Has anyone made a true transformation?

[RamblingCock]

(Background: weighed 260 three years ago. New job with a lot of physical effort dropped me fifty pounds. Now I’m exercising for a half hour every day before work, which is toning my body in ways I haven’t seen in decades. I’m healthier and more fit at 60 than I was at 40 and 50.)

Pleasant surprise a couple of days ago. I’m on vacation and found that the shorts I brought are waaay too large for me.

My wife and I went to Banana Republic, and I discovered they essentially topped out at 38s. I’m down to a 40 waist, but thought the 38 would be a bit too tight. They are a perfect fit, and even have a bit of room at the waist. No tightness whatsoever.

My college waist was a 30. I know I’m not getting down that far, but I’ll take a 36 any time.

Lots of VERY stubborn belly and back fat. I’ve had it for twenty five years or so, so it’s going to take time. Still, feeling fit and still losing weight.

 

[b3ar]

I went from 150 lbs to 190 lbs in about 4 years.

That was a while ago and now I'm resting at around 215 (off season) and 195 (on season). It takes time, a shit ton of eating and some serious dedication (with a lot of money towards supplements as well. Can't forget the supps.) but it can be done.

 

[DSF140]

I don't have any pics of me when I was super skinny. The reason is basically because I was absolutely, 100%, totally ashamed of how I looked. Any pics of me from that era show me wearing oversized clothes that hid my body. The worst part of the oversized clothes was that they were actually the smallest adult sized clothes that I could ever find. Everyone would tell me to buy boys' clothes (how embarrassing is that?), but those didn't fit me in the crotch (God's only break for me). The most difficult thing for me was to overcome my shame enough to hit the gym.
I was fortunate enough in college for a big buddy to practically drag me to the gym because he didn't want to work out alone (I'm guessing), and he had seen me in the public showers and told me that a guy with my endowment deserves a better body. Whatever works. But the point was that once I overcame my initial shame, I knew that I would be alright.
As @FootballBro25 pointed out, it's a combination of "diet & exercise" as the cliche goes. There is no magic pill. You can't get to a point as stop. You have to keep at it for the rest of your life. Once you reach adulthood, your body begins to deteriorate at an accelerating speed. I like the metaphor that your body is like the only car that you will ever have, and that you cannot ever trade it in for a newer model. Therefore you must treat it with kid gloves.
Probably the biggest hurdles for me, once I was able to get started, was knowing how to eat and how to train. I used to be uninterested in eating (unlike 99.99% of the human population). And once I started working out, I found myself hungry all the time, but never getting enough of the protein I needed. Then there was the problem of not knowing how to train properly. I seemed to always do too much weight and never getting to the muscle burn stage because I'd tire out beforehand.
But going in my favor is that I really like to lift. I enjoy it because I've never felt stronger or more alive that I do when I get my pump going. Of course there's the benefit that a lot of people now want to have sex with me, but the sex itself is not the primary motivator for me.

 

[nakedinjun]

I posted these pictures in my intro and they'll fit here too.

This year I was at my lowest bodyfat level but that left me with some baggy skin.

Now I'm working on building muscle to help fill in my baggy skin a bit.

 

[MisterB]

Yes. Like @DSF140 above, I was skinny as fuck. 6 foot, and at 42, I weighed 150 pounds. Totally out of shape. But ashamed to join a gym cuz I just knew everyone would make fun of me. I made myself go. I'm so glad I was so wrong.

That's when I met my trainer. Who taught me how to lift. That's it's not how much you lift but how you lift. That form is everything. That's why I've had minimal injuries along the way.

He taught me how to eat. Yup. Clueless on nutrition. Taught me how important diet was to accomplishing my fitness goals. Train hard. Eat big. Make great gains. Put the work in the gym CONSISTENTLY, and boom, I became a muscle monster.

Reached 250 pounds. Not all muscle. But, when I started to diet down, wowza, did I have some muscle on me.

Today, 22+ years later, I'm still 6 foot tall. I weigh 195#. I'm leaner today because of all the cardio work I do now. That's more important to me as I age. But I still lift, heavy, 4x a week. Each body part once a week. I go in, do my job. Do my cardio. I eat and sleep to support it.

So yeah, @bkmuscledad, I've made a true transformation. I went from "skinny as fuck aging twink" to "muscle daddy". It didn't happen overnight. It did happen because I showed up. Consistently. And did the work. Both in and out of the gym.

 

[Jukaresende]

Has anyone ever gone from terrible shape to great shape?
If so, would you share your stories, and perhaps your photos?
We see promises from countless entities selling workout plans, diet plans, pills, etc, but it would be great to hear directly from people who aren't part of a company's advertising agenda.

I did from 120kg to 70k. Went through a stomach bypass. See picture. On my ig you may see updated shape @alvarodorio

 

[Marco86]

I was 195 with 41" waist six years ago. Now 160 lbs. Goal is 32" waist.

 

[Nick Davis]

I love this thread and inspiring stories. Update: decided to bulk a bit for late 2019 as my arms weren't increasing in size. I think I did a decent job. I gained almost 20 lbs. 175 to 193. BUT my pants fit the same more or less so I am assuming the bulk of weight is not around the abdomen. I want to cut now and get body fat back down to see muscles pop. I was called a DILF by two young gay dudes at the gym, so I am high as a kite on that compliment. What's really odd is my wife actually prefers the dad bod as it was "cute and cuddly" but my kids call me "pecs" because chest is looking good if I don't say so myself. On the chest press machine I use for warm ups, I've maxed out. I lift all 250 lbs for six reps before I lift the free weights (180 lbs for 5 reps) on incline bench press. For the first time in my life I can do 12 consecutive pull ups. I'm 38 and a dad of three. You can do it dudes

 

[Clrwtrdlbud71-fl]

First day at the gym I couldn't lift a single pin in the cable machine. Feeling a bit humiliated and embarrassed it took me a couple weeks to get the courage to walk in again. 6 years later...

dude that is the hardest phase, good for you for sucking up the embarrassment and keeping forward, now you have the reward!

Back when I turned 30... Time, dedication, prioritization, achievable goals....

Bud great testimony! and yes, "time, dedication, prioritization" and consistency is the name of the game.

Here is me 15 years apart, hate the before pic on the right but its a good reminder!

 

[comeonman12345]

I’m going through my transformation now. I started at 221.5 lbs and am currently 158.4. My goals right now to lose fat and to add to my muscle mass, since I only have 127 lbs of muscle right now.

@heyitsfocker You’re transformation is extremely motivational to me. Your change is amazing!

 

[deleted39601]

For me discovering after some fat loss that i had a bigger pee pee LOL, Like i didn't truly realized when i was in my teens and early 20s, THEN desk job, boom + 40 lbs. THEN lost it later. Here are what i could find that represent before and after. The only copy of before i had was some pictures i had taken of my computer screen, deleted the originals. And boy does my dick stand out now that I'm down the 40lbs, sure makes a difference not having the big belly.

 

[HOU_HEADHUNTER]

I've pretty much maintained my high school figure but with a few extra pounds in muscle. Around 30 I realized my metabolism was slowing down and I was starting to put on weight so I started working out pretty heavily and even got really ripped for a short while but the strenuous working out was taxing by the 3rd year so now I workout to maintain good physical shape and to look good in my clothes. Not cut like I used to be but definitely still able to turn the heads of men half my age which is all the confirmation I need.

 

[Jez27]

I joined the gym at around 105bs. First day at the gym I couldn't lift a single pin in the cable machine. Feeling a bit humiliated and embarrassed it took me a couple weeks to get the courage to walk in again. 6 years later I've had setbacks but I'm glad I didn't just give up. I guess this is a game of consistency over perfection. Congrats everyone. Very inspiring stories and impressive transformations!

 

[CoolHanz]

Back when I turned 30 (25 years ago...ugh), I got fed up with my undefined, borderline “doughboy” physique. I started walking every morning, then gradually progressed that into running. I set small (difficult but achievable) challenges for myself to keep me interested and engaged. Then I joined a sports facility in my area - it had a decent gym, a natatorium, and other facilities. I started going there damn near every day. I liked the gym because they had great equipment and a clientele that didn’t make me feel intimidated or self conscious. So, my routine was to run in the mornings, go to work, come home, take the dog out, go to the gym, work out on weights for 45 minutes, then swim. People at work were amazed. One woman asked me if I was sick because I lost so much weight fairly quickly.

I had built up so much stamina and I felt great.

It took a large investment of time which was fine for me at the time because I was single and I had to find little motivators to keep me going. Queer as it might sound, when I started to run, I really wanted to get to the point where I was comfortable running in just shorts without a shirt. With a hairy, doughy body, that seemed like a pipe dream, but I did get to the point where my only reservation was my hairy chest and tummy - I was extremely self conscious about that at the time. Now the queer part, not only did I overcome the worry of losing the shirt, I altered my running route so that - from time to time - I could also loose the shorts for about half a mile. What can I say, nudity was a big motivator for me...

Time, dedication, prioritization, achievable goals....

 

[TheMeatyProfessor]

I got good news. I've put on about five pounds of muscle throughout the pandemic.

 

[aldawg]

My before and after pics. Always a work in progress though. Still building.

View attachment 1298828

Wow...that's amazing, dude. You have done something to be proud of with that body....congratulations! You have obviously put a lot a time and effort into that hot body....looking damn great!

 

[Clrwtrdlbud71-fl]

Dang some great testimonials and inspiration in this thread.

I struggle with the ''skinny fat' break-through as well, @FootballBro25 's comment on that helpful as a verification/validation point on approach. Consistency is my first priority but the biggest challenge with a demanding& unpredictable work environment and a large family: basically if I am not out of bed by 4.30a en route to the gym, it does not happen that day. And it-is-so-fng-hard to get up that early sometimes!!

By the way, anyone on Bodyspace (bodybuilding.com)?

(progress photo att.)

 

[Plasticroad1]

Thats sounds great man! When all the hard work pays off, you would never give up your fit body,lol.And its also nice to see a fit body like yours in the gym too. But damn! You got great motivations for 4 years long, any tips for a one year beginner? I started workout a year ago, my weight was increasing, until 5months ago, it stopped, doesnt get down nor up, like 65kg, its awkward that stuck at same weight lifting over and over again, didnt find a breakthrough to heavier weight.

All in your food man. I tell my clients "it's 20% what you do at the gym and 80% what you eat in the kitchen." Without getting a handle on your macronutrients, you won't be able to get the results you want.

 

[sweetbtmee]

I’ve been working out for a long time and never seen results until now. It’s a slow process and being able to know your body.

 

[CalifornianSTUD]

I gained 100 pounds between 2016/17 because of my job dissatisfaction and all around lowered quality of life when I took a job in Colorado. Once I decided to resign and move back to California I lost all the weight in less than 6 months.

Adequate sleep played a huge role in my rapid weight loss. My diet was and still is terrible, but other than plenty of sleep, I get a decent amount of exercise along with a very healthy sex life. Since then I have been able to maintain this weight for over a year.

I think having self awareness is number one. Knowing when you’ve eaten enough, mowing how much exercise you need to compensate for your food choices and portions, knowing when to go to sleep for optimal functionality, and knowing when to have fun. Stress is a huge factor in weight gain or loss. So knowing when you are experiencing stress and knowing what alleviates your stress is very important. Eating definitely makes people feel less stressed but is counterproductive because it will lead to weight gain or health issues which both cause more stress.

Exercise, social events, talking, meditation, and sex/masterbation are all much better stress relievers.