I’ve been battling addiction for over 20 years and I just hit 9 months clean. I’ve been in a revolving door of different addictions ranging from smoking weed to shooting heroin, all the while taking mass amounts of benzos a day to keep the nerves at bay (it just made it worse). I decided to go to rehab at age 34 and life is easy for the first time. I’m finally free. I don’t know where my life is headed but I have faith in the uncertainty.

I started my transition almost two years ago for a lot of personal reasons. After a hair transplant and letting hormones work their magic, I'm practically unrecognizable!

I'm happy with who I am now, and that's what matters most. But what do you think? Would you call this a glow-up?

Had low testosterone levels for years. Finally started treatment. Been putting work in the gym and my diet. This is 4 and a half months apart.

At 16, I was a skinny kid with a fresh lineup and absolutely no idea what the next few years were going to teach me.
The biggest glow-up wasn’t just physical. It was learning discipline.
Over the years, I’ve built a career, dealt with setbacks, started over more than once, kept educating myself, and learned that taking care of my mental health matters just as much as what I can lift in the gym.
Physically, consistency changed me. Strength training, cardio, mobility, nutrition, recovery, sleep and simply showing up year after year added up. I’ve learned to pay attention to how my body feels instead of only chasing how I want it to look.
And genetics are interesting. I obviously have the same DNA I had at 16, but aging, hormones, body composition, muscle development, lifestyle and even how strongly certain genes are expressed can change how those genetics actually show up over time. Genetics give you a starting point; they don’t make every decision for you.
At 35, I’m still a work in progress. I still have goals physically, professionally and mentally. The difference is that now I understand that progress usually isn’t one huge transformation. It’s thousands of boring decisions nobody sees.
Go to the gym. Do the cardio. Take care of your mind. Recover. Learn something. Get back up when life knocks you sideways. Repeat.
A decade and some change later, I don’t think the glow-up was becoming a different person. It was finally becoming disciplined enough to see what the same person was capable of. No mo

not much has changed other than the toys getting much more dangerous and expensive, a lot more joint pains, and some tattoos😂😂 decided to ditch the dahmer look as well

What changed for me was my mental health, i dealt with a lot of insecurities and self doubt throughout high school, and than senior year of high school is when i decided to change to finally look in the mirror and be at least a little bit of content on what i promised and progressed on. Now after 2 years I think i can finally say I’m happy.

I feel like I have reverse aged myself! I overhauled my health, focusing on a holistic approach to physical and mental well being. Adopted a self care routine that involved prioritizing healthy eating, gentle movement, weightlifting because I love it, taking care of my mental health and focusing more on my hobbies. I’m never going back!

Started off 2026 with a short beard and took me a while but here I am with a much better mane. Not gonna lie, I don’t know what else to type, I’m just typing these current words just to fill yeh minimum requirement to upload now. Hope it’s enough. I dread to type this and suddenly get that one cursed annoying notification that’s it’s removed for being 10 words too short or missing a paragraph or whatever lol. Really hope that doesn’t happen. I don’t know what’s the point of so many character points for a Reddit upload. Imagine using Reddit for cheap escapism form say, college and it tells you to drag out a long ass minimum words essay of complete waffling, on top of your already overdue college courseworkg

At my heaviest I was 127kg. After turning 40 I decided I needed to take my health seriously. I am still technically obese at 108kg but am feeling so much better.

In terms of how I have been focussed on eating 2000-2500 calories a day with 150g of protein minimum. I walk about 5 miles everyday and do High Intensity Training at the gym once a week.

Still got a way to go to my goal weight but feeling really good about progress so far.

For a long time, I was super self conscious about my thinning hair. I decided to just shave it all off and letting it go has given me a much more confident self image. If you have a receding hairline or thinning hair, just try it. Being able to go swimming or walk outside on a windy day is no longer stressful.

Two years.

Sober for two and a half years. My daughter will be two in a couple of weeks. I want to become unrecognizable so my daughter never meets the guy I was before.

I get tired. I have bad days. Sometimes I look in the mirror and don't really see a change. I'm taking a moment to post here. I'm not where I want to be, but I'd like to think I'm definitely not where I was either.

I was at 105kg in the first two photos. Now at +-80kg
Finally started hitting the gym & following a strict diet for the first year. Since that i‘m just pursuing a somewhat normal diet & lifestyle.
Feel a lot healthier and the energy shift is crazy!

Moved out of a moldy house which I think contributed to a lot of my bloating. Also went from binge eating to fasting and only eating one big meal a day and snacking 🤗

Weight: 45kg(100lbs) -> 68kg(150lbs)
Height: 175cm (5′9″)

First photo was taken around 3 years ago. I started transformation 2,5 years ago. First of all, I had huge issues with appetite. I could feel hungry but still keep sitting and working until the end of the day.

The game changer was a mass gainer (a drink with 300–600 kcal per serving). I started to drink it and also count my calories, and of course, exercise -- it was April 2024. I was doing it all just by myself at home and gradually got more interested when I finally saw results. I didn't think much about muscles, I didn't know much as well, I just was happy about not being a skeleton anymore. Bought some weight plates, even bought an adjustable bench (that was unnecessary for that moment). I could have just done basic exercises. After 6 months I gained 10 kilos and it was amazing. Then some shit happened in my life, I moved, went to kickboxing gym and lost a few kilos. I had been going there for 6 months, but you know, my body wasn't ready for that kind of workload and I was getting one "microtrauma"(pain in various joints or ligaments in the legs) after another. My discipline made me ignore red flags and keep going. I really should have started simply with regular walks and some running. Yeah, I was working from home and sat there the whole days. I didn't know that my ligaments require an adaptation to the new weight and I didn’t want to stop just like that. As it were, I left. I was thinking about kickboxing every day, I was anxious every day, I couldn't stand it anymore.

It is important to note, that I overthought every bad thing and took it personally. Well, I started to gain mass again, and one year ago I moved to another country. Some time passed, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and fell out of my routine again for another six months (and it will also affect my entire life since then). It was hard to accept, that I can't do martial arts on serious level (I mean, no more full contact).

My current plan is to gain more mass without rush and with less fat, and maybe try BJJ in the future, when I feel more confident and physically ready.

I'm going through a really hard period in my life. I left my job and I'm trying to find myself, as well as make new friends. Multiple sclerosis also lowers my threshold for overtraining and after hard training days my eyes and mind get extremely tired.

But I'm also really lucky to have moved to the Netherlands. I'm from Ukraine, and treating my multiple sclerosis there would have been much, much more expensive. I don't know what I would have done.

so so so grateful to past me for all the trials and struggles she went through, nothing is more motivating then the thought of doing it for the girl on vacation who hated being seen 🥹❤️🌺

From struggling with depression, anxiety, and self-hatred to finally finding confidence and learning to love myself. My biggest glow up wasn't physical, it was becoming someone I'm proud to be.

With a little dermatology magic, medication, and personal growth, my life has changed for the better!

Between turning 26 and 27, I decided to take control of my health and went from 90 kg down to 65 kg. Honestly, this journey ended up being about so much more than just the numbers on the scale.

The biggest game-changer was fixing my diet: I stayed in a consistent calorie deficit, cut out ultra-processed foods, and made sure to hit my daily protein targets. On top of that, I committed to lifting weights 4 to 5 days a week combined with regular cardio sessions.

Beyond the physical transformation, this process completely rebuilt my discipline, mental clarity, and overall confidence. I feel healthier and more energized than ever before. Would you consider this a solid glow up? Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback

So, about 3 years ago, at 20, I was a wreck emotionally, physically, and mentally. I'd been more or less job surfing, forced to move back in with my mom in Texas after blowing through my savings and losing my job, And I was just unhappy and unfocused with life in general. I wasn't at all treating myself the way I should've been to maintain any type of happy lifestyle.

I'm 23 now. I've given a lot more attention, love, and even time to myself and my own goals, just moved back out on my own, this time to a new city. I recently lost my father, which is a bit crippling, but I'm handling it and doing it the best way I know how.

Edited this post to remove my husband's identity to appease the mods. This is my journey, but really, it's our journey.

I love this man so much. We started out as beginners, personally I had never been to the gym before. We slowly built up our routine. We currently go 6 days a week, 4 day upper/lower and 2 days of cardio. We went hard on nutrition and focused on whole foods. Our diets largely consist of cottage cheese, green yogurt, chicken, beef, salmon, vegetables and fruits of all kinds. I have celiac disease and PCOS so I limited my carb intake to foster my gym routine and stick with potatoes, rice, and quinoa over refined carbs like bread. If I had to give anyone advice it would be JUST DON'T GIVE UP. Be so totally delusional in your goals because you have to believe in them harder than anyone else. Sleep is not talked about, please address your sleep. I did not/do not count calories (I can explain if you're curious but I don't want to bore you with a long post) and instead focus on the quality of my nutrition instead. I try to eat as many colors as possible to vary my micronutrients.

:-)

From 185lbs at 35yo to 225lbs at 45yo
From Android to IPhone
This was not a consistent 10 year journey, there were many on and off gym “seasons” these are just two of my most consistent photos.(yes, I am cherry picking) From counting calories to just eating how I wanted and getting comfortable with my body.

I used to be under severe stress after moving to a new country completely on my own, without knowing anyone. My hair and physical appearance got significantly worse because of it.

I knew I had two choices: either give up on life or fight back. And I chose to fight.

I started taking hair loss medication, adopted a much healthier lifestyle, learned the language, graduated, and eventually found a job. I guess I'm finally on a better path now.

It was one of the biggest turning points in my life and now I feel grateful.

I went through a lot of phases within the past 9 years. I was always considered the fat stoner growing up, so those were the first 2 things that I changed. No smoking, and losing weight. From there, I had to figure out a way to look my facial length look balanced as I have a long head. I probably went through 7 different hairstyles since 2024. Sun, water, nutrition, training.

Can't believe this is me! My younger self would be so proud. 🖤💜 I'm more confident, happier in my own skin, and finally living as my true self. My journey hasn't been easy, but I've become the goth woman I always knew I was.

Five bars and a gas station pretty much sum up my hometown, so you can imagine what we did every weekend: bar food and drinks. I decided to focus on my health and move somewhere I could meet people with the same goals. The environment and the people you surround yourself with are everything.

Went from 75 kg and overweight to 58 kg and lean. Lost 17 kg, but gained so much more than just a better physique. My confidence has improved a lot, and I finally feel good about myself.

Still a work in progress, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

Be honest, do I look approachable? 😅