Losing weight is a huge challenge that takes lots of discipline, courage, and sheer force of will. The people who decide to make themselves healthier by fixing their diets and taking better care of their bodies are individuals that we should look up to. And their stories are inspirational.

Bored Panda has collected some of the most motivational fitness and weight loss success tales, dear Pandas, so scroll down and upvote the ones that wowed you the most. You can check out our previous posts about amazing transformations where it’s difficult to even recognize the people who went through them here, here, and here.

We wanted to learn more about fitness, health, shedding our sedentary lifestyle and getting ourselves to move more in our day to day lives, so Bored Panda spoke with American Paralympian and motivational speaker Josh Sundquist who lost a leg to cancer but never let that stop him from going for his goals. Scroll down for our full interview with him.

#1 I Didn’t Want My Son To Grow Up Visiting A Tombstone As Dad

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#2 Goal Met! From 418 Lbs To 171 Lbs, From April 1st 2017 To December 18th 2018. 630 Days And Over 246 Lbs Lost

I used to wear size 68” waist dress pants (currently wear 32”-34” depending on the cut), and went from wearing a size 7XLT shirt to wearing Small to Mediums. No surgery, or fad diets, just utilized exercise, and watched my calories in and calories out while making healthier food choices.

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#3 193 Lbs Down! I Finally Like What I See In The Mirror

1. It took roughly two years for me to get down to the weight I’m at now, also I still have about 30-40 lbs to go until I’m happy.

2. Yes, I, unfortunately, have a ton of loose skin and that’s just the nature of losing this much weight. It has gone down some as I continue to weight train and eat right but since the amount of weight I lost is so great it will have to be surgically addressed to completely remove it.

3 . In order to begin losing the weight I cut out all carbs and most dairy and stuck to just proteins and veggies and fruits. I ate about 8 small meals a day ( 4 oz of meat with about 1 cup of what ever veggie I felt like, usually brussel sprouts or broccoli or green beans were a favorite) I cut out all sugary drinks like sodas and juices and I don’t drink alcohol and stick to water which I drink about 110+ oz through out my day. I had to lose 20 lbs before I ended up electing to get Gastric Sleeve surgery. For working out, I go to the gym twice a day 5 days a week. I go to the gym every day at 6:30am for an hour spin class at my local gym. Then I go home and go about my day and go back to the gym around 8:30pm and weight train. Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays I work arms, back and core. Thursdays and Tuesdays I do legs and butt. I give myself one cheat day a month but even then it’s usually only some frozen yogurt or chocolate. I also don’t go over board on my cheat day. Now I know cutting out carbs forever is unrealistic and once I reached what I thought was a healthy weight I had started slowly introducing small amounts of carbs back into my diet like sweet potato and quinoa and whole grain rice.

4. Yes in the 2 years it took me to lose the weight, I dyed my hair. Shocking, I know.

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“We all have different levels of physical ability, scheduling freedom, and personal motivation to be active. So sometimes there are constraints that make it difficult for people to shed a sedentary lifestyle,” Josh said about how to shed some pounds and get into shape if you spend most of the day sitting.

“I think all research is clear that the best health (physical and mental) outcomes are associated with an active lifestyle, so to the extent it’s within your ability, find a physical activity that you enjoy,” said motivational speaker Josh while advocating for a more active lifestyle.

“I think you’ll find being active is a definite life upgrade,” he added.

#4 Celebrated 2 Years On My Weightloss Journey Yesterday! Lost My Weight Thru Dieting (Calorie Counting) A Lot Of Swimming, Walking And Some Bicycling (No Surgery) Anything Is Possible!

I’m 32 and 6’8” tall. And my leg was so swollen from a few battles with cellulitis.

Image credits: GriffGetsFit

#5 Here’s Some Monday Motivation (2018 vs. 2019 Progress)

One thing that hasn’t changed between now and when I started my weight loss journey is that face I make trying to squeeze in those last few reps haha. Another thing though is my work ethic and persistence. Through all the success and failure I encounter throughout my journey I always try my best to move forward and keep grinding.

Lost more weight or progressed faster than you were expecting one week? Great! Let’s keep working. Gained weight or fell off track on your diet and/or exercise? That’s alright. It happens. Get back up and keep working. There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself when you’re doing good or better than expected, but don’t let rewarding yourself turn into making bad decisions that may set you back since you are ahead or feel you deserve it.

Same goes for when you aren’t doing so great. Don’t let that turn into more poor choices but rather let it give you more purpose to get back on track and stay focused. Easier said than done but those are 2 things that you will definitely want to follow to stay on the right path in the long run.

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#6 Before And After 2 Years 475 Pounds Lost. Enjoyed A Rare Trip To Chick Fil A

Top pic – 2018 my heaviest 764 pounds. Bottom – 2020 289 pounds. 21 months 475 pounds lost by Calorie Counting (CICO), walking and swimming. A rare trip to Chick Fil A (there aren’t any around me…thankfully lol).

Image credits: GriffGetsFit

Personally, Josh said that he exercises for the endorphins. “The harder you work, the more your body will reward you with that rush afterward,” he stressed the body’s natural reward system is on our side and ‘wants’ us to move more than most people are used to in the 21st century.

Science is on Josh’s side. While it’s important to love yourself however big or small you might be, it’s also vital to take care of the basics to keep your body functioning properly and to make sure that you live a long life full of quality.

That means substituting junk food for nutritious meals, getting off the couch more often, taking part in sports that you enjoy, getting rid of other unhealthy habits like drinking alcohol and smoking, getting plenty of sleep and drinking lots of water.

#7 Same Spot, 2 Years Apart

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#8 I Think My Face In The Second Photo Explains Exactly What I Was Thinking. I Even Surprised Myself What I Accomplished In 150 Days

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#9 My Desire For Change Was So Much More Greater Than My Desire To Stay The Same Rest Of My Life

Have the courage to step outside the box and challenge yourself to change. It doesn’t matter how small or how big your goals are, if you taken the first step, then you’ve already won!

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For instance, the CDC explains that losing just 5 percent of your weight if you weigh 200 pounds can have lots of positive effects while at the same time decreasing the danger of chronic diseases related to obesity.

Meanwhile, the National Weight Control Registry states that losing weight results in better physical health, higher energy levels, greater physical mobility, improved self-confidence, as well as people’s general mood.

#10 170 Lbs Of Weight Loss. Diet, Exercise, Fasting, Wanting To Wear Skinny Jeans. Hopefully This Can Motivate Someone Else. This Happened Between March 11th To Today. No Surgery Just Consistency

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#11 Couples Weight Loss Before/After

I was 460 lbs and she was 374 lbs. Now I’m 205 and she’s 230. A year and a half later. My wife and I had gastric bypass which really helped “get us going”. That weight loss felt great at first but fell off hard at 6 months. Then we worked hard on eating 1 gram of protein for every 1 gram of carb. With a stomach this small that meant always monitoring our carbs and as a result, over the next year we continued to drop.

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#12 My Weight Loss Progress – 3 Years

This is my weight loss progress. I went from 300lbs, to 150lbs. A size 24, to a size 8, the picture on the right was my outfit I wore to work today. Absolutely love my body now. I’m almost 40, and I wish I had started to lose weight sooner.

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#13 Weightloss Progress Update 135 Lbs Down

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#14 Over 250 Lbs Lost With Diet, Exercise, And Cutting Out The Negative Self Talk In My Head

I never thought I’d be where I am today. I lived with chronic depression & social anxiety for years. I thought I’d die fat either due to complications from my obesity or due to suicide. But the ego is a liar! The mind is an extremely powerful thing but ultimately we are the ones that choose how we want to feel. If we want to succeed at anything in life then we must first believe that we can. We must believe in ourselves and ignore the self destructive voice in our minds that will try to keep us down. Changing the mindset is #1. Everything else like diet and exercise will fall into place after that. Whether you need to lose weight, gain confidence, start a new career, WHATEVER it is that you want to do, always remember that the only limitations are the ones that you impose upon yourself with your own mind. If anyone’s interested I started a blog. I want to help empower others to take back control of their lives by helping them to change their mindsets, the foods that they eat, etc. It truly is my passion to help others to let go of their egos and become their best selves!

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#15 Reflecting On Two Different Trips To Cuba And Weight Loss Progress

Cuba 3 years ago and Cuba last week.

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#16 How I Lost My Weight

First of all i want to say thank you to all of you. I did not expect this to get this kind of attention and all of you were so nice and genuinely supportive. To the people who wanted to know my “method” i make this post, or to whomever want to know i suppose.

Before i started i was eating VERY unhealthy and that is not something that is easily broken, at least not for me. I was chugging down 1-2 liters of cola and crisps, candy food, every single day. i knew i needed to start counting calories because all the fad diets had not worked before. They do work if you stick to them but it is my belief that the diet that is right is the one that you stick too, however crazy. Now with that said.

In the beginning i ate burgers, for two weeks straight. two slices of toast, 90g hamburger, lettuce, egg and dressing. They were about 600-700 calories each depending on what dressing i used. I eat one of those two times each day at 15.00 and 20.00. At the time i also ate a small breakfast to sate me. I no longer do. I was used to greasy food therefor i ate greasy food just WAY less.

I have a lot of recipes that i have made since then that keep within 600 calories in one meal.

Its very important that you eat the same time every day. When the body is used to get food certain times it releases a hunger hormone. This is what makes you get hungry and if you ignore this and be hungry for a while that hunger goes away in about two hours or so. Its hard those tho hours but after you go back to normal kinda. So what i wanted to teach my body is to be hungry only those two hours a day. 15.00 and 20.00.

It was very challenging but i managed to succeed in this and that made it so much easier.

I also made way more filling recipes than the burgers such as wraps, salads and more. I am careful about nutrients in my food, since i eat so few calories i need to make the calories count so my body works properly and does not go into weird cravings mode.

Training:

I do not train like crazy. First of all its very hard when you are this heavy and i cant find the motivation all the time. I have a rule tho. Always 30 minutes at least of being active. Most times this is a walk and it usually is more but if i have just sat on my ass an entire day i need to go for a walk before i go to sleep.

Regular sleep is also important.

Some rules that i follow:

Never eat over 1200 calories each day unless you “saved up” calories from the day before.

NEVER drink calories, only drink water. Calories in drinks will not sate you but you will get fat.

Always be active every day for at least 30 minutes.

Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night at the bare minimum.

You don’t have to go as low in calories as i do but be prepared that it might go slower.

Find things you like to eat that you can eat in relatively big amounts without going over your calories. Its crucial that you look forward to your meals.

And if you want some weeks to go faster just train more but don’t reduce the calorie intake too much because that increases the chances of you falling into bad habits again and binge eating.

And i have already said it but STICKING to it is the most important thing and if you would eat bad one day you need to go back into eating healthy the next day so you don’t give up.

Hopefully you found this to not be a total waste of time. Thank you for your support again and go get em you beautiful beast you!

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#17 Progress Pics

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#18 Before And After A Lifestyle Change

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#19 Lost 170 Lbs In 2 Years 3 Months

No cheats just been eating the sheet. This dress has been in my closet and my secret goal for more than 15 years. Don’t give up on yourself. You can do it!!! Nothing in the world tastes as good as this dress feels?!

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#20 1 Year Of Progress

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#21 I Lost 160 Pounds In 2,5 Years

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#22 425 Lbs -> 175 Lbs! Hit 250 Lbs Lost Today

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#23 I Made Goal Weight

It took 2 years – but they flew by! I went from 336 to 158 lbs. I was fortunate that my only health concern at that time was high cholesterol, which has completely resolved with weight loss. I went from a size 24/26 down to a 10!

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#24 My 133 Lb Weight Loss

I lost 133lbs and have kept it off for 7 years by living a low carb lifestyle! Finally decided to share a before and after with the world! I’m 19 in the picture on the left. The picture on the right is a solo portrait from my engagement pictures a few months ago! (I’m 29 now).

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#25 Today My Wife Is Officially Under 200 Lbs And I Was Finally Able To Do A Chin Up For The First Time In My Life

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#26 3 Years: 450 Lbs To 170 Lbs

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#27 We Can Finally Go To Disney World And Actually Ride The Rides. Except There’s A Pandemic, So No Vacation. Oh Well, The Last Two Years Were Still Worth It

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#28 He Lost A Lot Of Pounds

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#29 Kobe’s Last Game Inspired Him To Train And Lose 170 Lbs

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#30 3 Years Ago I Began This Long, Slow Journey And Now I Realize That There Really Isn’t Any End To It

Each day I move in a direction based on my choices. Each month is a new milestone. Each year I seem to have changed so completely I think I can’t change any more and yet I do.At this point, I truly realize that we are limitless. At any moment we can make a decision to change. No matter how difficult or challenging life is, we must remain steadfast in our aim and keep inching forward.

When I got started I never imagined I’d be where I am today. I just wanted to get my health back and get off my medication. Each door we step through leads to another door and then another. I hope you all keep choosing to grow! To learn to love yourself, take the best care of yourself, and dare to dream and love with your whole heart again

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#31 From 230 Pounds To 121 Pounds

I never had a weight problem until I reached adulthood. I struggled with losing weight for nearly a decade. After continuing to have limited results with popular diets and fads, I started doing research into bariatric surgery in 2013.

I started out with watching a lot of videos online from people who had the surgery. Many of them stated that the “mind games” are the hardest to overcome after surgery. I decided to start seeing a counselor who specialized in food addiction in hopes that he’d be able to give me tools and tips on how to overcome head hunger. I continued to see my counselor for the next four years while also continuing to research everything I could about the surgery. During that time I made a lot of progress and was starting to learn how to love myself again. He and I both felt that I was as ready as I could ever be to finally have bariatric surgery.

I went to my local hospital and attended a few seminars about the surgery. After meeting with a surgeon, he also believed that I would benefit from the surgery so he submitted a request to our insurance to see if they’d cover it. And of course they didn’t. I was shattered. I was 5’1″, 230 pounds, pre-diabetic, and my blood pressure was steadily rising as my weight increased. My local hospital submitted the request 2 more additional times to try and push it through, but they had no luck. I thought that this was the end of the road for me because I’d never be able to pay over $25,000 for the cash price in town. I, then, decided to try and research the cash price for the surgery in every other state that I could. Time after time, the price was too high and I couldn’t afford it. So, I gave up.

A few months went by and I had a friend tell me that she heard of a surgical procedure that they do in Mexico. She said they insert some sort of device into your arm and added me to a group on Facebook. Intrigued, I started to do some research. Turns out that she had added me to a different bariatric center support page. And it wasn’t a device that was inserted, it was actually “the sleeve” surgery that she didn’t quite understand. I followed the page for a few months and saw some positive reviews and some negative ones. But something didn’t feel right about that center so I stopped following the page.

In October 2016, I suddenly lost my father in law to a massive heart attack. His death wasn’t expected at all and hurt us terribly. He was young. Even though losing him was very painful, I do believe that his passing is what got me the most serious about my surgery. What would it be like for me in 20 years if I didn’t take care of myself now? Would I leave my kids behind without a mother? Then I thought to myself, “Maybe there IS a good surgeon in Mexico?”And that’s when I spent the next 6 months researching as many surgeons in Tijuana as I could. I kept hearing some really amazing things about one doctor in particular. And of course, his name was Dr. Ariel Ortiz. I focused my research on him and couldn’t find anything negative about him. That’s when I went to my primary care physician and told her that I was considering going to Mexico for my surgery. Obviously, she was reluctant but she promised me that she’d research Dr. Ortiz for me and let me know if there was anything I should be concerned about. A few days later she called me and said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he’s the real deal. From what I can tell, he’s a great surgeon. I’ll support you if you choose him.” And that’s what sealed the deal for me.

I had to figure out a way to pay for my surgery. I’m not a wealthy woman, but I was determined to find a way to make this happen. My husband is extremely supportive of my health, so we decided to sell our home and use the equity to pay for my surgery. We were committed to making this life change and turn our lives into a more positive direction. Finally, after researching this surgery for the past four years, I was able to walk into the Obesity Control Center and have the vertical sleeve gastrectomy performed by Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Arturo Martinez on June 26, 2017. This is the day that I started my life as a new woman. I followed my discharge instructions to the letter. I worked hard and focused on making healthy choices for myself and my family. I work hard every single day to be the best that I can be and to support my body in a nurturing way. In a little over 7 months, I lost almost 100 pounds. I am currently 121 pounds (almost 3 years post-op) and feel absolutely incredible. I went from a size 3x to a size small or extra small. I am now able to walk up a flight of stairs without struggling to breathe. I can play with my kids at activity centers. I can touch my toes and wear leggings with boots that are not wide-calf. I can go into a dressing room at any store and pick anything off of a shelf and know that it’ll fit and look good. This is just the beginning of the list of benefits that this tool has given me.

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#32 Dreams And Goals Can Become A Reality, It Requires Dedication, Motivation, Persistence And Endurance And A Hell Of A Lot Of Hard Work

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#33 Apparently I Also Got A Watch For Christmas 5 Years Ago

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#34 Weight Loss

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#35 Jan 2016 – Nov 2018. 250 Lbs > 163 Lbs

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#36 Before / After

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#37 Never Thought I’d Ever Be A Spartan, Who Ever Needs To Hear This, Never Give Up On Yourself! Stay Focused And Your Hard Work Will Bless You! I Hope This Helps Someone Out There With Dream

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#38 3 Years Of Losing Weight

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#39 A Ton Of Work, But Worth It

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#40 300 Lbs > 164 Lbs = 136 Lbs. Weight Loss Progress

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#41 Face To Face Friday – 115 Lbs Lost

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#42 2 Birthdays Apart. 32 Years Old – Over 500 Lbs. 34 Years Old – 267 Lbs. Glad I Didn’t Wait Any Longer

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#43 Lost Half My Weight, 428 Lbs To 214 Lbs

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#44 130 Lbs Weight Loss – 326 To 195

Highest weight was 326. Pre-OP weight was 311. Current weight is 195ish. Still have about 50lbs to go for my drs goal, another 25 until my high end goal.

Full disclosure – I has VSG done 2/2019 and I refuse to pretend I didn’t. I also refuse to not say that it’s only a TOOL and that I do put in the hard work of eating right, working out and doing what needs to be done.

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#45 Getting Fit – Two Year Journey

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#46 It’s Not How You Start, It’s How You Finish

Been on a roller coaster with my fitness my whole life. Got more before and after pictures than a fitness retreat. Even got up to 270 lbs at one point. Last year, after suffering a heart break, I resolved to make changes to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I still struggle but my path is now set on fitness and getting and staying healthy. At 43 years old, this is the most fit, healthy, and lean I’ve ever been.

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#47 I Was 360 Lbs Last June And Now I’m Down To 172 Lbs

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#48 From 480 Lbs To 209 Lbs In 17 Months

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#49 120 Kg Weight Loss 18 Months Loose Skin Pics

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#50 2 Years – 246 Lbs

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#51 July 2018 -> July 2020

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#52 From 185 Kg To Half Marathon

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#53 What A Difference 3 Years Make

Purple shirt: an outfit I wore 3 years ago. Black shirt: what I am wearing today. From a 4X to an XS shirt, a size 30 jean to a 4. ~180 pounds gone since January 2016.

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#54 158 Pounds Released. From December 2017 To December 2018

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#55 Only 17 Lbs (7,7 Kg) Left Until I’ve Lost 200 Lbs (90,7 Kg)

Over the last 43 months I’ve lost 182.8 lbs (82.9 kg). Had a few people accusing me of faking the pictures. Hope this clears things up.

In April of 2015, after years of hopelessness, I made a change. A spark of hope entered my life and helped me to believe that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t destined to remain the way I was.

I was poorly educated when it came to nutrition; fad diet after fad diet wore at me to the point I was tired of trying. Tired of getting my hopes up only to crash and burn shortly after. I can’t remember who mentioned it but I never knew what a calorie exactly was. After a bit of back and forth I downloaded an app, started logging my food, and focused on reducing my caloric intake. It hasn’t been a smooth process. There have been a lot of setbacks. Each setback is a learning opportunity. Like a boss battle, you might get your ass kicked but that doesn’t mean you’re done with the game.

It is possible. You are human and capable of more than you know.

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#56 April (240 Lbs) – Nov (191 Lbs) – Dec (180 Lbs)

Always include weight training in your exercise regime. I can’t stress this enough. Your body could use muscle tissue for energy when you are in a calorie deficit and less muscle tissue means you base metabolism is slower. Hence, why some people go on a crash diet, quit and then wonder why they weigh more than when they started even though they are eating the same or slightly better than they did before. Your body can’t burn the same number of resting calories because you have less muscle so you could eat the same but still gain weight. At the very least try to maintain the muscle you have now, or try and build a little. Muscle gain on a calorie deficit is pretty hard (some will say impossible), but keeping what you have is a must. Go slow and track your calories using an app.

The next biggest question is motivation. I can’t say what will be the thing that gets you started, or what will be the motivating factor that will keep you going, but what I do know is that it has to be for the right reasons. Doing it just because it’s Jan 1st, or because you have function you want to look good for, or because someone close to you said something cruel isn’t going to work. Maybe in the short term, yeah, you’ll lose a bit, but it won’t last and you won’t be putting your best into it. Do it for you. If a Wednesday in February works best for your life to begin your journey, then start then. If you’re happy with the way you look and feel, then stay that way. The main thing is to be happy, so do what makes you happy.

Again, I am not a personal trainer, nor have I studied kinesiology or biology. I’m more than willing to answer any questions you have, but I don’t claim to know everything about weight loss or how to help everyone.

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#57 Christmas 2009 vs. Christmas 2017

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#58 Weight Loss Journey. Most Recent Before/After. 250 Lbs > 174 Lbs. Also, Hello Quads

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#59 A Slight Brag, I Just Hit 100 Lbs Of Weight Loss

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#60 I Did It! It Finally Happened! Today When I Stood On The Scale It Finally Read 100 Lbs Down From My Heaviest Weight

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#61 Weight Loss, 12 Months Progress, 202 Lbs Currently, 426 Lbs Max, Goal: 180 Lbs

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#62 18 Months Progress

23 year old, 6’1” and a tiny bit, CICO 1500 calories a day, no extra exercise apart from what I moved about at work.

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#63 320 Lbs (145 Kgs) -> 169 Lbs (77 Kgs). Lost 150 Lbs (68 Kgs)

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#64 Reached My First 6 Months, Still Going Strong

I should probably put what it did here for the people that want to know. I started off biking a mile a day, and general workouts adding reps and sets every couple weeks. Changed my diet to kind of a standard diet lowering calorie intake to stay in a deficit for a while, and cutting out soda almost completely. Determination and strong will power are your best friends, but it gets easier. Also drink lots of water, stay hydrated as much as possible.

Exercise often, adding more as your body gets used to it. Don’t have to stop eating good food, just limit yourself. Stay hydrated, and go at your own pace. Sorry for long windedness.

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#65 I’ve Lost 129 Kg/284 Lbs And Now Weigh Less Than 100 Kg For The First Time In My Adult Life

The pictures shown are 2 years apart. I used to be a lot bigger, pics can be found in my post history. It has been quite the roller coaster since then. I would have never imagined to get to where I am now. Life changed a lot for me but it is still hard to get the image of being obese out of my head.

Anyway, my health has improved by sooo much. At my worst I had to take 13 pills for all the health issues my obesity caused me. Right now I’m down to just 1 (hypothyriodism). My blood pressure completely recovered! I’m so surprised by that actually, I have insanely good numbers all the time. My back pain and everything related to that went away. I just feel so healthy and happy!

So how did that happen and what worked for me? I have lost a significant amount of weight from just being at a calorie deficit (simply counting calories). I cut out processed foods as much as possible and avoided trigger foods (for me it’s sweets). At one point I changed my diet to high protein/low carb. On top I was doing intermittent fasting. It worked super well for me. I was never starving and could eat until I felt satiated.

At first I lost a bunch of weight without even doing any exercise but as soon as I felt ready I implemented some cardio. Table tennis and bike rides did it for me. At one point I wanted to build some muscles to support my body. I learned how to do push-ups, that helped me a lot with core strength. Added HIIT workout to my routine. Basically whatever works for you is a great addition.

I plan on losing some more weight as I still have a lot of belly fat and some on my thighs. After that building more strength/muscle is the goal. I’m definitely excited for that!

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#66 September 9, 2018 Vs September 9, 2019

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#67 After 18 Months Of Keto, I’ve Lost Over 200 Lbs And Went From A Size 60 Pant To Purchasing These Size 32s Today. Feels Absolutely Unreal

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#68 30 Months And 373 Lbs After

30 months sounds like a long time, but damn did that time FLY. From being 700 pounds and not being able to physically stand up in my own brothers wedding to today 327 pounds and getting to be the BEST man in my friend Chris’s wedding. What an adventure it’s been! Plenty of ups and downs, good times and bad, but it was all worth it 1000% and this Journeys still just getting started – I’m 31yo and 6’8” btw.

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#69 No Junk Food, Healthy Diet And My Regular Workout Regimen ( 1 Year)

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#70 This Was Me At 350 Lbs, Right Before I Started My Journey To 200

I told my parents that I was going to loose the weight and they bought me this awesome shirt that I still keep. It was a little mean but it made me laugh. ” exercise?” ” I thought you said extra fries! ” . I told them I was going to hit 200 pounds. And I did. But this was the 8th or so time I had told them and like the boy who cried wolf nobody believed me. Not even me. I struggled with mental conditions. PTSD from things I saw at a young age that I can only hope all of you don’t in your entire life… depression, anxiety, panic attacks, And to cope with that. I started binge eating. I started to completely detach myself from my weight. And from my life… and on 10/21/18. I plotted to take my own life. A friend of mine said something in passing to me that day before I got off work. That completely changed how I thought of myself. I thought I was a burden. Useless. Irredeemable. And he told me something that woke me up a bit… he told me I mattered. I told him nothing mattered and that I wouldn’t be there tomorrow. And he said if i quit my job that he would find me at my new job and just drag me back here. That he would kidnap me if he had to. Drag me back in here with a blindfold and handcuffs, and chain me to the kitchen Because he didn’t think he could do it without me. This was the first time in my life… I felt like I really had a reason to live. I had a friend. So… I didn’t “quit my job” that night.

This is me today. It’s just a selfie but you can see it in my face… Today is the day I made it to 200. I didn’t do this to get fake internet points. I wanted to live a longer healthier life…. towards about January of twenty nineteen I started loosing weight. I wanted desperately to be somebody else. To not look in the mirror and hate what I saw. I don’t hate what I see as anymore. And not because I look perfect either. But because I have found happiness, and have learned to if even a little… love myself. And now I want to if nothing else, convince you that you can too. And that even if you feel like you can’t, or that it’s not going to be the near fairytale ending that i got. Or that it’s to late… That you can. I turned my life around, i was a loner. Maybe two childhood friends worth a dam. And in the end. When I was at my lowest, I had pushed them all away. Today I can proudly say I have more support in my life than ever before. I have like six friends… typing that seems surreal, because even now it seems like a impossible feat to have six people that care about me in any capacity. And two people that not only are my best friends, But my motivation in some ways. One of them used to be an addict. And a few days ago is 3 years clean. The other is two years clean. I’m proud of them both. They taught me a lot about life. They don’t know about my past but hearing things from their point of view, while things were definitely worse on their end that wasn’t all I took from that. They told me About overcoming hardships that I’ve never even dreamed of. They told me their stories, their dreams. The reasons they fight. Their inspirations.. I figured if they can come back from that, and get back to a normal healthy life. Even somewhat free of the mental burdens of their pasts. Into a world that welcomes them. Then I can come back from this. I’ve lived more since then.they know I was looking forward to hit this milestone. And has definitely improved my self confidence talking to them about my issues, I can go to a party and actually have fun, I would love to say that I don’t still feel self conscious but I do… but its different. It’s not debilitating anymore. I can function. I can take my shirt off and while there’s still some fat and excess skin… I can still feel comfortable in my own skin enough to be shirtless. I can dance!!! I can fucking dance!!! I haven’t ever been this happy to do something so mundane. … happy… that word… it means so much to me, because it wasn’t something i thought i would ever be again. And I am. I’m crying as I write this. Because I really am happy. I hit rock bottom. And the only way I could go was up.

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#71 165 Lbs Down (From 375 To 210 In 2 Years On Keto)

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#72 Weight Loss Progress

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#73 6 Years Progress. From 330 Lbs To 198 Lbs

I spent 10 years living in depression, fail marriage and so on. But I have changed, if you’re going through something just keep going, if a man like me did it I’m sure you can do it too.

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#74 2 Years Keto Lifestyle – 2x Vs. 6x

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#75 85 Lbs Down In 10 Months

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#76 Progress Check In

This is a check in and accountability post – I’m down 168lbs. That’s half of my highest body weight. That means I’m only 8lbs from goal. It’s been a hard battle trying to make peace with my food addiction – unlike drugs/alcohol you can’t just quit it – you have to learn to use it in moderation. I hope I can inspire someone to get started or just keep going.

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#77 Success

2 1/2 years of keto, intermittent fasting and weighing/logging my food.

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#78 150 Pounds Down

I’m a terrible writer and I don’t think now is the time to post this, but hopefully it helps someone in a similar position.

In 2016 I started seeing someone, who I thought was a nice, artsy guy. However, turned out a year later, I was trapped in an emotionally, verbally, physically and sexually abusive relationship. I had gained over 100 pounds (mind you I was already over-weight). I was depressed. I felt like I would never be happy again. However, after a visit home to Wisconsin, seeing my friends and family made me remember what true happiness and love was. When I came back to California I knew I needed to end things, officially. I had tried many times before, but I could never make the clean break. So one Saturday morning, I asked him to come over and I finally told him off. I told him, “The way you treat me, is terrible, the way you talk to me is terrible, everything about this relationship is terrible. I never want to see you again my entire life. You’re not welcome here and you never will be.”

On July 12, 2018, I decided to share my story with a friend of mine. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, how to start my life up again after the abuse. He gave me some life changing advice; JUST START. Just do SOMETHING, even if it’s little step, just take that one step.

The next day I started to clean my apartment (which was never kept up because of the abuse).

I then started my health journey for my body. Initially, it was with just a 15 minute workout video, which I couldn’t even finish. At that point in time I was at least 340 pounds and could barely tie my own shoes. Less than two years later, I have now dropped 150 pounds and continue to strengthen my body and mind.

I have been in therapy to help with the trauma of the abuse, as I was diagnosed with PTSD, but just recently was told I could start going down to every other week counseling because of the progress I made.

Since I’ve been at home, due to COVID-19, I wanted to share my journey in hopes it could help inspire someone. With the rise of domestic violence due to the stay at home orders, that’s what really inspired me to share my journey on Instagram and YouTube. All victims should know they are not alone and can get help, they are not alone. Know that becoming your best self is something you can do, just take that first step. You are worth it.

Image credits: ashleyhavelka

#79 My Goal Dress Finally Fits

Picture on the left – Sometime in 2019 at 297lbs. Bought my goal dress in December 3X too small in hopes it’ll fit one day. Picture on the right – 206lbs and feeling on top of the world.

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#80 Weight Loss

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#81 So I’ve Been Waiting To Do This For A While. From 525 To The Mid 200s And I’m Proud

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#82 My Weight Loss Photo. From 240 Lbs To 185 Lbs

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#83 331 Lbs>166 Lbs=165 Lbs Lost In 3 Years. I’ve Been Struggling With The Mental Aspect Of Weight Loss. Happiness Is Not Found In A Size, It’s An Inside Job

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#84 My Weight Loss Transformation And How I Did It

Lost 115lbs Just under 2 years by lifting/running and intermittent fasting. Went to six flags with coworkers, was too big for seat belt to close on roller coaster so was turned away(3 times, in front of coworkers) also was lead on by a girl at the time. Found out she was sleeping with someone I knew so NEXT day I started the gym. Started September 2016, 3 days a week, no cardio, full body workouts; concentrated more on lifting then eating habits for the first 3 months.

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#85 80 Lbs Down

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#86 Fat My Whole Life, Fit For The Rest Of It. 235 Lbs > 137 Lbs > 147 Lbs

Keto changed my life, lost 98 lbs in ~9 months and am currently lean bulking to try to fix the loose skin. Being a Mechanical Engineer (read: desk jockey) for 12 years didn’t help… Recently became a certified personal trainer and loving life!

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#87 My Coworker Lost 160 Pounds In The Last 13 Months From Strictly Adhering To Keto. Unreal

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#88 This Is A 9 Year Difference. 1st Pic Was In 2010 And 130 Lbs Heavier. Gained A Master’s And Transformed In Many Ways

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#89 Transformed Inside And Out

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#90 I Picked A Terrible Day To Officially Lose 100 Lbs

Here I am at my heaviest. I was nearly 300 lbs. I was depressed. Never left the house. My self esteem was… non existent. Sorry for the selfie. I’m still not confident enough to take full body pics, but I’m a hundred lbs down. It’s taken me a good 5 months to lose that much. Lots of hard work, sweat, tears. But my confidence has increased. Sex life is SO much better. And I feel alive.

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#91 So I Know Self Promotion Is Frowned On, But I Am Down 180 Lbs. I Had A Gastric Bypass, And Have Never Felt Better In My Life

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#92 I Hit 130 Lb Down

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#93 415 Lbs To 218 Pounds In 11 Months. September 4th Will Be A Year

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#94 After 5 Months Of Hard Work, Down 130 Lbs. 39 Lbs More And I’ll Be The Same Size I Was In 2004

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#95 In Case You Are Overweight And Considering Bariatric Surgery Or Just Need Some Motivation Here Is My Story

I’ve been overweight my whole life. I was bigger than I am now in middle school. Had my bariatric surgery April 4, 2018. I chose the gastric bypass. I’ve lost well over 100lbs I think like 120 if I crunch numbers. Just had skin removal on my abdomen September 3, 2019. I was in size 6 before the surgery idk now cuz still swollen and jeans would be painful. Takes 6-8 weeks for swelling to go down. I have side by side pics of my tummy but the swelling and bruising are still pretty much there. I also now have no belly button, I’m an alien. It has not been easy at all and I still see the bigger me. But I’m a work in progress. If you have struggled with your weight and think bariatric surgery may be for you please talk to your doctor. Surgery can be scary and there are risks but it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I bought clothes in size xs today. Never have I ever before.

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#96 My Mom Is Amazing! 125 Lbs Lost In 2 Years

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#97 1 Year Of Consistent Dieting & Exercising

Started weighing in at 262lbs. Now 200lbs. 1st 6 months keto / fasting. Last 6 months not keto. Still fasting. Ate more carbs. Body weight workouts/ resistance bands/ jump roping/ swimming.

Image credits: 1KetoKneegro

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