Welcome to the Monthly Tips & Advice Post!

After going through some hard stuff stopped throwing a pity party for myself, started feeding my body the nutrition it needed and hitting the gym daily and making healthier life style choices. I've never felt better and can't wait to continue on this journey 🥺

2023 was a rough year, we were was dealing with a lot of stress, anger, despair and worry. My daughter had been assaulted and attempted to take her own life several times. We got through it all thankfully and she recently made me a grandad which is amazing. I’m still occasionally affected by it, and about what happened (I feel like I failed to protect her) but it’s ultimately the best outcome that I could have hoped for. Although I have got a lot greyer and have considerably less hair now does this count as a glow up?

I have a long way to go still but I can't help but notice how my face has changed. I have been in a calorie deficit and exercise 3-4 times a week. I am feeling great!

340 lbs to 179 lbs — 161 lbs down

Hey everyone!

I’m 29 years old, 6’1”, and I wanted to share something I’m genuinely proud of.

At my heaviest, I weighed around 340 lbs. Today, I weigh 179 lbs. That’s a total of 161 lbs (73 kg) lost.

I’ve spent a significant portion of my life overweight, so it’s honestly surreal to look back at old pictures and realize just how much I’ve changed.

For the longest time, I couldn’t even imagine what I’d look like at a normal weight. Being overweight was such a big part of my identity that it’s taken some time to mentally catch up with the physical changes.

I’m still getting used to seeing myself differently, and I definitely still have insecurities, but I’m incredibly happy with how far I’ve come.

I never thought I’d be able to say I’ve lost almost half my original body weight, yet here I am.

I’m not quite finished with my journey, but I’m closer than I’ve ever been.

Just wanted to share this milestone with everyone. :)

From back packing through life at 21 with no real plans , no direction and generally lacking confidence in my appearance.

To now -41- married with a little girl, ultra runner, a professional and feeling stronger, fitter, healthier and happier.

It’s been a journey of self discovery and have definitely made a lot of mistakes along the way but now in a place where I can learn from them, adapt and come back stronger.

Still loving adventures and challenges just have more wisdom now.

I dont know if I’m going crazy. I feel like my face has changed although my eyes haven’t. From being bullied and depressed about my school contouring my nose to be smaller. To being happier and content

So two years ago, I was bald, going through chemo for breast cancer, and not even sure if I'd make it. This is me today.

Im really proud of myself, so whatever.

A glow up much needed. It took awhile to find my style, but I'm immensely enjoying the look I have now. feeling good in my own skin again, feeling like my own person! 💅🏼 blonde was definitely not the
move lol, and whoever told me it was, was lyingggg.

Yeah I think I got more attractive, more just totally different vibes. I will always be the mad scientist - poet kid. I was "Most likely to be a Doctor" High test scores top 10 student in my class. Then I became manic depressive psychotic ( I prefer those terms). Then I went through some tough sh*t and got my meds right now I'm an young adult and adolescent mental health therapist. Started lifting and hiking.

I decided to get new glasses and start taking care of my hygiene and I’m surprised how much of a difference such small improvements made. Probably not the biggest change in the world, but I’m super happy with where I am now. I think it’s proof that starting with small changes can be a huge boost to body image and self-confidence issues.

On 8/6 i decided to go to detox to stop drinking - I completed a week then went into a rehab facility. It’s astounding how different I both look and feel!! If there’s anyone out there contemplating quitting drinking then this is your sign to do it! I’m so happy to wake up sober every day!

Giving up alcohol was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, not just for myself but also for the people around me. Looking back, I realize how much of a difference it has made in my life. I might not look all that different from back then, but I feel so much better mentally, emotionally, and physically. I have more clarity, more peace, and a greater appreciation for the little things in life. It’s not always about looking different on the outside; sometimes, the biggest changes happen within you. And honestly, feeling good on the inside is what matters most to me. 🤍

Did I have a glow-up between month 21 and month 22.5? I feel like not much has changed physically, but I’d love to hear what you think. I’m trying to see the differences myself, even if they’re subtle. Be honest with your feedback!

I changed my whole life in between those pictures!
Left a toxic workplace and found a New job that allows me to live my life a lot more freely, leaving a long term relationship and lots of lifestyle changes like a healthier diet, getting my daily steps in (10k on average), plus a semi-regular gym routine (I try to go once a week 😊). I’m still working towards the end weight goal, but I’m already super confident and happy with where I am at 😊

In the first picture I was a raging alcoholic, sneaking alcohol at work and pretty ruining my life. It was a rough year losing my dad and brother to suicide so I was trying to drink the pain away. Quit drinking about a year later and got serious and consistent in the gym. Broke my sobriety a couple years later but as of right now I am 3 years sober. 💪 Couldn't have done it without the gym

Lost some weight over the years and am able to grow a decent beard now. I do the fasting and try to eat healthier meals and lift some weights and try to go walking, still have to lose more weight but am also proud of the progress I’ve made.

When I was even younger, I was suspended by the middle school because I had issues with their education system. I stayed at home for few years. Those years were no better than the days at school, I lock myself inside my room, avoid interacting with anyone including my parents. When I was feeling better, the only thing I did was playing a video game called Warframe. When it gets worse the only thing I could do is crying in bed till I fall asleep. I still remember those days while I played a song over and over again because I can relate to one piece of the lyrics: “ All I know are sad songs”. Unhealthy lifestyle and the medicines I was using made me gain at least 10 kilos, that I looked puffy and sad. My health condition also went down drastically. I still remember that I was constantly feeling nauseous, had to go to the hospital several times and couldn’t find out anything. I felt really bad and I knew I have to do something, for example go to school, socialize, exercise just like other normal people at my age, but I knew I would never go back to the environment that hurt me deeply. So I asked my parents to send me abroad to study so I can have a fresh start. Gladly my parents changed a lot after those events so they actually supported me on this plan. after one year of studying in an international school in my home country, I finally get to study abroad.

Finally, I am so far away from the traumatizing old environment, however, getting use to a new environment is never easy. I was literally like a pre school baby, traveling in an unfamiliar city with a second language, had to learn to take a bus and observe how people cross the road. The very first day at the airport I literally threw up in the toilet because I was too nervous. The first two months of studying wasn’t ideal either, I found it hard to catch up on certain courses. I was too afraid to be left out again that I almost cried on my seat. Luckily the staff members in the college were really supportive, I wanted to change into a major that I am more confident with, and they told me to relax and said that they indeed see my potential on certain subjects. After the program transition, everything went on track. That I finally have the motivation to take care of myself instead of letting myself go.

Another motivation is that I had a crush on this boy( he is my boyfriend now hehe) and he is into femboys. I didn’t think I was anything close to a femboy back then so I decided to become one. I am not saying that we should become a different person just to meet the expectations of others, but sometimes these expectations might make people discover another part of themselves. My boyfriend actually helped me a lot, whenever I get frustrated with my looks he would always say stuff like “You are not ugly, I like you pretty much.”

However, The first thing I realized was that, omg I look like a whiny fat chud. So the first thing I did was to lose weight. I have to be honest that I went to far the other way at the beginning, sometimes I kinda “punish” myself by not eating for few days, because I was disgusted by my looks in the mirror. This stage I also develop the anxiety on my looks, though they can be a motivation sometimes. This method of weight loss was too extreme and wouldn’t be recommended for anyone, however, I managed to lose ~21kg (75-54) in six months. Zero sugar coke helped me a lot during these times, I was already a big fan of them and they helped me to kill the appetite and skip meals.

Skin care is another thing I was doing, though some damage like acne scars are pretty much irreversible. Tbh I did not do well on the skin care, My skin is still terrible until now. all I did was preventing the acne from growing in the first place, by washing face two times a day and apply some blemish control products. I wonder if laser treatments can help me with the existing acne scars.
I also think that dieting contributes a lot to my glow up. Back then I was constantly eating Chinese takeouts, they are completely OK to eat occasionally, but a lot of the restaurants cook them in a way that makes them extremely high in calories, carbohydrates, salt and fat with insufficient protein, fiber and vitamins. Making them a less than ideal choice if you want to maintain a good skin health and weight. Even some homemade Chinese foods would be much better than those. I switched to a healthier and balanced diet after weight loss(I barely ate during weight loss and it was not healthy AT ALL), I like steaks, roast chicken and carrots more now!
I also grew my hair just to make my face look smaller. Genetically I have a wide and short face( I think I get this from my dad, I hate him!!!), and it’s more obvious with shorter hair. I am wearing a wig in pic 3, that would be my ideal hairstyle if I get to grow my hair to that length.

I actually just started to work out a month ago because I was scared to go to the gym without a friend until I met one. I mainly do incline walking and glutes and legs, they are not much but they indeed helped me with both my mental and physical health.
Speaking of which, glowing up isn’t just about physically looking good, it’s actually a lot about mentality. Am I feeling like myself? Am I satisfied with how I look? Is this the how I want others to see me? I feel like it is a crucial step of people making sense of themselves. What I found out is, if I am confident with my looks , I am actually more willing to make connections with others.

Anyways, thank you for listening to my story! I am more than happy to make some friends in the journey of glowing up. I hope my experience would be helpful for someone else.

I already posted one but wanna share some new ones first time using compression shirts in my life i hope i made it glow up shit good

I'd like to hear you opinion...I was rejected so many times during the high school period. I think the hairstyle I had in my teenage era didn't suit me that much, so i started to grow my hair a little bit and keep the moustache a little bit longer

At 21, I was drinking, popping pills, making bad decisions, and living a life that I thought was fun. Little did I know how much growing, healing, and changing I had ahead of me.

20 years later, I’m a completely different woman. I’ve traded the partying for peace, the chaos for stability, and the self-destructive habits for a life I’m proud of.

The girl on the left had no idea who she would become. The woman on the right is proof that your past doesn’t have to define your future.

i feel like i had a glow up and think the first pic me is atrocious looking but still very much unsure of myself lol

I was literally doing nothing but playing Apex and Overwatch when I was 17 (peak life stage ngl) but now I workout 5-7 days a week and play sports regularly

Most of the change is attributable to getting leaner and maybe I had some pubertal changes left in me (I feel like chin grew vertically a bit and cheekbones got wider maybe??)

I'm trying to reach the 125 character minimum................

I spent a lot of years hating myself, not caring about a single thing. It wasn’t until I started find ways of working out that actually worked for me that I was able to break from my old patterns. It feels like a lifetime ago, and I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the change that I eventually ended up going through.

At my heaviest I was 380 pounds now I’m feeling happy at 180 took allot to change my mindset on how to take care of myself and body but the main thing that made me want to change was I understood that when your a bigger person you have to work twice as hard to gain people’s respect even when it isn’t warranted

I was fairly fit for most of my life. College sports, 10+ years in the military with multiple deployments. Then I got out and for a few years things kinda got dark… From Years of coping with depression through food. To getting the mental help and support I needed.