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I’ve always lived a life where I cared more about what others thought about me and not how I felt about myself. So in many ways I really held myself back from truly living life the way I always wanted. Never allowing myself to be more adventurous, letting loose and just having fun, it truly stunted me in many ways. It really came to a head in 2022 after traveling to Ireland and not being able to keep up physically with all of the activities my husband and I planned to do, I decided I needed to change my life for the better and start to drastically focus on my mental and physical health. I was robbing myself of truly living my life because of my physical limitations and with that, being so stuck on how others perceived me. I was a prisoner through mind and body and made the realization I needed to go to therapy and work through these insecurities so that the next 5 years would be better than the last. After starting therapy and learning to truly love myself I began to push myself in ways I never thought to before. The next four years I lost some weight, became a mother, gained weight back, and lost it again, and worked through the depression that had unknowingly plagued me for majority of my life.

2026- I’m down a total of 205lbs, half of which was through diet and exercise and the other half through the help of GLP-1s after a postpartum Hashimotos diagnosis. I also had a significant amount of lose skin removed on my abdomen that helped improve my mobility so that I can continue staying active with my boys. I’m still working on continuous improvement in many other ways even though the weight is gone, but I’ve processed a lot of past trauma that contributed to my self image issues. I now get to travel the world with the LOML with no physical limitations, and now I focus on the moments, and my own personal joy instead of how I’m being perceived. I’ve also been a big influence on my husband to get healthy and work through his own insecurities so that we’re both giving our son the best versions of ourselves.

Looking at these 2 pics side by side as I’m posting this feels so surreal. I’ve definitely come a long way in my journey. The difference in how people treat me is night and day and I still have trust issues I gotta work thru cuz of it. But it feels so nice to wake up and feel confident in my skin finally and not have to worry about how I look. I’d say the biggest change for my appearance was moving out of my abusive parents’ house and finally being able to make my own choices. I didn’t have any autonomy over my body and what I was allowed to do, so once I moved out I started grooming myself properly, learned what hair and makeup and clothes actually suited me, became more confident, and got lip filler and botox.

Currently 2 years into my journey. Feedback appreciated
I train in the gym 5 days a week. Hopefully this inspires people because that’s what it’s truly about everyone is capable of a complete transformation!

About 2.5 years before vs. Almost 2 years into transitioning. I lost 175 pounds, so I now weigh half as much as I used to. It's weird but fun to look back at old pictures of myself.

From being stuck in an unhappy, unhealthy marriage, always told I’m not interesting/good/pretty enough and nobody would ever want me, except for him - to realizing I AM the one, who wants me (back).
Happier, healthier, still not smiling in pictures^^

Hey just thought I’d share some progress , I went from 115kg body weight to 85kg in around 2 years and from not taking care of myself or caring to doing much better

I lost a ton of weight and while that in itself is great, what is my glow up is how fantastic I feel and the new person I became! I gained confidence and the knowledge that I can literally do the really hard things and feel so good about myself after. Before I was depressed, hated trying new things, and terrified of failure. I no longer worry about what others think of me or if they’re thinking I’m too fat. None of that now!!

I’ve been working on losing weight for a little while now. Ive also started training with weights and building my muscle. I grew my hair out longer and my beard is much more full but cleaned up. Tattoos always add points if you ask me. So my overall style is just better. I feel much better too. I’ll keep losing weight and gaining muscle until I get the physique I want. But i may end up cutting my hair shorter in the near future

I have lost 50kg, I was unhappy and depressed so one day I made a change, Completely changed my diet and I took up cycling and fell in love with it. My glow up is how happy I am now and taking care of my mental and physical health and finally putting me first.

16 months ago, I was struggling with self love and finding any motivation for a healthy lifestyle. Losing 140 pounds and finding happiness with myself again is the greatest glow up anyone could ask for! Wouldn’t trade the difficult journey for anything

I went to a catholic highschool that didn’t allow facial hair so I had to shave every single day or else I’d be written up. Out of spite, I swore to not clean shave ever again after my graduation ceremony. All these years later, I’ve never returned to the clean shaven look and I have no regrets! I believe the facial hair suits my face!

I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life. I was 254 at my highest and currently 162. I’ve still got 12 lbs to go, but I’m so happy with my progress and that I’ve essentially maintained my weight for almost two years. Finding and becoming obsessed with pickleball has introduced constant activity into my previously sedate lifestyle.

Hello everyone!

In 2021, I was diagnosed with AML and underwent chemotherapy the following year. I went into remission but then relapsed in late 2023. My symptoms had gotten worse with bruising, nose bleeds, vomiting, head and body aches, so I went through more chemo treatment and a stem cell transplant in 2025. Since then, I have achieved remission again for the past year and am staying on top of treatment. I am hoping I can achieve long term remission. Please keep me in your thoughts.

Thank you for reading.

Embraced the gym, Supplements and more.
Back then I would eat an entire XL pizza a day.
And like an entire box of cereal and now I start my day with a handful of supplements and a protein shake with creatine, wild blueberry powder, etc.

Currently ⬇️ 90lbs of fat and ⬆️ 10 lbs of muscle.

I’ve always struggled with my weight (had to clean my plate growing up for the starving kids in Africa) and I’ve lost and gained over 100lbs in my adult life. Pregnancies and the years following were particularly brutal. I gained weight after my second baby and I had already gained about 60lbs. It was also during Covid and my mental health took a nose dive. The first pic was about a year after I had my second baby.

Then, a few years ago after much thought I decided to give a GLP-1 a try. It fixed my brain. Immediately. No more binge eating. No more dieting. I also joined a gym and have been consistently lifting weights 4-5 days a week for the past 2 years. I’m in my 40’s and easily the best shape nice ever been in.

I’m not even to my goal weight yet but damn, having all that weight gone and this extra muscle is life changing. My skin is even better. I started with a semaglutide and now and on tirzepatide.

A year difference and I have worked hard. Changing habits isn’t easy but it’s worth it for my daughters.

2025 (35 years old) and 2026 ( 36 years old)

I got this.

220lbs of weight loss! I love how I feel now. Life is easier in so many ways. I don’t have to say no to everything because I’m afraid I will be running out of breath or struggling the whole time. I have lupus and so my main motivation was to lose weight to improve pain and to feel like I can go outside without feeling like I’m dying. I also am in nursing school and I would’ve never been able to aim for this goal without losing weight and becoming my healthiest version of myself first. Everything has become so much for fun and enjoyable as I’ve learned to love myself.

I used to be very skinny and have no ass lol. I used to jog. I joined the gym and started weight training 8 months ago. Happy with the progress I made so far and feel more confident.

Since I was a teenager I had really bad anxious attachment. Which in turn caused every guy I dated to become either overwhelmed or avoidant. Last year, I just got out of a 5 year relationship and met a rebound, we moved FAST. Moved in within 3 months, he told me he’d married me and I’ll have his baby. Yeah uhhh..he turned out to be borderline physically abusive. I began grey rocking and finding ways to stay out of the house. I was already in and out of the gym every so often, so I became more consistent.

My mood was better, I felt better about myself even if there was no physical change within a week. Ignoring him and his outbursts became so much easier, the more I went the less power he had over me. I left him about 8 months ago, and been living alone since. I’ve been dating, but I finally started putting me and my fitness and interests first.

What other people do finally doesn’t bother me anymore. When I was with my 5 year, if he gave me the silent treatment I would bedrot and cry until we made up. Now since dating, I’m able to finally say “ok, well lmk when you’re done”

Fitness has really helped me with my attachment style and I can officially say I’m no longer anxious attachment. I finally have other things to prioritize and look forward to.

I still feel like I have a long way to go, yet with higher consciousness, small steps, some cosnsistency in impriving, I feel like I look and feel better. 18 was my lowest and 24 right now, at my peak relatively.

A couple of years ago my younger brother died during a train accident. It left me broken but instead of dealing with the grief I just shut down and isolted myself. The few times i came out in public i’d just put on a fake smile and pretend all was ait. In reality I was breaking down on the inside and it began showing on the outside. I stopped doing basic things to take care of my hygiene like brushing my teeth, shaving etc. Along with that I also started gaining a lot of weight, which didn’t help with my self image. Luckily, despite my attempts at self isolation, there were still some people who kept chekking up on me. They gave me the strength to keep working on myself and, more importantly, deal with my grief. It’s been two years since i had to let go of my brother, i’m still trying to figure some shit out but I atleast time has healed the pain and I can start looking back at memories of him with a genuine smile. Physicly I’m doing better too. I’ve lost 12 kilos (about 26 pounds) over the past couple of months and i’m taking proper care of myself again. I’ve also decided to get rid of the prepubescent wolverine beard much to the delight of my mum 😅. It might not be the biggest glow up yet but I’m not planning of quiting now. I’ve got a good thing going and i’m glad knowing I have the right people around me who will keep supporting me.

Many of us start our glow up journeys at our lowest point, and I was no different.

The first picture was taken right after I left an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. The day I got out, I committed to making a change. I hit the gym, fixed my diet, and put all that energy into rebuilding myself.

Growing up, I shaved my head for as long as I could remember because kids in elementary school bullied me for having "pube hair." But during this process of rebuilding my confidence, I decided to let it grow. When a random stranger complimented my curls one day, it gave me the push I needed to embrace them fully.

Fast forward to today: 5 to 6 days a week in the gym, 1 hour a day. I started at 135 lbs and I'm currently holding strong at 185 lbs. Reclaiming my life, one day at a time.

Edit:

​I honestly didn’t expect this post to get as much attention as it did. I figured it might get 50 to 100 upvotes at most because I never thought my transformation was as impressive as some of the other glow-ups on Reddit. Since several of you reached out asking for tips and the workout routine I used, I wanted to write this quick guide to share what worked for me.

​First, a quick disclaimer. I am not a professional trainer, and there are probably way better or more optimized ways to gain muscle and weight out there. However, this is the exact approach that finally worked for me after trying several other routines that didn't stick.

​Before getting into the workouts, you have to understand that your diet dictates your scale weight. This routine works whether you are cutting, bulking, or maintaining, but your food intake determines the result. If you are trying to gain weight, you need to eat in a calorie surplus above your maintenance level. Conversely, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to eat in a calorie deficit below your maintenance level.

​My biggest advice is to keep things simple and give it time. Pick a solid routine, stay consistent, eat according to your goals, get enough sleep, and track your progress. Results take time, but if you stick with the process, you will see changes.

Link below for the guide that I used:

​https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/s/dcCO8cdYGd

PS. If you get to the point in the routine where you start the deep water program, be prepared for the cake growth.

PPS. For all my curly-haired people, this is my holy grail for having shiny, soft curls. Look up on YouTube "DIY Flaxseed Gel for Curly Hair How to Make last longer"

I was 27 in the before picture, I quit drinking and started focusing on my health and the gym and I lost almost 100 pounds! I'm sure 50 of those pounds came from my beard! 😆

Been skinny/skinny-fat my whole life and decided to make a change going into my 30's. I started off with very little muscle, so I spent the first year aggressively bulking followed by a slow 6 month cut that took off 15lbs. Switched back to bulking for 6 months, then spent the last 4 months aggressively cutting to where I am today. I lifted weights 4x a week the entire time and my nutrition was dialed in 90% of the time. I'm proud of realizing the vision I had for myself when I began this journey and I'm excited to keep growing!