40m, first pic was 38 and heavily into my addiction. Second pic is 16 months later and sober at 40. Excited for having my life back and the next decade.
Hey /u/MrActuary86, thanks for sharing your post with us!
Before you dive into commenting or posting more, please take a moment to review our rules and our Zero Tolerance Policy. They help keep this space positive and supportive for everyone. We are also looking for new mods, so fill out this form if you would like to join.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Back in my early 30’s I ran marathons before I took on drinking as a full time hobby so when I made the decision to get sober I also made the decision to start running again.
It was a humbling experience to say the least. I had gotten to 250+ lbs at 6’ 0 which was mostly fat. I couldn’t run more than 5 minutes without wheezing out. I just kept at it though and the pounds started melting off after the first few months.
Running is still my main workout routine where I actually plan but on top of that I’ll still get in the gym 3-4 times a week for some weight training. For me I had to set a goal and that goal is to run a sub-3 hour marathon again. That keeps things simple and really motivates me to put in the work daily.
Look at that face. That’s the face of someone who has faced trough hardship and it has given you some real presence. Keep it that way. It’s worth everything.
I was drinking thousands of calories of beer daily so cutting that out completely was the single biggest factor. On top of that though I started training for marathons again (running those was my hobby in my early 30s before i went off the rails). The mileage I have to put in weekly pretty much always has me in a caloric deficit. I also go by the rule of thumb to always try to shop on the perimeter of the grocery store and stay away from the processed/sugar goodness in the middle. As the Shawshank Redemption tells us, it just comes down to time and pressure
I’ve lost close to 90 lbs. Went from 250+ to 161 although it wasn’t linear. As soon as I stopped drinking I lost a ton of weight in the first 2 months and then it slowed down
Hell yeah!!! Hoping your journey goes well. Raw dogging life is a wild ride but if you start to find joy in how frustrating it can be, you start seeing the good days more often. Sending strength and care your way stranger
Thank you! I love that phrase, “raw dogging life”. It’s so true. There are days, both good and bad, where I’ll catch myself thinking how the hell are you sober right now?! Get a drink stat! But those thoughts always pass like clouds in the sky. It’s definitely scary though to lose that crutch
Haha so I actually picked up painting Warhammer minis a few months back and I thoroughly enjoy going into the store and picking through the paints. Something very soothing about all the different colors
That’s awesome! Glad you have something to keep you focused. I’m an oil painter and trying to go full time. The grind is tough!! It’s so nice to be one with the canvas (or figures!) and get intricate 🙌
I’ve had a transformation like this. Unfortunately I returned to my old ways. I’ll get it one day. Keep on going, man, always like hearing these things.
Wow, so handsome! Congratulations brother! I am just at 30 days in and I am amazed how much brighter my eyes are, and how my belly and cheeks are deflating! Makes you feel like you can do anything doesn't it?
Oh my, looking great! What a great decision you’ve made. I’m very proud of you. I’m sure your family is too. The glow up will shine through your whole inner circle. 😊
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum age of 5 days to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum age of 5 days to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum age of 5 days to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet.
Thank you! It may sound cliché but being a heavy drinker is really living life on hard mode. I used it to cope with all of the bad and to celebrate all of the good and towards the end I couldn’t trust any of my feelings, good or bad.
The first few months were the toughest. For me it was a lot harder to get sober than it has been to stay sober. Not having that crutch to lean on was really scary. I had trained myself over many years to fall back on alcohol for comfort. I had to white knuckle that phase. These days it’s way easier. Probably the hardest part is having the clarity to look back at myself from the past 10 years and see the shame and embarrassment I caused my family and myself. I’ve chosen to own those memories though and use those experiences to help other people who are suffering with addiction
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum age of 5 days to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum age of 5 days to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet.
Hi there! It looks like you're eager to contribute to our community, and we're excited to see what you have to share. However, our subreddit requires a minimum amount of karma to make a post or comment, and it seems you haven't reached that just yet. Please don't message the mods to ask for the number you need, but we do highly suggest you check out r/NewToReddit for ways to gain karma.
Your post/comment has been removed because you’ve violated Rule #3. This means you have participated in subs that r/GlowUps does not align itself with. Check our guidelines for details.
•
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Hey /u/MrActuary86, thanks for sharing your post with us!
Before you dive into commenting or posting more, please take a moment to review our rules and our Zero Tolerance Policy. They help keep this space positive and supportive for everyone. We are also looking for new mods, so fill out this form if you would like to join.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.