Getting healthy and fit for your own well-being is is a huge deal regardless of who notices ― but having your weight loss journey go viral makes it extra sweet. Just ask Abrahiem Sarwar.
Earlier this week, the the full-time student from San Antonio, Texas watched as a before-and-after photo got more than 300K likes on the popular Instagram account WorldstarHipHop.
It didn’t hurt that there’s a great story behind the 21-year-old’s weight loss transformation: Part of the reason his girlfriend left him two years ago was because of his weight.
At his heaviest, Sarwar was 380 pounds. Today, he’s 205 pounds.
“I got heavier throughout the four-and-a-half-year relationship,” he told The Huffington Post. “I just got comfortable with her and myself when we were together and really didn’t notice myself getting bigger.”
When his then-girlfriend made a remark about his weight ― and none of the clothes he tried on at the mall fit anymore ― Sarwar decided it was time to get back in shape.
“I knew I had to get myself together, not for her but for myself,” he said. “It was really depressing to me where I was in my life.”
Sarwar admits that heading to the gym regularly was rough going at first.
“I would go to the gym here and there throughout high school but just stopped going altogether eventually,” he said. “I didn’t have any motivation for a while. Then I found my motivation in trying to prove to myself and everyone else that I could change my whole life around.”
YouTube fitness videos ― especially those posted by vlogger Christian Guzman ― helped Sarwar learn proper form and small hacks to maximize his gym visits. Cutting back on trips to fast food restaurants throughout the week made a huge difference, too.
“I started to cook the recipes I saw bodybuilders eat on YouTube,” he said. “It was a lot better for me and way cheaper than what I was spending daily to eat out.”
Today, Sarwar aspires to be a fitness vlogger ― and he absolutely loves hearing how his two-year weight loss journey inspires others to prioritize their health.
“I know how it feels to have no hope, to have no guidance, just being down all the time about yourself,” he said. “But only you can change that. You have to know that no one else can put in the hard work but you.”
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