5 Ways Weight-Loss Transformation Instagrams Can Change Your Life

Before-and-after weight loss transformation photos are all over Instagram — but women don't share snapshots of themselves at their best and worst for all the same reasons (or for the reasons you'd think).

Here's why some of the bravest women on Instagram have broadcast their bare bodies — and how doing so has changed their lives ?​.

1. I Became a Better Mom

Kylie Weston, 29, from Victoria, Australia

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/BAggkM3NzXE/?taken-by=squatting_for_donuts" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

I put on 40 kilos (about 88 pounds) during my first pregnancy two years ago and developed postpartum depression because of it. With my tummy and skin sag, I just didn't love my body or think it was good enough, and it put me in a really dark place. It sounds so selfish when you're surrounded by two beautiful kids and an incredible husband, but being a mother can be so lonely at times.​ But after my second pregnancy 10 months ago, I decided to get healthy and started posting progress photos for accountability.

I've acquired a lot of supportive followers [Editor's note: She now has more than 38,300.], and it's awesome to have people cheer me on. But at the end of the day, you have to do it for yourself. Doing it for applause of other won't help you achieve your goals. ​Now I feel amazing when I look at my progress pictures. I feel like I did it — I actually did it! — and I didn't believe I would.

2. I Raised Money for My Skin Removal Surgeries

Kaitlyn Smith, 20, from Portland, Tennessee

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/BA40hUKJ09A/?taken-by=xo_kaitttt" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >​

I was overweight since I was little — doctors thought I had a gene mutation or slow metabolism — and started dieting when I was 8. I continued to gain weight until I topped out at 414 pounds at age 16. Eventually, a woman in my town helped me lose 208 pounds in 15 months by eating healthier foods at frequent intervals and working out six days a week.

I had so much excess skin that I felt like I was living in a shell and was getting skin infections. I posted before-and-after weight loss photos to promote my GoFundMe page and raise the money I needed to travel for a three-part skin-removal surgery, ending up with enough money to cover a whole trip's worth of travel.​

Over the course of seven months, I had about 30 pounds of excess skin removed. Now, when I don't feel great about myself, I look at old photos of myself next to new ones. Sometimes I simply can't believe that I'm half the size I used to be after seeing this 414-pound girl in the mirror for so long.

3. I Got Over My Weight Issues

MaryKate Schmidt​, 25, from Chicago Illinois

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/BAs13CRxKYz/?taken-by=froyotofitness" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >​

In college, I gave up playing Division I volleyball and transferred to a new school where I joined a sorority and gained 30 pounds, going from 140 pounds at 5-foot-10 to 170 pounds. I was always really conscious of my weight — I'd eat the minimum number of calories during the day to save them for drinking at night. But then I'd drunk-eat pizza and grilled cheese. I'd lose 10 pounds for a formal or my birthday, then spend three sedentary months binge-eating.

After college, I tried a fitness program that resembled the kind of workouts I did as an athlete. In 36 weeks, I reached my goal of 140 pounds​. When friends started asking me about my strategy, I thought that sharing my before-and-after photos​ could show people that you can weigh 125 pounds in high school and go up to 170 — but just because you fail once doesn't mean you can't go at it again. ​I've found that posting progress photos keeps me more accountable and motivated, particularly when my weight stagnates. I know muscle weighs more than fat, so if I get back up to 150, I'm not going to freak out.

4. I Finally Found Direction

Danielle Guy, 24, from Geraldton, Australia

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/BBMfn-lstLe/?taken-by=danipguy" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >​

After I had my son 18 months ago, I couldn't stand looking in the mirror: I'd gained about 28.6 pounds, felt unfit, and didn't like the way my body looked. When I started working out and learning more about nutrition, I took pictures of myself to track my progress. Now it's been 65 weeks, and I've lost about 25 pounds. 

My transformation has been all about me — on bad days when I don't want to get off the couch, I look at the photos to see how far I've come.​ I only shared my transformation photos to inspire women by showing them that they can change too, but I've found it really made me feel part of the whole online weight loss community.

For a long time, I struggled to find direction as a new mom who didn't finish high school, but the online support I've received throughout my transformation helped me realize that anything is possible if I can go from being really unhealthy to fit and strong. Now I'm starting my own workout clothing label, Bam Active, and donating the proceeds to an education organization for Indonesian​ women.

5. I've Built Confidence Despite Social Anxiety

Brittany Jackson, 28, from Hyde Park, NY

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/_T-1iaLFp3/?taken-by=brittgotfit_" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >​

I had three kids almost back-to-back and basically stopped moving, ballooning from 160 pounds at 5-foot-6 to 230 pounds during the pregnancy, developing postpartum depression thereafter. I was worried about going to the gym because I've struggled with social anxiety since middle school, so instead, I started walking every day, practicing portion control, and cutting out foods I knew I could live without. 

For accountability, I decided to take on a 12-week fitness challenge on Facebook that involved submitting before-and-after pictures of myself. While I still had stretch marks and loose skin after the challenge, I shared my photos to show women that fitness looks different across the board.

Reading people's nice comments like, "You're doing a good job!" and, "Keep going!" made me feel more confident in real life — and comfortable enough to push myself to get my Zumba teacher and personal trainer certifications. I still post progress photos of myself every #TransformationTuesday​ to show people on their own fitness journeys that I've been there. If there's one person who thinks they're alone, sees my post, and thinks, I got this, then it's worth it.

Interviews have been edited and condensed for length.

Follow Elizabeth on Twitter and Instagram.​