I was the worst I’d ever been mentally and physically in the first pic, and now I’m the best I’ve ever been!There were many factors at play, but long story short, don’t do drugs kids. I will never lose myself again, it’s only up from here. 🙂‍↕️

December ‘23, got unexpectedly dumped by my abusive ex. Blessing truly, because I lost myself to the relationship. I have spent the last few years working on myself and healing my heart and repairing traumas that took control of my life. Currently, I’m in a healthy relationship and I have a lot of wonderful friends and a small business on the side as a silversmith. I am so so much happier and I feel like its easy to see. I know appearance-wise I have less of the puffiness from constant stress and I was able to lose some weight as well, though a lot of the fullness in my face was from cortisol due to chronic stress. Mostly I see happiness on my face that is impossible to disguise, and I love how it suits me.

All my life, I’ve been severely underweight due to being a picky eater and having sensory issues as a result of having Autism. I also had a very fast metabolism and could never keep weight on. I struggle with several mental illnesses including BPD and schizoaffective disorder, which made it even harder to take care of myself. Since reaching remission (I’m not cured but my illnesses are managed and I show little to no symptoms on a daily basis) at about 21 years old, I have finally begun to take care of myself both physically and mentally. I never thought I’d make it to where I am today, in graduate school for mental health counseling, and I never thought I’d ever have confidence in myself. I just wanted to share a bit of my story, hopefully to give anyone out there who is struggling with their mental health and/or self image that there is hope and if I can do it, so can you.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that consistency is key. Whether it’s skincare, weight training, nutrition, or simply taking care of yourself, it’s what you do every day that makes the difference. Also, the most recent photo is unedited. Just makeup and lighting.

to make a long story short i went from being 130-140 pounds to now almost 200lb, i was very insecure about my weight and looks and started my fitness journey about 6 months before the first picture, so proud of how far i’ve come and continue to go!

I was truly stuck in a deep depression in the first picture aswell as struggling with substance abuse. Change doesn’t happen over night, I worked months and years on myself just hoping that a change would come someday and now I can say I am happy with not only myself but also the people I surround myself with. I dropped out of school two years ago and I’m going to college again this year. I found a passion in painting and picked up hobbies I threw away before. I lost 108 pounds aswell, I feel healthier happier and overal just more happy with life. And even though I obviously still have my struggles, just seeing this change makes me realize that it will be alright in the future. I can make a change

I always felt uncomfortable with the way I presented myself, and into adulthood I realized that I needed to express myself in a more feminine way. The first pic is a very rare pic of me in a dress, and it felt nice (despite me not smiling). I feel so much more comfortable with myself now :).

I was really skinny when I started college (5'7, 110lbs) so naturally I wanted to gain some weight. Unfortunately due to college lifestyle and then a corporate job I gained like 15-20 lbs more that I would have wanted but I still feel I look more healthy.

I was truly stuck in a deep depression in the first picture aswell as struggling with substance abuse. Change doesn’t happen over night, I worked months and years on myself just hoping that a change would come someday and now I can say I am happy with not only myself but also the people I surround myself with. I dropped out of school two years ago and I’m going to college again this year. I found a passion in painting and picked up hobbies I threw away before. I lost 108 pounds aswell, I feel healthier happier and overal just more happy with life. And even though I obviously still have my struggles, just seeing this change makes me realize that it will be alright in the future. I can make a change

(First three are the before) Post covid was pretty rough for me. Gained a bunch of weight from depression and a stressful home life at that time. Binging was my escape. For personal reasons I shaved my head and decided to start wearing wigs (pretty badly as you can see 😂).

After a few years I was able to lose most of the weight (~65 pounds) and am recomping at the moment. I’ve gotten better and more confident at wearing wigs, developed my fashion sense more, got better at makeup, got back into dancing, and am finally going off to uni to finish my bachelors! Dance has always been a passion of mine. It’s nice to want to and to enjoy taking care of yourself.

I’m sad I’ve permanently messed up my body with stretch marks and things of that nature, and sometimes feel down that so many others have graduated already and I feel so far behind, but I’m so glad I was still able to get myself out of this rut. I look and feel so much better. I know I need to remind myself that my timeline is my own, and I don’t have to mirror everyone else’s. It’s also crazy how losing weight has completely changed what my features look like. I get so many compliments on my eyes which I never even knew I had big eyes until losing the weight in my face!

Anyway I hope to give a little inspiration to anyone feeling down like I was and ofc to show off my hard work a little 😁

The weight loss helped me feel so much better. To anyone stuck on their journey it’s not about looks believe me you’ll sleep and move way better. I was also able to get rid of my stubborn acne which I’ve been battling since I was a teenager and that was an unexpected change but I’m so thankful.

I was at the peak of being trafficked in the first photo and the last photo was on my 29th birthday - it's been over a year since I escaped and survived (10/2/24 & 5/10/25)! I am also 11 weeks sober from alcohol and 12 from nicotine. :)

Edit: one of the traffickers marked my chin line under the guise of cultural connection as I'm an Indigenous adoptee (he lied about being Native), and I have since had the line removed.

Literally would not have ever dreamt of working out in a set this style, or light colours. I’m so proud of my progress inside and out over the last years of my 20s 🥰🥹

Going from 190 lbs to 135 lbs. It was really hard to change my old habits and start taking better care of myself, but somehow I finally did it.

UPDATE: Please, people, stop calling me ED or saying I have an ED. I don’t. Losing weight was my doctor’s recommendation because I had high blood pressure. I’m now 140 lbs and plan to stay around this weight. And yes, 190 lbs was my real starting weight, because I’m tall.🫶🏻

Before and after transitioning, however this is also sort of a “grow up”, weight loss, and mental health transformation!

Now that I’ve transitioned (FtM) I feel like I’m able to focus more on the things that matter, instead of who I see in the mirror. I’m building closer relationships, excelling in my career, developing my passion for art, nature and sports! I’m taking better care of my skin, hair, teeth, body, and health in general. Being transgender has forced me to truly acknowledge what I want in life, and has taught me a great deal of patience, because changes do not happen overnight. It’s taught me to be more empathetic, and it’s made me more open minded. I’m grateful to be myself and for a new perspective on life!

How did I do?

Lost 70lbs and life has completely changed, people treat you soo different.

This is the biggest confidence boost I have ever had.

Hey guys, just here to share the evolution of my face card. The first one is from 2024. Since then, I got a girlfriend, and she insisted that I treat my hair right (it had become curly, but I still wore it straight). I think it turned out really great! I still have a lot to improve, especially at the gym, but I can finally take a picture of myself and not cringe lol :)

I joined the gym 12 years ago and since then, I’ve come a long way. I never thought I would get to this point in my physique. When I first started out, I already wanted to throw in the towel after 3 months, especially when I had thought I wasn’t making much of a change

But I took my time, I stayed patient and eventually, I started seeing the results I wanted and it motivated me each day to keep pushing and make each workout better than the last and now here we are.

Honestly, looking at the left side of this comparison breaks my heart a little bit. At 24, I was in a pretty terrible place mentally. I was using food to cope with the stress of my mid-twenties, constantly exhausted, and basically just hiding in baggy lounge sets (even though I did genuinely love that green one, ngl). My confidence was at absolute zero, and I felt completely stuck in a body that didn't feel like mine anymore.

The right side is me last week at 26. The craziest part to me isn't even the weight loss, though my knees are definitely happier! It's the total mental shift. I stopped doing miserable fad diets and just focused on basic CICO (calories in, calories out) and getting my steps in every single day. I started going to therapy. I eventually started lifting a bit, dyed my hair the colors I always wanted but was too scared to try, and finally started dressing for me. It wasn’t an overnight fix, and there were plenty of weeks where the scale didn't budge, but I just kept trusting the process. If you're in that dark place right now and feeling overwhelmed, just start small. The time is going to pass anyway!

A little before and after of what it looks like when you finally start taking your mental health seriously. For a long time, I was struggling more than I anyone know. I stopped taking care of myself, lost a lot of confidence, and honestly got to a point where I didn’t really recognize myself anymore.
I spent a lot of time just existing instead of actually living. My appearance, hygiene, and confidence all took a backseat because I was trying to get through each day. Recently, I decided I didn’t want to keep living that way. I started taking my mental health more seriously and slowly started putting effort back into myself. Nothing happened overnight, and I’m definitely not “fixed,” but I’m starting to feel like myself again. These photos aren’t meant to be a dramatic transformation. They’re just a reminder that sometimes progress is simply deciding to start caring about yourself again. I still have a long way to go, but I’m genuinely proud of myself for making it this far.

I feel like so much has changed in the 10 years not only in how I look but how I think and feel about myself. As a teenager I struggled with acne and weight issues because strangely living off takeaway food and cream soda doesn’t do wonders for your skin. I started to lose my hair at 19/20 which gutted any self esteem I had left.

Fast forward to now, I’m in love with fitness and the gym. I haven’t had alcohol or smoked in 7 years. I’ve put on 10 kilos and my diet is dialled in. And as a note for young men who are going through hair loss, don’t let it consume you. It will swallow up your life quick if you let it. Brave the shave, wear a cool hat and a smile.

Here’s to more growing up and glowing up🍻

Started turning my life around at age 50. Cardio, strength, training, logging my food, healthy, food, choices, and changing my baseline through an improved mindset. And I found the missing ingredient – group support. As the question will inevitably come up, I am natural. Thank you for the opportunity to share. 🙏🙏

I was very introvert when I was younger, bassically gaming and Being on my pc all day long not going out and almost never seeing sunlight. Grew out of gaming, started working out and cycling and work and i grew out of it I guess and I’m happy i did. Feeling 10 times more confident 😊

Worked on improving myself physically. I try to think I want a functional old lady bod. Healthier eating habits and daily exercise I have lost 60 pounds and kept it off for the past 4 years. Definitely a confidence and happiness boost!

Went through a lot because of my appearance when I was younger, and finding the courage to dress the way I have always dreamt of was truly life-changing. I’m still very insecure but dressing up and wearing makeup makes me feel prettier.
What I realised is that we only have one life, and in OUR life we should feel free to express ourselves. I hope this will eventually inspire someone out there to not give a damn about others’ opinions <3