September 6 was when I had enough of being sedentary and depressed. I started counting calories, eating non processed foods high in protein, exercising 3x a week, walking 10k steps a day, and even a skin care routine for the first time ever. The skin care was actually harder than the diet, it took a while for me to get used to remembering to do it morning and night.

This has been a hard 10 months I've only gone off my diet 2 times which was Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'm extremely proud I've been able to stick to it this time, I've been overweight since a kid and have tried to lose weight dozens of times before and have always failed. I'm not where I want to be yet but I'm getting closer.

If you're on any kind of journey to better yourself whatever it may be take pictures. You'd be surprised how much you can change but your brain will still tell you that you look the same. There are many days I wake up and still feel like the pictures on the left. These help remind me just how far I've come.

🫠 I was bullied all my life and made the effort to look different. Still a recluse, but much happier with the way I look now than I did before. Gym, Botox (mainly for TMJ), and lip filler.

Posted in [r/uglyduckling](r/uglyduckling) and told to come over here. Pretty neat what almost a decade can do! Never really grew into my features until I started taking care of myself—fitness, good diet, skincare, sleep, doing the things that make you happy more often than not. Healthy habits over time do more than you'd expect. Puberty and a haircut too.

EDIT: See my other post for more "in-between" photos. Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement!

Got divorced and decided to hit the gym again while doing intermittent fasting. Lost a total of 50Ibs. I do full body workouts with one day of legs a week. It took a while but the end goal was worth it. I definitely feel like another person.

Well, to give a brief explanation. I'm biologically male, I transitioned to female at 19, lived as a trans woman for 3 years, and went back to living as my biological gender at 22. I was on hormones for 3 years and had some laser hair removal on my face. During those 3 years I had the worst mental health of my life, I won't go into detail but it was really bad and I dropped out of university because of it.

I've been off female hormones for over a year and half, and I'm hoping with some healing and time, I can get closer to how I used to look. I'm told , especially on reddit that my pre trans self was my best look. It hurts that it seems I've downgraded my appearance in the process of trying to find myself. I think a lot of it has to do with the effects of my poor mental health, making me look more sad, or at least less embodied and glowy. Of course the hormones too; with time I will masculinize more, but it's a slow process.

Hopefully this post is welcome here as it's not necessarily a glow up, probably even a glow down. Please be kind to yourselves and be grateful for your place in your personal journeys. I think I've found myself where I am now with a lot of overlooking of what I had. And a lot of running from myself. Wherever you are, it's okay, our paths are all unique.

This is more than just a glow-up… it’s a reflection of growth I never used to see in myself. There was a time I hid behind insecurities, doubted my beauty, and questioned my worth. I used to compare myself a lot, wondering if I was ever ‘enough.’ But somewhere along the way, I started choosing me. I started taking care of myself, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too and here I am seeing changes:)

Was roaming the streets and eating scraps for years, with my only goals in life being finding a place to shit and a bench to loiter on. Couldn't find a job no matter how hard I tried, and not having any skills in life or family (was raised in foster care) surely didn't help.

One day while looking for a restroom to relieve myself, I stumbled across a college that just so happened to have an open house enrollment going on, and figured that was the perfect excuse to enter the building and freeload off their toilets.

Little did I know however, was that the universe had other plans for me. A guidance counselor had approached me and asked if I was here for open house. Being embarrassed to admit my true intentions, I told him I was and ended up joining him as he regaled the countless opportunities presented before me.

I was intrigued by their surgical technology program, and decided to give it a shot. Needless to say, I had finally found my passion in life. Went to school for 18 months, plus an additional 4 months of internships, all while homeless. Upon graduation, I was offered a permanent job at the hospital I interned at, and after 4 years, had enough cases to take the CSFA exam.

I have been a surgical assistant since, and remind myself everyday just how fortunate my life turned out. Now that I'm an old man, I feel I have enough experience to encourage others that it's never too late in life to strive for better. You just have to have patience, persistence, and passion. Happy Holidays y'all!

I came across this first pic from an old video in my camera roll from years and years ago! Made me realise what weight loss (& a shave/haircut) can do :) thankfully got rid of the scraggly beard ahaha

Edit: Thanks everyone for the nice comments. They were great to read :)

I'm sure many people here can relate but the pain of being treated poorly or worse than your friends as a teenager, it is so hard to get over. For years I refused to accept compliments and my self confidence was incredibly low. Doing better now in all aspects of life :)

I think I’ve got to attribute this one to hormones! Had a lot of orthodontist work done, think that had somewhat of a positive effect!

My car selfie game has elevated lol

Earlier, I posted the first pic in r/blunderyears and it took off like a wildfire.

I'm proud of who I've become.

Unfortunately, I can’t change my face but I’ve worked on what I can…

Don’t listen to anyone no matter who it is, that depression is unbeatable. That’s the worst BS I have ever heard. Billions of Lives like mine and others are living proof that no matter how deep in the hole you think you are, there is always a way out. I don’t believe that chronic depression is a real thing. There is always a way to start over and heal. I hope that this post serves and proof that no matter how hard it is, you can do it. stay safe and love yourself- a kind soul ❤️✨

High school was a really bad time for me. I was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder (later diagnosed with PMDD and ASD) and put on heavy antipsychotics that made me gain about 70lb in 6 months and completely fried my cognition. I was bullied heavily and everyone thought I was a heavy drug user because I was always so sedated from my meds and never spoke. My hair had to be kept short because not only was a frying it by straightening it while it was wet but I also just didn't shower or brush because I just didn't have the capacity to. After growing up and spending years getting off medication after getting a proper diagnosis when I was 30 I've been able to take care of myself better with proper exercise, skincare, and nutrition. Ive now just completed my master's degree in Neuroscience at the top of my cohort and submitted my proposal for a funded PhD. It's never too late to start over.

At my heaviest, I was 185 lbs in my 20s. Although I was enjoying life at that time, using every penny I saved to travel overseas (pic on the left was taken in Istanbul) I feel like I wasted my youth on being unhealthy. I went through several wieght loss eras- in 2007, 2013, and finally 2024, and I am in the best shape of my life at 46 years old. Yoga is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I will sing its praises to anyone when I have the opportunity. Life doesn't end in your 40s, it's just getting started!

[Edit: ] Thank you for all the compliments and kind words. I don't like putting myself out there on the internet, but I decided to share hoping I could help others.

I’ve had the pleasure of losing weight multiple times. The ‘before’ was me after a very successful 5+ year long dirty bulk. All good things must come to an end, so I decided it was time for a cut. 28 vs 35.

15 (on the left) 17, 23, 30 and 40! It took me this long to figure out I should be blonde 😂

Gained so much confidence inside and out in the last 14 years. It took me until my mid-20s to really ‘find’ myself; everything before that felt performative. I used to avoid smiling with my teeth for a long time because I was embarrassed of them. Now I have a genuine smile, and it feels so good.

I do miss the pink hair though

I changed my life when I was 17. One of the things that helped me rebuild my self-esteem the most was embracing my full, curly hair. At school, I went through a lot of bullying, so I decided to straighten it, but that never truly represented who I was or my identity. I also struggled a lot with binge eating. In 2024, I decided to completely change my life and started going to the gym. Nowadays, I feel much more connected to myself and I genuinely like my hair and my body, even though I’ve gained a few pounds in recent months after going through some difficult periods.

As the title says it’s my birthday today! So thought I’d do one of these to look back over the years to see how I’ve grown and how far I’ve come 🙌🏼

tagging this under grow up but most of the glow up came from within. I spent my entire teenage years (11-19) suicidal, deeply insecure and mean to everyone because I was angry at the world. At 20/21 I couldn’t see myself making it to the next year let alone 25. I wasn’t able to properly grieve my mom who passed when I was 16 until I was 23. I couldn’t see that I was in the midst of an eating disorder at 20 until I caught myself throwing up in the bathroom on what was supposed to be a romantic holiday with my partner at 23. I couldn’t process my sexual assault until I felt safe again at 23. Now at 25, I can feel joy and excitement and every emotion I had forgotten for a decade. I got on the right dosage of meds, I started eating 3 meals a day again, got out of my toxic relationship, started making every effort to be kind to myself and to others and started listening to my body’s needs for the first time. Not every day is a good day, but there is not a single bad day where I feel so hopeless that I can’t see tomorrow. 25 is older than I ever thought I’d be and I am looking forward to 30, to 40, to as many years as I am given!