r/BeforeandAfter

Some IR, mostly just diet change and better mental health.

inflammation down, PCOS symptoms reduced, anxiety down, food noise gone. down 2 pant sizes and 23 lbs! only .5lb of muscle lost in the process according to my dexa. i looooove reta

Let me preface this by saying I quit alcohol cold turkey before this next chapter in life. Best decision I ever made. I was 2 months sober on my before picture.

I got to 285 lbs with a 46-inch waist after 18 years of alcohol abuse and eating like an a-hole. I was complaining to my Dr. that something was wrong with my feet because they always hurt. I told him I tried all sorts of shoes, but nothing worked except for some Hoka Recovery Sandals. BP was high, and many other markers were not looking right either. The Dr. got real with me and said the problem wasn’t my feet; it was my weight, and if I wanted to feel better, I needed to make changes.

He gave me 3 months to eat better and exercise; I did a half-assed 3 months of work. In our next visit, I asked if I could get on Ozempic; he suggested Mounjaro. He prescribed it and I was denied. At the time, it wasn’t approved for obesity. I ended up going to a weight loss clinic and got compounded Tirzepatide. In less than 6 months, I was at 220 lbs.
I was all saggy and thin, so I started going to the gym. I got off Tirzepatide and had my low T addressed, which I already knew was in the 100s 10 years prior; I was just avoiding it. That really helped me mentally. I hired a coach to help me with nutrition and a training program. He did a fine job of giving me a solid foundation. In the middle of that, I relocated and joined a gym that I had no clue was the bodybuilding mecca in my area.

I decided I’d take it a step further since I was getting inspired by watching the people at my gym. I hired an IFBB pro to coach me as if I was going to do a show, with no intention of doing a show. In one of our conversations, he said how many of his clients will do shows to have a goal to aim for, and that was the end of that talk. He planted a seed in my ear.

The next time we talked, I told him I wanted to do one; he said great. The whole time during prep, I knew I wasn’t going to have an impressive showing and I told him that, and all he kept telling me was that “it doesn’t matter, this is for you.” He put my mind at ease and that’s really all it ever was for me. It wasn’t to prove anyone wrong or anything like that; it was just a journey I wanted to go on. It was a fun journey. I learned so much about hypertrophy and proper nutrition. I ended up placing 4th in one of the events, but that wasn’t even a goal of mine. I just wanted to take the journey so my wife and sons could be there with me.

*I forgot to mention this:

This took 22 months to achieve. I’m still training like I’m going to compete, without actually competing. The after picture was during peak week. I’ve put on more tissue and developed better lats, shoulders and upper chest since competition. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll do it again.

I see others posting about the body dysmorphia, making this side by side pic today was the first time I genuinely feel like I can notice a significant difference. So crazy how the brain tricks us. One of the benefits no one ever mentioned was that smaller clothes = less loads of laundry lol. 😅

Zepbound, and vigorous hiking

I’m 24 now and this is about a 2 year difference. My skin used to be constantly inflamed around my cheeks and jaw and i kept trying to fix it by adding more products. What I was using was salicylic acid, glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide, niacinamide, masks, basically everything people recommended online. I was also scared to start accutane because the side effects freaked me out, so i kept trying to manage it myself first.

I believe some gut feeling told me I needed to simplify everything and stay consistent. I saw a derm, used tretinoin for a while, eventually started a low dose of accutane. I also realized I had no idea what was helping or making things worse because I changed products constantly, so tracking my routine and progress photos helped a lot too been using Thea for that as well mainly to keep everything organized and in one place also to avoid overdoing it again. My routine is really basic now but my skin finally feels calmm instead of constantly irritatedd.

a little bit bulked after abs showing now cut time

So i spent most of my 20s slowly getting heavier without really realising it. the weight just crept up year after year and i only truly noticed when i compared myself to old photos. that would instantly trigger my anxiety which made everything worse and sent me into another cycle of emotional eating.

then a close friend of mine had an incredible transformation and it lit a fire in me. i decided to finally follow in her steps and take control of my health.

I started my journey 22 months ago. the first picture is me right at the beginning with no training and no real diet just unhappy and stuck. the next ones show me at 3 months 12 months and now at 22 months in. I know Im not going exactly fast, but Im trying to keep things balanced and sustainable. Was very worried with skin initially, but had absolutely no issues with that at all.

Ive been consistent with training cleaning up my eating and focusing on building better habits. it hasnt always been easy but seeing the changes in my body and how i feel has kept me going. i still have some way to go especially with tightening up loose skin but Im so proud of how far Ive come.

if youre sitting there feeling overwhelmed or stuck like i was just start. one day at a time really adds up. the version of you on the other side is worth every bit of effort.

I’ve been lurking for years and I never felt like posting, but today I do. I’m having one of those days where I feel like I’m not making any progress or it’s just taking too long. Instead of turning to something less healthy, I decided to look at my progress photos.

Now I want to post them for my own accountability and also because I know how much everyone else’s weight loss photos have always motivated me.

Still a long way to go, but getting there.

263 > 233

I started taking care of myself, loving myself, and treating myself with respect in October 2024, and I’ve maintained my first goal weight of 140 lbs for over a year now! I’m always finding new things to work on, and while I’m really proud of how far I’ve come, I’d still love to lose about 20 more pounds, tone up, and finally start going to the gym to continue transforming my body. So far, I’ve lost all my weight through walking consistently and getting over 10k steps a day, while sticking to a low-carb, low-sugar diet.
I truly feel as if life has just begun- this is my best chapter yet. 🩷

I feel much more confident. Before I would have people say oh nice eyes or nice hair. Now people just compliment me as a whole. It feels nice 😁.

I can breathe better, im more comfortable, big fan. My doctor was Pat Ricalde. She is a miracle worker.

I had double jaw surgery, genio, internal nose bone shaving, tooth extraction, and palate expansion. All in one. Modern medicine is awesome.

I couldnt speak for 2 weeks, couldnt eat more than liquids for 3, couldnt lift weights for 5, and was constantly on a rotation of pain meds. The worst part was the stomach problems believe it or not. The shift in diet jacked me up bad.

WORTH IT. GET YOUR SURGERY.

even if you feel like you look worse after, you are swollen as hell so it isnt accurate. Im 5 weeks post op now. ❤️