people who were super friendly, with the exception of a chronic bully in elementary school. Ngl, not being able to stand up for myself took a toll on my self image.

Fast forward to 18, I made a few good friends, one of them that I am really proud to call my day 1 from 8th grade haha. He especially was one of the homies I can genuinely say he was the most chill, respectful, and courteous person that I could be blessed to be friends with. Then came community college, and naturally I had to focus on my studies, didn't really have much time to hang out with him anymore.

Coming into 23, a lot had changed. Graduated CC with a degree in culinary arts, already some experience under my belt, and ready to sacrifice a few years of my life to work with my professor who ran his own restaurant at the time. I was 20 at the time. Unfortunately, life had some different plans. Brother still was looking for a stable career himself, mom was declining from stage iv breast cancer, and my grandpa now needed someone else to be his full time caretaker. I had 2 choices;

Have my brother help me take care of the both of them, or suck it up and sacrifice my career so that he can build his. I chose option 2. My mom passed away a year later, mental health took a drastic turn for the worst, but you know you keep persevering because thats what you do for family. Ended up trying to learn how to trade stocks because of all of my time at home taking care of my grandfather. Did well for some time, then I got compulsive, made some dumb mistakes, got into super deep debt. Probably 20k ish. 2 maxed out credit cards. By the time my debt hit 20k, my grandfather had fallen twice, had a really bad brain bleed, so he had to be hospitalized for about 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, on top of seeing my grandfather decline, my mind couldn't stop thinking about the debt i had accumulated.. i shamelessly went to my brother to borrow half of what i owed to at least knock half of my debt down immediately. Eventually I came clean to my aunt. I felt like the biggest piece of shit in my life because we were struggling during a time of bad job market, and she herself was dealing with the grief of losing our grandfather. She ended up being extremely understanding, because on top of accumulating that much debt, I was actually a great caretaker to my grandfather, albeit always feeling like I wasn't doing enough for him. All I wanted from trading was to make my aunt and brother's lives easier in the future, but that ended up not being in the cards for me. Only thing they told me I needed to prioritize now is just get a job. Anything. Because I had no stable income anymore. Started job hunting aggressively for 5 months.

1. How I didn't think this year was going to change my life for the better. After hundreds of job applications sent out and dead end interviews taking place, finally landed a job at Lowes in march, doing fulfillment. Unfortunately, they had super bad hours, only getting 8 hours a week sometimes, workload was infinitely falling on one person. My back couldn't handle it as I suffered from a herniated disc back in 2022. I could still do physical things I just had to make sure not to life anything that was way too heavy for my liking. But after hours being cut so much, I had enough and told myself I needed to find another job. Target got back to me finally, it was truck work, also heavy lifting, but it was way better than lifting vanity mirrors and cinder blocks all day and pushing them around a flatbed. Had to adjust a lot. At that point, I was tired of my physical health falling flat too. I told myself, I need to start taking care of myself if I want to give myself a fighting chance to survive truck work and potential back breaking work.

2. April. Accepted to target. Initial position as I thought, unloading the truck. With the amount of work they expected from us, and me being super sedentary for a long time, it was a rough few weeks. I started taking collagen and eating healthier, prioritizing protein and carbs to help build a more solid body. Even though I was moving around more here than at Lowes, I wasn't hauling laundry machines, vanity mirrors, concrete bags and cinder blocks. It was just typical retail items. I told myself everyday, this is 10x better than Lowes. And eventually, I got used to the work. Stronger than ever, while also being the lightest I've maintained. It's funny at around 145-160lbs, I felt so weak at those weight points. I sit at 134lbs right now, a bit skinnier than I like but my body feels great, because I'm prioritizing healthier foods, more nutritional foods and just being mindful of what I eat. My mental health has also gotten significantly better. I'm an introvert, but being put into an environment where you're forced to be social, interact with guests, it gives you two options: stay anxious, or adapt and be the most social version of yourself you possibly could. And I chose option 2. Started taking care of my personal appearance as well, giving myself grace and loving myself more. Started wearing things I liked, cut my super long hair into a wolf cut, and started doing my hair everyday because it makes me look and feel nice. Stopped watching porn and smoking weed. Confidence personally has absolutely skyrocketed.

Now, I know a lot of people at work, I have a lot of cool homies who work alongside me, and a manager that actually cares about me now. All my jobs I've never had someone advocate for my well being like at target. Paying off my debt slowly but surely now. Picking up every shift I can, also changed my major to health sciences for a brighter future. Passed medical terminology and asian american ethnic studies with an A & B during the summer. Taking chemistry and computer sciences now in the fall semester at community college. These things are way above my brain level. But I'm challenging myself and making myself do well in these classes, taking myself more seriously now than ever because I respect myself now.

Sorry if this was the wrong subreddit to post in, but this is something I'm genuinely proud of myself for doing. This is a huge personal, physical and mental milestone for me. For those wanting change, it's tuff.. but so worth it.

20 pounds down plus tons of water weight. Methylated vitamins, liposomal glutathione, grass fed beef organ, cut out a lot of salt and cook at home, started practicing muay thai, 1% retinol the ordinary, 10% niacinimide serum, volufilinine, copper serum and at home microneedling as well

From drinking & doing hard drugs to watching what I ate, when I ate & did small exercise, it did the body wonders. Found myself after my late sister (Rest her soul) & after realizing our government is evil as hell. I started training myself for famine & poverty within the states once more. We are becoming a third-world country, if this isn’t motivating you to continue improving yourself, I’m not sure what would. We’re in the end times.

EDIT: I still suffer from body dysmorphia because of my stepmother & trauma as a kid, I still don’t like a lot of stuff about myself but I’ve come to learn to love my body as it is, I think everyone should as well! 🫂🖤

i lost 70lbs, learned how to look after my curly hair, learned how to dress better and what styles i enjoy, and gained a beautiful friend group that have taught me how to love myself. the order of the pictures is as follows: 18/20, 18/20, 18/20.

ik the first glow up photo looks staged, i promise it wasnt. i was on a picnic with my friends and she took it quickly without any planning !! 💕 same with the third actually, she loves taking pics of me 🥹

Finally got my life together I guess.

- Down 20kg / 44lb
(Workplace injury in March, I’m awaiting ulnar nerve transposition surgery on both arms, so we lost all the gains)
- Started hair loss and skincare routines
- Figured out what look works for me
- Picked up a few lil grooming tricks along the way

Pretty happy with where I’m at. What started as wanting to improve my appearance ended up changing a lot more than I expected. Over time, I’ve become genuinely comfortable and confident in myself, to a degree I honestly never thought I’d reach. It feels like something has finally clicked over the past few months.

Therapy, healthier relationships, better habits, and just generally enjoying being myself and putting myself out there. Weirdly, so much of it traces back to thinking, “If I’m gonna take medication for hair loss, I might as well get in shape too.”

Kinda cool.

Started at 285 pounds, and got down to 170 pounds a couple months ago. Now I’m at 190-195 and feel great. The most recent period of weight loss was from October of last year to early June this year of 230 to 170.

Along with this, I started to dress better and become more confident in social settings. I used to be a hermit and stay inside and just draw, or write. Recently I’ve been going out more to bars and social events. Now I have gotten more into asking for photos, or candids, and the friends group I’ve made over the past couple of months has been huge on taking videos and posting more often.

I gained 25 pounds since the first pictures (mostly muscle) and sit at 130 now! Very proud of how far I've come. This is my gym progress and personal styling progress! First 2 pictures are at 17, the rest are at 21

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, blood pressure was bad, blood work was bad with fatty liver issues so got put on metformin, bp meds, quit eating fast food, started regular walking and avoiding sugary drinks and was put on mounjaro so definitely not all through hard work, the science definitely helps with a lot of the legwork

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my glow up from 2024 to today. I used to be 260lbs. It kind of just happened over time with depression and my circumstances at the time but I got myself and my life together and I’ve come a long way !! They’re in order of time. As you can see my weight has of course fluctuated. In the first 2 pics I was 260lbs. Then the next four was 240-230. Next two was was 220s-210s. The next 4 was 190s. I stayed around there for a long time and I was pretty happy. The next 2 was high 180s.next two were 175 The last two are 170lbs. The last was taken today. I am satisfied where I’m at now. Since I have developed healthy eating habits and what not I’ve dropped down to 170 because I had gained from 175 in photos 14 and 15 to 193. The first photos were taken right before I left my cheating fiancée. I was unemployed and not in school . I lost myself in that time period. I decided that was the point where I could focus on myself and lose weight. I didn’t work out or take shots or anything, I just stopped overeating and drinking. Since then I’ve gotten my ged, accepted into college for nursing, and gotten a job in the emergency room doing something I enjoy, all within 3 months! I plan to continue with school and become a surgeon, and I’ve got a long road ahead of me. Losing weight was the first step and then after doing that and getting my ged, I really started to feel like I could do so much more. I have been single and happy ever since. I feel like someone comes along when they’re meant to. And someone will when it won’t interfere with my school or career. Over time I found myself again and started to love myself even more. And trust myself. As you can see I’ve gone through lots of different styles! Let me know which suits me the best? I wanted to share my journey with you all and get your thoughts!

I went from 94kg to 64kg. I was overweight from age 10 to 18-19, leaned down at 20, and I am 21 now and have kept a stable weight for 1.8 years. Beyond the physical change, my confidence, lifestyle and self esteem have changed a lot. I feel more energetic, more comfortable with my style, and more disciplined day to day.

SW: somewhere around 320

CW: 224lbs

I just signed up for my first men's physique show December 12 at excaliber! This has been an insane journey and the biggest change for me was finally being able to break free from alcohol!

Edit: Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support. im humbled, mind blown, emotional, its tough to describe the feeling. For all the people who followed me on YT and on Reddit! I appreciate you all very much! Ill definitely post again when im just about done dialing in for the show and then ill post the show pics/vids! Again, THANK YOU.

The later 20s are some of the best years so far! So excited to my 30s! It’s so crazy to see the difference between the last few years

Recomp timeline, 32 to 35, though only starting to gym a year ago 34. halfway to my goal.

Diet, clean up what I eat, added fruits, vegetables, whole foods, and eliminated most processed. 3x week weight training, 6:30-7hrs of sleep.