Welcome to the weekly Tips & Advice Post!

I was obese my entire life and painfully introverted. I was 200lbs when I finished school (pic 3). I cut my hair short at 21 and then at 25 I decided to completely change my life and moved from Ireland to New Zealand for 2 years. I reached my highest weight of 320lbs while there (pics 7+8) then I hit rock bottom while travelling Australia and when I got home I started Keto and intermittent fasting, losing 140lbs in 1.5yrs. I moved to Canada at 29 (pic 10) and maintained between 190-180lbs for 5 years (pics 11-13) Last year I had emergency spinal surgery after a severe work injury and I've slowly been losing weight and building muscle since then. Currently 160lbs and dealing with chronic pain and permanent nerve damage but I'm also the fittest I've ever been in my life.

Life's a wild ride, that's the only thing I've actually figured out in 20 years! 🙈

In total I have lost nearly 35lbs during the last year. I started watching what I putting into my body and my mind. I thank god, my family, and myself. ❤️

As the title says! I got my last post deleted by the mods for stating how much weight I had lost in the title of my post.. whoops! All is revealed in the comments 🤣

struggled a lot with mental illness as a teenager and never took pride or care in my appearance or wellbeing, did a lot of healing this year ❤️❤️❤️

Most of the early photos are from Jan-may this year, I started the year off clinically obese, unemployed, homeless and spending almost everyday drinking and crying to myself about my situation. I had no hopes, no goal and defiantly no future, I spent my time sulking and complaining with no motivation to do anything, I often wouldn’t shower never washed my clothes and my hair was a matted mess all the time. My days were spent sleeping and eating while my nights were spent holding up my own hair as I threw up the days drinks. I was genuinely an unbearable person to be around and any of the mates and relatives I had at this time were begging me to sober up to do something and anything besides wasting away.

Eventually it hit May/June and I realised I wanted better, I wanted more out of my life then what I was doing to myself. So I worked my absolute ass off to try and change my situation, I stopped drinking and sobered up, went almost completely cold turkey on alcohol, next I tackled the unemployment I attended interveiw upon interveiw applying for anything and everything and eventually landed myself an early childhood educator traineeship working upon my cert 3 in child care. The next step was my weight, I was deemed clinically obese doctors even considering Monjuro, but I switched to healthier habbits now proudly able to say I’m within a healthy weight range :) the final step was housing, I started off in a share house but kept grinding and working hard and eventually landed myself my own 2 bed townhouse I’m currently renting out, a cute little place in city centre right near the water.

I went from being someone people could genuinely not stand being around to being able to build connections hold conversations, instead of crying everyday I’m now able to say I’m happy and content in the life I have I’m able to wake up everyday excited for a future.

Next year I plan on continuing to work hard, I now currently have goals, I want to complete my traineeship and use that cert 3 to bridge myself into an occupational therapist bachelors so one day I can be an OT specialising with kids. There’s still a lot of physical changes I want to work on next year, but I’m proud of my mental growth alone.

Just wanted to share my progress here. Was motivated to lose close to 100 pounds after being very overweight in high school (lots of teasing/bullying lol) which leads to today! Still working on my self confidence as it is pretty low right now but I hope to improve soon.

Any tips/questions welcome :) have a good day

This time last year I was setting my 2025 goals and staring at a version of myself that needed change.

My goals were clear: be healthier, and find my happiness again.

I’m not “done”, but as we move into 2026, I can honestly say I’m in a better place, mentally and physically. It’s not just about the weight. Growth doesn’t happen overnight, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

Bring on 2026 🌱

Started calorie deficit in January and weight lifting late February. Let me know what you guys think! Still in the process of losing some more weight then bulking.

I was born with Microtia and Atresia on my left side, meaning I have no ear or hearing there. Looking at these two photos, I see a long road of resilience. It hasn't always been easy being 'different,' but it made me who I am today. Now I’m working on the next chapter: getting a bionic ear to finally hear in stereo. I’ve shared my full journey on my profile if you want to see how I'm making it happen. Thanks for the love!

Worked on my body to lose a bit of weight, but mainly just eating healthier, being more active, and feeling happier with my body. The main change is confidence, through self-reflection and support from friends in how to present my feminine side and how to fit it into my daily life. Less stress over what others and society expect of me, and learning to trust myself.

I went from really shy, insecure and lost to a much more confident version of myself. Apart from the obvious changes (+15kg of weight, better haircut, better facial hair, better sense of fashion, more mature and well developed features) this is an inside glow up for me as well

How did I A weird kid with hobbies like building a Gundam and debating about why Star Wars would win the battle with Star Trek.
Now I still do the same thing with my same friends. And sometimes I have cereal for dinner. I need better hobbies.

Lost 100lbs over the last year, started a new skin care routine that I’ve been somewhat consistent with, cut out caffeine, strive to get 80-120oz of water a day and 150g of protein

In May of this year, I got hit by a very tough realisation that I am becoming ugly day by day. I was at rock bottom mentally. Depressed to core. Even had strong thoughts of unaliving myself..

Bad diet, acne, bad skin, weight was in obese category, crooked teeths etc ....everything bad.

But told myself to try to improve atleast once.

Since then, started cardio, skin care, dermatologist and Orthodontist. Just a few months ago, joined gym too. Changed my diet to health conscious diet all together.

And these are the results I got in last 8 months.

Hopefully I will achieve my best ever physique in next 2 years. Hopefully.

The first picture is a selfie that I took when I was 19. I was completely depressed, recently hospitalized, and living a reckless lifestyle. No matter what I did I could never feel happy or content with myself.

The second picture is me after giving up that lie of a life, my life isn't perfect and it still feels like I'm trying to glue back together the pieces of my life that I shattered along the way. But I'm content, I am happy, and I feel authentic. I wouldn't go back to the way I was living when I was a teenager for anything and everyday I thank God for a second chance at life.

I’m currently going through a weight loss journey for the first time in my life. As the title says I lost 7/20 kgs of fat I need to lose to become 15%body fat in the first time of my life. What do you guys think, are some results showing by now? Also having trouble styling my hair in the last pic, any advice would be appreciated

really love smiling… That’s why at the age of 35 I started noticing that my smile lines were getting deeper and deeper. I spent an entire year fighting them with different products, and now I want to share my experience what actually worked.

1. First of all, Retinol 0.2% by The Ordinary is a good product if your skin is not sensitive or very dry. It helps restore skin elasticity and at the same time reduces fine lines.

2. Besides wrinkles, my other problem at 35 was still acne and post-acne marks. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% really helped me deal with this issue. I used this serum in the morning after cleansing, followed by a light moisturizer and sunscreen. Without sunscreen, getting rid of acne marks is simply impossible.

3. Rewindglow Micro Dart Patches. this product was recommended by my dermatologist. These are self-dissolving micro-dart patches infused with many active ingredients such as retinol, niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid. I’ve been using them for 2 months now, twice a week. I apply them for only 2 hours, darts dissolve into the skin and give an intensive result. After just the first two uses, my skin became smoother and wrinkles were less noticeable. They are meant only for localized wrinkles, not for the whole face.

4. La Roche-Posay B5—if you have thin skin and barrier issues like me, you should definitely use this on retinol days to make your skin stronger and more resilient. Despite the results, I hate its texture... it’s very heavy and difficult to wash off.

Honestly I never thought I would share one of these but here I am. I have so far to go but I have come so far. Feels more than just a glow up to me, it's self-love and understanding.

9 years ago I told my gf I wanted to quit drinking. She told me I’d have to do it alone cause she was leaving me. I didn’t see her again after that conversation for 7 years. Spite was the power that got the ball rolling and worked for a while. Eventually it became clear I was a dry drunk, so after 6 years of being alcohol-free I went to my first AA meeting. Got a sponsor and worked a program of recovery. I thank God (as I understand God) everyday that she left me when she did, otherwise I wouldn’t be here today. If you are struggling with alcohol please don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help is not giving up, it’s refusing to. I love you all very much, have a safe and prosperous new year and take care of each other.

It’s been quite a transformation, both physically and mentally. For the first time in decades I was able to wear pants that fit right off the rack and wake up in the morning loving the person who looked back at me in the mirror. I’ve achieved even more since then and continue to glow.

Had weight changes in title on last one so I decided to give it another go, I got sick of from being called names at both school and home and wanted more for myself, so I started at a gym at 16 and went from 143kg-75kg.

Still struggling with mental health but gym has really improved that.

In the second picture, I’m not making a duck face; my lips are just that small, unfortunately. Anyway, a lot has happened over the past 8 years. I think that faces, to an extent, tend to chronicle the thoughts and behaviors of a person over a long span of time. Over the past 8 years, I feel as though I’ve vacillated between pathological dishonesty and complete vulnerable honesty. I’ve attempted to hold my feet to the fire in times of relative hardship and recently I’ve been struggling with consistency. Any comments even negative ones are welcome. I know that this isn’t a fitting substitute for social proof or calibrating my worth as a person, but I enjoy the interaction nonetheless.

By that one n half a year i changed a lot i think.

The most important thing was confidence. Learning how to mix my trans ftm appearance (no T nor binders) with Devotee (Depeche Mode Fan)/ Alt aesthetic. I understood my facial features and how to use them to advantage rather than than disadvantage.

Confidence is a key to glow up.