25-year-old man shows off weight loss, revealing how he shed 221 lbs without surgery

Maynor DeLeon, a 25-year-old man from Chicago, has shed an impressive 221 lbs in two years, without any medical procedure. He keeps sharing his weight loss journey on Instagram and has become an inspiration to many.

DeLeon hit rock bottom when his weight reached 700 pounds. Depression and anxiety settled in his life and didn’t allow him to go out, meet with friends or feel good about himself. Every time he stood in front of the mirror, he only had self-deprecative thoughts.

However, in 2016 he reached the turning point after getting a leg infection and spending ten days in the hospital. His weight made the pain ten times worse, so he couldn’t walk properly. The realization about his weight being a risk factor for his life made him decide on changing his lifestyle.

But instead of going for surgery or all those other cheap tricks that people use these days to lose some pounds, DeLeon started a natural process, changing his eating habits and introducing exercise in his daily routine.

In two years, he lost a staggering 221 lbs, going from 700 to 479 lbs according to the latest update he gave his 156k Instagram followers.

Maynor has struggled with his weight since he was a child, and he admitted he tried dieting in his teenage years but always gave up when the exhaustion got the best of him. He had to change not only his daily physical habits but also his mindset to stay motivated and consistent with his goals.

“Success isn't a one-shot trip,” he said. “I've lost track of how many times I quit and started over again. I know I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm also nowhere near where I started. I've come to enjoy and respect the grind.”

The Chicago native has become a huge inspiration for others by sharing his incredible transformation and encouraging messages to motivate others. He even caught the attention of Nike and took part in an inspiration campaign with the brand’s famous “Just Do It” tagline.

“I already gave the world the worst of me, so now it's time to give it the best of me,” an emotional but determined De Leon said in the clip.

In his most recent before and after photo, De Leon wrote:

“This has always been much more than weight loss for me. It was not only about getting my life back but actually living a life worth living. I refuse to be the person I once was, this is a new me with a new outlook at life.”

And he took the chance to thanks his followers for all their love and support, adding:

“Please stay tuned because there's a lot more to come, my story is just beginning.”

DeLeon is aiming to lose 300lbs more, and in the meantime, more and more people join his community, as he hosts weekly challenges to keep people motivated and know they’re not alone in their weight loss journey.

ANOTHER WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY

Another man with an inspirational weight loss story is Eric Gonzales. He lost 150 lbs thanks to the kindness of strangers on the Internet who offered to pay for his Weight Watchers subscription when he was doing through a family crisis.

After Gonzales' father was diagnosed with cancer, the man had to quit his new job to take care of his dad. "I knew that there was no way I could sit there and train for this new job while he’s sitting in the hospital, so I had to resign immediately,” he said. “I knew it was a decision that I wouldn’t regret and that holds true today.”

However, quitting his job also meant he wasn't going to be able to pay the monthly $45 fee of the weight loss program, so he decided to say goodbye to his acquaintances on the program's Connect community, explaining his situation and why he couldn’t afford to keep going.

His story touched hearts, and some members of the community decided to collect money and pay for six months worth of the program so that Eric wouldn't have to quit his journey.

"The fact that they would do something so kind, for someone that they had never met, blows my mind,” he revealed.