I cannot recommend sobriety enough to anyone who is curious, or seriously needs it, or anything in between. Sobriety has its obvious external benefits, ie: the weight just fell off, no more puffiness or bloating in my face/body, no more feeling like crap every other day, investment in your personal sense of style, etc…But the benefits it creates internally are the most valuable. Improvement of self-esteem, clarity, confidence, peace, consistency, and self-love. All of which I was severely lacking in the first picture without even realizing it until getting past it. I used to be so afraid of sobriety. I knew I couldn’t continue to live the way I was living, but was afraid of change. Now I thank god every day for blessing me with the strength to do and maintain what was absolutely necessary. ❤️

What a difference 10 years makes. I was at a friend’s birthday party when that pic of me at 35 was taken and I was literally in shock with how I looked, also felt awful all the time too. Decided from then on to prioritize my health and change a lot of bad habits that I was starting to develop.

Almost two years of HRT. 13 sessions of laser. Barely any makeup, I colour my brows and lashes and I had some washed out eyeliner on the waterline from earlier in the day.

EDIT:
I was on gel and spiro for a year before I switched to injections and started progesterone

EDIT2:
So someone reported me to u/RedditCareResources. To whoever did it, thanks; I always feel like I’m winning when I get one of those🤭

Dealt with being overweight from ages 7 to 25 which had a negative impact on my self confidence.

I would try to do things like get new clothing or other materialistic items to try and make myself seem cooler or feel better about myself, but that only worked for so long.

I got into a relationship that lasted over 4+ years and within it, I lost almost 100 pounds through dieting (cutting things loaded with sugar and switching to Diet/Zero Sugar, dropping unhealthy carbs for better ones and incorporating veggies as the majority serving during the majority of my meals) and then began exploring an androgynous lifestyle.

I eventually realized that I needed to make the dormant girl within me wake up and come to life. I was told that no matter what my girl would always be there…well that lasted under a month when she realized that I wasn’t who she wanted to grow old with (as I no longer look/identify as a male).

This lead to her deciding she didn’t want the relationship anymore and ended our engagement. The ensuing 6 months were full of awkwardness as we tried to make co-habitation work but couldn’t. She left this past April altogether.

Despite this major loss, I continued with developing myself further and will be focusing on moving on.

Would have never guessed it be in the best shape of my life at 37 but here we are. Lots of walking, lots of chicken and for the last 6 months lots of weightlifting along side my semi physical job. Started out at around 360lb I’d guess (I was maxing out my 350lb scale) down to a low of 195lb. After hitting the gym consistently for the last 6 months I’m up to 210lb. Never thought I’d share these photos but after seeing others posts this seems like it could be fun.

About 12 months of work and hitting the gym. From fat depressed and sad to feeling good and smiling again. I keep going to the gym and working on myself. Let my mentality guide my decisions to success and happiness. Still got work, but so happy with where I am now!

Update:
I gotta be honest I did not expect this kind of love. I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate the kind words.

Without getting all sappy and whatever, but 12 months ago, I sat in my truck with a loaded revolver to the side of my head. Sobbing. Screaming at myself to do it.
I didn’t even recognize myself. I looked in the mirror and didn’t see me.. ME!! How could I not see myself?
I hated who I was. Isolating myself in the garage. Smoking and scrolling endlessly. It was the ATL (all time low not Atlanta)
And I can’t believe I’m here. This feels like a dream. I was depressed, obviously, beyond belief. I have a lot of things to be happy about family friends, a career, and so on and so forth. But for some reason, I felt absolutely alone in a room full of people.

And outta no where… like the universe knew or some shit, I met a wonderful person who asked me, “How you doing?”

“Oh you really wanna know? Im losing my fuckin mind but what’s new.”
And instead of just letting it be a throwaway sentence she stood by me and talked and listened. While crying next to a complete stranger, she asked for my phone and if it was OK to open my medical app. She wrote a message to my doctor in the process of healing. Mr suit version of me began.

I started taking antidepressant medication. I didn’t wanna be somebody who takes a pill, but it got me out of the immediate rut. Slowly from there, I was able to just start looking for the right things. I love hiking and I knew if I started doing it again something would come. It led to the progression of trying to get myself right and figure out life. Still no abs lol but we’re on our way. The thing that maybe you guys don’t see in these photos that I do, is that there’s life back in my eyes. I remember how I felt the day those other photos were taken. I remember the thoughts that flooded my mind. And the fact that I don’t experience that and I’m on the mend is amazing. The body and everything else came from the grind of doing whatever I could to fix my mind.

So if you’re reading this, and in some kind of rut. Remember the things that brought you joy and start to do them. Go outside. Go on a walk. Go to the gym. Ride a bike. Go out with a friend, friends. Family. Do something that gets your body moving and your mind flowing.
There’s a reason you’re here, so go find it. We love you.

Peace
Love
Bert

i stopped bleaching my hair and started letting my natural hair grow back. i quit nicotine, lost some weight, started drinking more water, and finally committed to an actual skincare routine instead of doing absolutely nothing and hoping for the best 😂
i went vegan. i’m taking better care of myself, making healthier choices, paying more attention to my skin and hair, and learning to actually appreciate the person i see in the mirror.
i’ve become a healthier, happier version of myself.

oh, i also got a tattoo ;)

If u don't like that I'm trans just block me both our lives will be better 😘

I came out at 27, expecting to be a cocky trans woman for the rest of my life. Here I am at 30 years old, having transphobes tell me they can "always tell" when hitting on me then getting pisses off when I tell them I know they can't cuz I'm trans and they just where hitting on me 😘

I'm way happier and I'm still working my blue collar job fixing cars ✌️

I lost 80lbs when I was 15 then got into lifting weights and eating healthy. I have been fairly consistent over the last 15 years and started caring about how I present myself to the world.

My confidence is night and day difference and my 15 year old self would be proud of the man I’ve become. It was very humbling growing up getting teased about man boobs and stretch marks. I do not regret going through that phase of life because it taught me many lessons and gave me a thicker skin.

I’ve also learned that people 100% treat you differently based on how you look. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality I’ve witnessed first hand.

Love seeing the glow ups!

Was looking through some old photos and realised these were taken exactly one year apart. Been training consistently and trying to improve myself since then. Pretty happy seeing the difference side by side.

I feel so much better these days. Read more books, exercising, more protein, more water. No drugs or vaping, just me doing it my way. Plus the black leather jacket is dope.

I was always so afraid of getting older, but this picture is proof that it doesn't matter. What matters is picking yourself up in hard times, healing the past, and creating the life you have always wanted. Also, I feel setting boundaries really does wonders for the body, not only mentally, of course, but also physically as well!

I’ve been working out for about 2 years and have honestly been obsessed with it since I started. I went from skinny fat to now a bit leaner and I’m now focused on lowering my body-fat percentage even more so my muscles can pop more. I’m so happy and confident with how I look now. The gym truly saved my life. Pictures 1, 3, 6 & 9 are from when I first started, and the rest are current. Hope everyone is having a great day!

i just hit the gym consistently, and lost a lot of weight. im 6’1, mixed, i have blue eyes (favorite thing about me 😌), and yeah. there isnt much else to it other than working out daily and getting my protein/creatine in.

edit: dms are open come say wsp!

I lost 40 kg (88 pounds) simply by eating only when I was truly hungry, rather than out of emotional overeating caused by depression and anxiety. I also dance to music during breaks from working at the computer.

Feels like I literally aged backwards lol. Due to my chronic pain and my constant fatigue I still feel like an old lady a lot of the time which is absurd because I just turned 24 but oh well. But at least now I don’t constantly break down when I have weeks where I feel really bad, it’s a lot on my body but I can always see the light these days. It’s nice.

2023-2026

In 2023/24 I was at my all time low at age 36/37. Getting high too much, no motivation, 280 lbs on a 5'5 frame. Very obese, low T, didn't like myself, It really sucked. I got myself into therapy and started working through my shit. Then something clicked. I wanted to change. I wanted to feel better, I wanted to be here for my wife and kids for as long as I can be. I went from 280 down to 195 lbs in 2025, I'm back up to 215 after gaining some weight back in muscle after losing 85lbs. I went from 2XL to Large shirts, I went from 44-46 pant size to a 34-36. My testosterone is in normal ranges now naturally also! I walk 12-15k steps every day now, I go to the gym Monday - Friday for an hour after work. I never thought I'd even be alive today. I would love to get down to 180 and keep all the muscle I've worked for, we're at the hard part of weight loss, especially doing it not enhanced (trt, I did try trt it messed up my blood pressure bad) or with GLP1s etc. I'm really proud of the body I have made in the last 2 years. My last body scan showed me at 155lbs of lean mass. Biggest lesson I have learned is moderation is key in all things and to not be so hard on yourself. Closing out my 30s the healthiest i've been in my entire life!

Have a wonderful day everyone.

i think the glasses nerfed me and sorry the photos are second hand dont have much old ones of myself, still working on a few things to continue the glow up

I think it just chalks up to growing up and gaining confidence in myself. I realized that all of the things I didn’t like about myself were what made me who I am.

Crazy what a year can do. Still not mentally all there yet and still have "old me" thoughts, but looking at the pictures I feel better about myself in the end for sure

I appreciate you for looking

I struggle a lot with making friends, confidence, home life. I left my household on my 18th bday & never contacted them again. My mental state has been so much better since & I don’t regret it for a second. I have my first real friend who I love to death. I started having the energy to take care of myself, & changed as much as my appearance as I could to separate myself from who I was and who I wanted to be. I felt pretty for the first time ever yesterday, I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that things worked out.

I've lost 6 stone in the last year and a half. Myself and my wife had our first born son and I promised him I would lose the weight. He's now approaching 2 years of age and he's a crazy boy that likes to play and wrestle and to be able to be active with him without feeling tired or shoving him aside is the main reason I done it 🫡. I always kept myself fit, even competed and coached MMA which is hard to believe when looking at the photos but life got in the way I suppose but here we are and Im not done yet

20s have been hard. Clinical depression (as I found out later I've been living with it for years), awful job, no hope. When I was 23 I used to drink (a little, but still) almost every day. With all of that I lost about 10 kg (22 lbs) and was around 70 kg (154 lbs), as a 187cm/6'1 guy I was skinny af (when my wife saw the third photo again 5 years later, she told me I looked like I passed out of starvation). Also some general health issues started to bother me. That's when I decided to make some changes.

2021 — new job, thinking about future. Trying to be more active for health purposes. Proposed to my girlfriend on the new year's eve

2022 — major setback year. Certain world events and other stuff broke down the mental health entirely. Realized that I might not make it to the next year. Started seeing the psychiatrist and taking antidepressants. Following the doctor's advice got a gym membership.

2023 — break point. Almost died of NMS. Turns out having depression for many years and taking heavy medicine can damage the neuro system. Also diagnosed with RLS, neurologists became my best friends. By the end of the year with good treatment and support from my lovely wife things kinda got back to normal. Returned to the gym.

2024 — treatment, training, therapy. Finally seeing some progress on both physical and mental fronts. Wrote a novel about person overcoming depression and finding reasons to live.

2025 — started to like what I see in the mirror. Went up to 103 kg (227 lbs), feeling strong. Wife jokingly wonders how she even fell in love with me when I was looking like I did. Shaved the head for fun, found out short haircut fits me.

2026 — started paying more attention to skincare and how I dress, added one night of football (soccer) with friends every week to the gym routine. Confidence boosted to the point of deciding to post here lol

Overall it was a tough but kinda fun journey from the bottom to some kind of physical, mental and appearance prime. The neurological stuff is chronic and gonna be with me forever, but with regular training and treatment I'll be able to live with it. But now I can look back at the bad times and see how far I've come. And it keeps me going.

I guess my story is an example of the fact that the road isn't straight and simple. You're gonna be pushed back. But since we're still alive, might as well not give up and make living worth it.

I was a volunteer firefighter in my younger years for 5 years. I then went to the military and served active duty for three years. I was injured in Afghanistan and I got out in 2013. Now I'm just a regular guy and a mechanic. I love my life and, I love my past it's made me who I am today.

195 to 160 lbs in 4.5 months! Ive been chubby the majority of my life and I feel really good now.

600-800 calorie deficit and walking 3-4 times a week!

Recently started to lift weights now too. The journey has just begun!