Finally feeling like the buff guy when I go to a function

The first photo is genuinely hard to look at, but I'm so thankful to be recovering well and be at a healthy weight for the first time in my life. The second photo is when I first started running and began to realize how poorly I had been treating my body by restricting food and over exercising. Compared to the final picture, present day, where I am able to run ultra marathons while keeping weight and muscle on. Ultra running has been such a helpful thing for my recovery because in order to be active I have to eat and it keeps me focused on fueling my body and noticing how I feel rather than how I look.

Both are not pumped pictures, I started training at 15 but was on and off the gym, in the end of 2023 I started a “I'm gonna eat whatever I want to and hit the gym to get big”, and then I couldn't stop and in 2024 I was really busy and didn't hit the gym even once, I ended up getting fat af at about 200lbs and in 2025 | lost it all the way down to 155lbs when the left picture was taken, in July, now in August 2026 I haven't stopped training and have been slowly gaining weight since

I don't track my calories, I track my weight, every morning after going to the bathroom, I do track my protein

Right picture was taken literally now I just took it before going to bed

Motivation died out long ago, running solely on pure dedication now

hopped on creatine and pilates training

Bulk to cut transformation after a 2 year bulk. Went from 142 all the way up to 170. Don't have any before pics from the start of the bulk unfortunately. Didn't even think I was actually going to stick with it at the time.

PPL PPL 20 sets a day 6 days a week

2800cal to 3000cal a day

180g protein

Dairy based diet with whey

Badass

I started my transformation January of this year at 300 pounds never in my life have I ever been lean I was raised with poor nutrition knowledge my single mom just gave me soda and fish sticks Mac and cheese etc I didn’t even really start drinking water till middle school and I really let my self go after high school but I said enough was enough I’ve made it my mission to actually stick to something for once in my life and I’ve been eating healthy for 8 months straight no breaks no beer nothing I just started working out in April so still new to lifting

110KG, 186cm

Back at it again. This time gonna stick with it. Dropped initial 17 lbs in the first 3 months. Kinda stuck. But I think I’m puttin on muscle

First year in the gym, nothing too crazy yet. Went from being skinny fat at 14 in the first pic to being in better shape in the second and third pics. My biggest achievement this year in the gym has been doubling my bench pr, started the gym doing 40kg as a 1rm now I’m doing 80kg with clean form for 1rm.

Pretty much everyone I knew had a really good build. High metabolisms, skinny, muscly, abs, etc. I didn’t, I was the first picture. I didn’t do much about it, eventually I got bigger but it wasn’t muscle it was more fat. I thought I was fat, I felt fat, even though I wasn’t as fat as I thought I was.

I have a fairly low metabolism for somebody my age, and every time I would go to the beach or pool or river or lake with friends I was embarrassed to take off my shirt, I didn’t look good like everyone else. 

Eventually, around a little more than 1 year ago, I got a gym membership and decided to start going. That didn’t last for long. Then roughly let’s say 4-6 months ago, (I’m bad with estimating time, sorry) I went everyday I possibly could. I did go everyday this summer other than when I was out of town.

Occasionally I’ll take pictures in the mirror to see how I‘m doing progress wise. The second picture I took a couple days ago. It is the first time I’ve seem a picture of myself shirtless and didn’t feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, and I’m genuinely proud of myself. It is also the first day I could do a pull up. I fact I did 2 in a row. I’ve also recently started taking creatine.

I’m going to keep on working at it, and along with going to the gym, I will be starting boxing soon, just wanted to share.

Thanks!!