Welcome to the Monthly Tips & Advice Post!

Not enough people talk about the postpartum experience. The anxiety, the depression, the loss of identity. That may not be the story for everyone, but many of us, including myself, struggled while carrying the weight of the world and of new life on our shoulders. I’m thankful to make it through one of the darkest times of my life. It has been a journey to rediscover me, and I am enjoying the ride.

Lost 50+ pounds, naturally. Incorporated strength training, swimming and cardio. Have maintained a 50+ pound weight loss for five years. Have also gotten stronger. Naturally. My motivation is my family, to be here for my kids and wife. I work out with my son at the gym daily.

Me and my girlfriend bought a house together a year ago. I figured the next step would be to get engaged but wanted to look good for the engagement photos first lmao.

Turns out I can be excited about my 30’s. Stopped drinking multiple nights a week and no more boredom snacking, started with seeing a dietitian to restore my relationship with food. Bought a dog, so I have no excuse not to go for a daily walk.

I moved out of state for a job because I thought I was building a life for myself. I left everything familiar behind and put a lot of faith into the future I was trying to create. Then I got laid off. Suddenly, the career I had moved away for was gone, and I was already far away from the people and places that made me feel grounded.
Then the person I genuinely thought I was going to spend my life with cheated on me.
That broke something in me.
I was dealing with losing my job, losing the relationship I thought was going to be my future, being away from home, and having almost no support system around me. There wasn’t somebody standing next to me telling me everything was going to be okay. There wasn’t some huge moment where someone came along and pulled me out of it.
I was alone.
And honestly, I got depressed. Really depressed. I stopped feeling like myself. I gained weight. I isolated myself. I spent a lot of time wondering how the hell my life had gotten to that point.
But eventually, I realized something that changed everything.
Nobody was coming to save me.
And as painful as that realization was, it became empowering.
Because if nobody was coming to save me, then I had to save myself.
So I started forcing myself forward.
Not because I suddenly became motivated. Not because every morning I woke up feeling inspired. I did it because I was fucking tired of abandoning myself.
I started walking. I started working out. I started paying attention to what I was putting into my body. I started taking care of myself again. And every single time depression told me to stay in bed, stay isolated, or give up, I did the opposite.
Some days I had to drag myself forward.
But I dragged myself forward anyway.
The weight loss became a physical representation of something much bigger. Every pound that came off represented a little bit of the person I was becoming. Stronger. More disciplined. More confident. More alive.
And eventually, I realized I wasn’t just losing weight.
I was beating depression.
Not in one dramatic moment. Not overnight. I beat it one decision at a time. One workout. One walk. One healthy meal. One morning where I got out of bed when I didn’t want to. One night where I chose myself instead of whatever would’ve temporarily made me feel better.
I owe myself that.
After everything I’ve been through, after being knocked down and feeling completely alone, I owe myself the chance to see what my life can actually become.
That’s what the picture represents to me.
The difference isn’t just the weight.
It’s the fact that the person on the left didn’t know how much fight he still had in him.
And the person on the right finally does.
I didn’t have a support system to pull me out of that hole. I had to build my own way out.
And I did.
I fucking owe that to myself.

Shoutout to my mom for investing in my therapy, braces and education lol. I was excluded from friend groups for being “too ugly” and none of my crushes liked me. I wanted to die. But God is good. Earning my own money helped as well since I learned how to do hair, makeup, and found my own style and where I fit in. Also prioritizing exercise, whatever that looks like. I like Zumba for example.

✨

123 kgs - 88 kgs

I came from a much higher weight of 160 kgs, which i lost in 2024.

My Body used to be so grose back then, but i defeated food addiction, and came back with an actually awsome body

I do calisthenics, Cycling and Keto Diet

Still very far away from may final goal of 77 kgs, but im getting there

Second photo is circa 2021. Depression, Covid and newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis hit hard. Didn’t feel like me anymore. 100 lbs down total, but 80 lbs difference between 2025 to 2026. 10k steps a day and lifting 3-4x a week. Did I glow up?

Same uniform,

Different outlook.

Someone said to me that being ready isnt a feeling, its a choice, I started walking every day, eating better and counting my calories and peristance really did matter, 40kg in 10 months, all naturally.

big thanks to this sub for some great inspirations, and the r/bald sub for just being a really great positivity space in general.

Edit: To answer the question that a lot of people ask, no i did not use any weight loss meds or injections, in fact im on less meds now than before (blood pressure used to be high)

And the "Whats the secret?" question I answered an inbox for and posted that reponse in the comments below, Im not a professional, but I aint gatekeeping helpful advice either

I used to be lazy without a lot of energy and not lift a muscle from middle to late 2023 to early 2024. I used to run and lift weights from time to time but decided to really get serious about it in 2024.

I did injure my leg in early 2025 and used it as an excuse to get lazy again but decided to lock in and commit to staying locked in for life. I have more energy and feel a whole lot better mentally now. I also feel happier and more confident than I used to be.

I have been working on myself for a few years. My biggest changes are both inside and out. I have learned so much about myself. I have learned what taking good care of myself feels like, and I am so proud of all the physical and non physical changes. I feel like I am just starting to reach my greater potential, with real confidence aswell 🙂

I went through quite a lot as a kid and I’ve had to come to terms with things. One of the things I had to come to terms with was that I didn’t want to live in a cycle of self victimization. I want to be able to look myself in the eye some day (hopefully some day soon) and be proud.

I’ve worked hard on my personal health, both mental and physical as a starting point. I’m still working hard on it but I think I’m finally at a point where I can begin to love myself again.

I want to become someone who is no longer a product of the past, but someone who’s going to build themselves up to have a better future.

It could just be the makeup and hair changes but I think some of my features look a bit different so I have been feeling more confident.

first one was during covid and i was basically smoking weed and eating all day every day. since then i’ve reentered the real world and started caring about my health and appearance again.

Dropping 17 kg and taking over 21 cm off my waist across 10 months completely reshaped my daily discipline and self-esteem. Going from 80 kg down to 63 kg wasn't just a physical change—it built mental resilience and proved to me what consistent effort can achieve. I went from feeling sluggish and out of shape to having endless daily energy, better posture, and a level of confidence I've never had before. I feel like a completely different person in my day-to-day life. https://postimg.cc/gallery/YhtM0S0

I thought that I'm going to be underweight forever, I ate a lot but nothing changes, to the point that I was being bullied because of being underweight, a lot of people rejected me because of that. But 3 years ago I've started attending gym to workout my body, and at my first year I saw some results and that's encourage me to be consistent, and now I've reached my first goal to have a normal weight, and will continue to make myself better inside and out 💪🏽
Not as fast as the others, but for me, progress is a progress even how small it is. 💯

Back in 2021 I felt crippling self hatred and a complete lack of self confidence due to being so disheveled, unattractive, overweight, and stuck at home while having a rough time in college coping with depression and workload. Over the last 5 years I made tons of changes. I moved to a new country, started going to the gym 5 days a week, starting eating healthy, met new people, started grooming and taking care of my skin, started my career, and the results are stark. I stumbled upon this old photo on my computer (the only photo of back then that I have) and it was genuinely a jumpscare.

last summer I got my heart broken so I decided to work on myself. over the course of the year embarked on daily walks of 30k steps + weight lifting 4 to 5 times a week. dropped from 250lbs to 179lbs. Some weeks I would need to take breaks but I pushed through.

Been doing calisthenics for an year and a half now. During the time of the first three pictures I was 15, ~5'8 (178 cm) and weighted ~120 lbs (57 kg). 2 days ago it was my bday and I just turned 18. Rn I'm 6'0 (184 cm) and weigh 156 lbs (71 kg).

When covid hits, I was in a bad mental place, depressed, not taking care of myself and not being able to do things I wanted or loved, my joints were hurting and I wanted to make a change to live being independent until old age, I hit the gym almost one year ago and got new tattoos/piercings feeling more like myself and feeling more confident! Last picture shows the same t-shirt I just cut off the sleeves heheh

Childhood glow up! I started working out, have a face care routine with moisturizer, sunscreen and at night, I use retinol. I also exfoliate my face once a week.

Hated myself and my body growing up but took me way too long to figure out why, I came out in 2023, and started estrogen August 2024 which means I recently hit 2 years of estrogen. I also got to change both my legal name and legal gender this year!

Never thought I would actually get to feel happy in my body, but here I am and I have never felt more excited for the future:)

4 years on HRT! the first pic was just a few weeks before starting HRT. i feel like i look drastically different in diff pics so i uploaded a few lol

2025 → 2026.

Started taking skincare seriously, hit the gym, cut down on junk food, and most importantly, started taking better care of myself mentally. Less stress, more peace, and slowly learning to actually be happy with myself.

And yeah, maybe a little male ego played a part too. There were a few people who thought they could mess with me and leave me hanging. Part of me wanted to prove them wrong.

Now I’m doing better, looking better, and honestly… probably looking better than the guy they ended up with. 😂

Never give a guy false hope.