We know by now that jiu-jitsu can be an amazing tool to help people improve both their physical and mental health. Physical transformations are particularly inspiring, and so a few weeks ago, we asked our readers to send in their own before-and-after pictures showing what jiu-jitsu has done for them. We received numerous responses from people all over the world ranging from white belt to black belt and everywhere in between, and now, we’re happy to present some of our readers’ submissions.
These photos are proof that everyone’s body and journey is different. Some people are able to quickly lose weight, while others take years. Some people look half their size after losing a small amount of weight, while for others, the change is less noticeable despite having lost more pounds. For some, weight gain through recovery from an eating disorder is the goal. Regardless of what you look like, jiu-jitsu can teach you to take care of your body and love it for what it can do.
Note: The timespans accompanying each submission do not necessarily indicate the time that’s passed between one photo and the other — don’t assume that someone jumped from white to purple belt in six months just because they lost all their weight in that time!
1. Roy Solis, brown belt, 80 lbs in six years
2. Shermaine Chng, blue belt, 22 lbs gained in 3 years
3. Cyril Jeff Smith, blue belt, 80 lbs lost in four years
4. Jeremy Such, blue belt, 115+ lbs lost in 2.5 years
5. Juan Perez, purple belt, 70 lbs lost in 10 months
6. Joe Ansaldi, white belt, 130 lbs lost in 10 months
7. Remington Aldrete, white belt, 60 lbs lost in 6 months
8. Kenneth Kim, blue belt, 45 lbs lost in 2 years
9. Michael Bridges, blue belt, 150-160 lbs lost in about 2 years
10. Jennifer Taylor, blue belt, 55 lbs lost in 3 years
11. Lance McDowell, blue belt, 180 lbs lost
12. Brett James, white belt, 61 lbs lost in 6 months
13. Brandon Robinson, purple belt, 115 lbs lost in 4 years
14. Jay Ray, purple belt, 104 lbs lost in 4 years
15. Steve Ovalles, purple belt, 94 lbs lost
16. Lowell Talbot, blue belt, 150 lbs lost in 5 years
17. Gerry D., blue belt, 155 lbs lost in 5 years
18. Angelina F., 30 lbs lost in about 2 years
19. Keith Barnett, white belt, 51 lbs lost in 9 months
20. Brennen Sanders, blue belt, 29 lbs lost in 8 months
22. Sean Johnson, 45 lbs lost in 8 months
23. Lukas Menne, blue belt, 80 lbs lost in 2 years
24. Kristopher Lozeau, purple belt, 130 lbs lost in 3 years
25. Kevin Bruce, brown belt, 138 lbs lost in 6 years
26. Angela Boyle, blue belt, 25 lbs lost in 3.5 years
27. Marq Fos, blue belt, 45 lbs lost in 3.5 months
28. Adam Bruce, blue belt, 33 lbs lost in 18 months
29. Oni Perez, blue belt, 73 lbs lost in 4 years
30. Christy Cook, brown belt, 50 lbs lost in 1 year
31. Keenan Craven, blue belt, 75 lbs lost in 10 months
32. Danielle Palmateer, blue belt, 80 lbs lost in 9 months
33. Josh Olliff, blue belt, 26 lbs lost in 18 months
34. Mike Hanson, purple belt, 74 lbs lost in 4 years
35. Kenny Gunter, 80 lbs lost in 9 years
36. Carlos Felan, blue belt, 40+ lbs lost in 10 months
37. Jamie Houston, brown belt, 60 lbs lost in 9 months
38. Jacob Chavarria, brown belt, 55 lbs lost
39. Michael Garcia, white belt, 65 lbs lost in 18 months
40. TJ Kownack, purple belt, 87 lbs lost in 6 years
41. Manny Gomez, blue belt, 80 lbs lost in 3 years
42. Josh Palmer, black belt, 140 lbs lost in 12 years
43. Melody Fortunato, blue belt, 35 lbs lost in 1 year
44. Jason Alessio, blue belt, 65 lbs lost in 1.5 years
45. Clay, blue belt, 80 lbs lost in 3 years
46. Tasha, blue belt, 70 lbs lost in 1 year
47. Alexander Hernandez, 30 lbs lost in 3 years
48. Sarah Hunt, blue belt, 90 lbs lost (40 while training BJJ) in 4 years
49. Dave, blue belt, 150 lbs lost in 5 years
50. Kathy Biasi, 48 lbs lost in 1 year
51. Ryan McGuire, blue belt, 110 lbs lost in 14 months
