Here’s What 11 People Actually Did To Change Their Bodies

Ch-ch-changes. H/T Quora

These are personal stories from the people involved and are not meant to be health and fitness recommendations. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet or exercise routine.

1. Rafiul lost 77 pounds this past year.

quora.com

Rafiul does 30 minutes of cardio every day, and supplements that with yoga or weightlifting. To improve his diet, he cut out processed sugars and "decided to maintain a low-carb, high-protein diet. It was great because I could eat all my favorite foods like chicken, lentils, nuts, and vegetables."

2. Brandon lost more than a hundred pounds — and gained a six pack.

quora.com

Says Brandon: "I lifted every day, I did some high-intensity interval training cardio and most importantly, I ate well."

"Changing my diet was 80 percent of weight loss for me. Before I lost the 65 pounds in 7 months, I had gone from 265 to 220 and then I got sloppy with my diet and gained it all back. What a terrible feeling that was to fail. But it really reiterated to me that maintaining healthy eating habits is the most important aspect. I’ve maintained a fit lifestyle for 3+ years since now."

3. Allen changed his body by doing the things he enjoyed — like ping pong.

quora.com

Allen says: At age 55, I had let myself gain unwanted weight. I had yoyo’d most of my life but looking at these Christmas pictures made me take action. It was done mostly with watching my diet, but also a solid regimen of ping pong playing — over three hours per session, three or four times a week. My total weight loss as of today is over 60 pounds.

4. Rich radically transformed his body over a 20-year period.

quora.com

Rich's first picture is when he was 28, and he weighed 225 pounds. Says Rich, "I remember when my son was a baby I'd carry him up the stairs to where his change table was and I'd have to take 5 minutes to catch my breath before I could continue. I used to not be able to breathe while I was bent over to tie my shoes."

To get in shape, Rich went on The Zone diet. He lost more than 50 pounds but wanted to gain strength, so he began weightlifting. After a heart attack in 2014, his current regimen is "cardio five times a week for 45 minutes each. I got the go ahead from the cardiologist to resume lifting and that's just what I did."

Says Rich, "I've lived in a lot of different bodies but none of them defined me. Life is a journey and each stage of mine has manifested mentally, emotionally, and physically."

5. Paulo transformed from a cross-country runner to a powerlifter.

quora.com

In high school, Paulo competed as a cross-country runner. But later, he decided to begin powerlifting, and gained more than 100 pounds, including lots of muscle. He can now deadlift 639 pounds.

6. Kyrril lost near 50 pounds and gained a ton of muscle.

quora.com

quora.com

For Kyrril, it wasn't just about losing weight, but about losing fat. At his heaviest, Kyrril says his body was around 40 percent fat. When he started working out, his fat percentage dropped to around 22 percent. How did he make the change? Weight training and (mostly) cutting out red meats.

7. Staffone was able to really bulk up and get muscular.

Some tips Staffone learned during his transformation:

• Lift heavy but listen to your body.

• Eat clean food (no junkfood).

• Drink enough water.

• Consider taking protein supplements depending on your diet and body composition goals.

• Make sure to sleep enough.

• Look at the workouts of athletes whose bodies you admire.

• Maintain consistency in gym workouts.

• Work with a gym partner, which will help you push your limits.

8. Nitesh bulked up big time and gained 50 pounds of muscle.

quora.com

His mantra: “Eat big, lift big, and be big.”

9. Rohit says he was inspired to changed his body after watching wrestling.

quora.com

Says Rohit: "I know sitting on my ass I won’t get the results. ... If you want something bad enough you can achieve it, and when you get to that goal, there is no better feeling."

Working out had a huge impact on his confidence, too. "Obviously it's easier said than done, but being confident is the key to feeling comfortable in your own skin."

10. Pavan lost 53 pounds in 11 months through regular ol' diet and exercise.

quora.com

Says Pavan: "Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next."

11. Naman gained 40 pounds of muscle mass over the course of three years.

quora.com

Naman did it by eating small meals, drinking plenty of water, training with cardio twice a week, and doing other kinds of bodybuilding three or four times a week.