Whilst there's nothing inherently unique in this approach, why had I never been able to get in shape, despite having been to the gym over the years? What I think happened was the reason, or my why I wanted to get in shape became a driving force that was a pushing factor."

In a tale of resilience and self-belief, a man from South Carolina, Cole Prochaska, has been showered with praise for his remarkable weight loss journey. Achieving a stunning loss of over 330 pounds in under two years, Cole came back from what he refers to as the "lowest point of his life".

Two years prior, tipping the scales at around 600 pounds, Cole felt the urgent need for change. In a recent Twitter post, he recounted his motivation to reclaim his life, "Two years ago I decided I didn't want to die young. I didn't want to get diabetes. I didn't want to never know my true potential. I decided to take my life back. 330+ lbs down and I'm not done yet. Believe in yourself!"

He further shared, "It's very hard to share a shirtless picture but I've come so far. Over 336lbs down! Most didn't believe in me but I believed in myself."

The transformation pictures he posted - revealing his journey from morbid obesity to a much healthier body - garnered immense praise. One user replied, "Keep pushing bruv. You inspired me to start on my weight loss journey. I need to lose about 120lbs to stay lean and fit. Starting the journey as we speak."

Cole is now facing another hurdle: dealing with the excess skin. He has taken to GoFundMe to raise funds for surgery to remove the skin, sharing his insecurities and long-standing struggle with body image. "My weight goal has been reached but my life is not complete, and it will not be complete until I can get rid of this excess skin," Cole shared.

He's set a fundraising target of $100,000, confessing that he's unsure about the exact cost of the procedure. Any remaining funds will be directed towards helping others in their weight loss journey. For Cole, the journey from being the size of three men to a single individual, or what he calls "3 to 1", has been achieved through a regimented diet, consistent gym workouts, and clocking in at least 10,000 steps daily.

In an empowering message, Cole encouraged others, stating, "People didn't believe in me, but I believed in myself. Over 361 pounds down, and I'm not done yet. You can do anything you put your mind to. I hope my story can be an inspiration to others trapped in this same type of situation."

Cole's incredible journey serves as a testament to the power of self-belief and determination, and we hope he secures the funding required to complete this transformative chapter in his life.

Featured image credit: Skynesher / Getty

A South Carolina man has been highly praised after showing his weight loss of over 330 pounds, which he achieved in under two years.

Cole Prochaska stated that around two years ago he weighed around 600 pounds and it was the "lowest point of his life".

Taking to Twitter in March, Cole explained his reason for wanting to shed the weight was that he "didn't want to die young".

He said: "Two years ago I decided I didn't want to die young. I didn't want to get diabetes. I didn't want to never know my true potential. I decided to take my life back. 330+ lbs down and I'm not done yet. Believe in yourself!"

A recent post from Cole said: "It's very hard to share a shirtless picture but I've come so far. Over 336lbs down! Most didn't believe in me but I believed in myself."

Attached is an image displaying before and after shots, with the latter showcasing Cole without his shirt on, showing excess skin.

People flooded his posts with words of praise, with one person writing: "Keep pushing bruv. You inspired me to start on my weight loss journey. I need to lose about 120lbs to stay lean and fit. Starting the journey as we speak."

Cole addressed that despite his incredible efforts to lose weight, he is still facing battles due to his excess skin.

He has launched a GoFundMe page where he hopes to raise funds for surgery that can see the skin removed while admitting that he is still self-conscious about his body.

"My weight goal has been reached but my life is not complete, and it will not be complete until I can get rid of this excess skin," Cole began.

"I must tuck extra skin in my pants and still wear loose clothing to conceal the flab. I have been heavy since I was 6 years old and at 38, I have never walked on a beach without a shirt on and always avoided pool parties. I’m still trapped."

Cole has set up a target of $60,000 - though he admits that he is unsure how much the entire procedure will cost, and that any leftover money will be used in helping others with their weight loss journeys.

The South Carolina resident explained that the secret to his success was eating right, hitting the gym regularly, and getting in at least 10,000 steps per day.

He describes his journey as "3 to 1", meaning that he used to weigh the amount of three men, but now he is just one person.

"People didn't believe in me, but I believed in myself. Over 361 pounds down, and I'm not done yet. You can do anything you put your mind to. I hope my story can be an inspiration to others trapped in this same type of situation," Cole wrote.

Cole has done an amazing job, and we hope he gets the funding needed to complete his remarkable journey!

Featured image credit: JJ Gouin / Alamy

"Going out in the mountains has made exercising so much better for me, I definitely couldn't have gone to the gym in the morning, then back at noon and the evening," he said.

"I'm on a keto diet, there are a lot of aspects to it but I have a diet that's high in fat with lean protein and I've cut all carbs besides vegetables."

"Since going from fat to lean it's made everything better, my hair and skin look healthier, you can see my jawline instead of chubby cheeks and I have abs," he explained. "I'm really proud of my stomach, my belly used to be a real beer gut but it's going down and even my waist is slimming down too."

"It's the difference between looking like a dad and a son, I get told I look 15 to 20 years younger," he said.

"When you see the results, you get so much more motivation week by week when looking in the mirror, it's made me want to continue to try harder."

Many of us have dreams of getting fit and attaining whatever we deem to be a 'perfect' body... at some point. Thinking about what you'll do next week, next month, or next year, is very different to what's happening in the present day. Because when you get home from a long day of work, it's a lot more fun to order a pizza and binge Netflix than head out into the cold to hit the gym.

So it can be an inspiration when you see someone completely transform their bodies, or find a way to become comfortable with how they are. But more often than not, it's easy to get a little envious of those who are keeping fit and healthy if you feel like you're not managing it very well. It's even worse when the person who is doing it better than you is also 67-years-old.

Bill Hendricks, a former marine from Dallas, Texas, has risen to fame after posting workout routines online. Hendricks may turn 68 next month, but he still manages to spend two hours a day in the gym to keep in shape. He explained how he rose to viral fame from just a few photos:

"I started posting my workouts online around two years ago.

"I was reposted on a group for overs 40s who keep fit and all of a sudden I had thousands of people following me and interested in how I managed to look like I do.

"I thought it would be a fun opportunity to speak with people about keeping fit and to maybe tell them how I keep in shape."

He allows himself one day off a week, but his diet needs to be in check too. Each day he has oats, omelets, chicken and salad. It may disappoint many of you to read that part of this diet is not drinking any alcohol too.

"I think I was given a physical gift and I don't want to waste that. I have always been sporty and kept in good shape. I was also a male entertainer back in the 1970s. It was all new and I auditioned and got the part.

"But I am not a personal trainer so I don't really have professional advice. I just tell people what I do as they seem interested.

"I do get looks on the street and people pay me compliments, Some people are a bit envious at times but most people are supportive and like to see my progress."

While he does have a specific diet, this mostly comes down to the fact that he sees "food as fuel", so he finds it easier to keep his body fat down. So those Friday night junk food binges are a little easier to avoid than they are for most of us. Either way - if Bill can keep his body like this in his senior years, there's at least some hope for the rest of us...