How I Lost 40 Pounds in 4 Months 

I don’t know what I’m more shocked about the fact that Ari lost 40 lbs or the fact that he’s 5 foot 5!

Xiaoma having a nearly 150kg squat is not something I expected. Good stuff.

Thank you. This is the spark I needed. I'm a single mom with 3 young kids, going through a really bad divorce and some days, I can’t bring myself to look in the mirror or wear things other than yoga pants and sweats. I need to be healthy for my kids. They need me.

I'm glad this worked for you! Be careful with some of this especially "if it tastes good, spit it out." Some extreme dieting stuff can become disordered eating and is not sustainable long-term.

Proud of you bro. I was 702lbs and I'm now 336lbs so I know the struggle

I just got done losing 40lbs as of this week after a few months as well! I was saving $40 a week because of it. Eating healthy, feeling better now, and looking better than ever. The pre-diabetic symptoms scared me to make life changes. Congrats on this weight loss journey!

Thanks for sharing! The weight loss journey is one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences I have ever went through. Great job!

Way to go Ari! It takes a lot of will power to stick with lifestyle changes, but you definitely have found your “why” and your commitment is very admirable!

I am a dietitian and you nailed it. Vegetables take up space. I always advise people to eat them first and put no limit on the amount of vegetables. Good for you. Keep up the great work!!!

Your language content is always awesome, but i'm so glad you felt comfortable enough to share this with us. So many need to hear this journey/message especially since (myself included) a lot of people lost track of their lives/fitness over pandemic. Having a healthy balance is so important to a happy life. Thank you so much for sharing :) !

This is great advice. It's really nice to hear from a person who recently went through weight gain, then weight loss, and is still putting in the work. This all just clicked for me. Your focus on health, injury, and longevity really resonated. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing. I've been counting my calories for the last week, and I have already lost two pounds! I feel much more at ease and at peace about the process than I was before I watched this video. I didn't realize I'd fallen into the trap of thinking, "weight loss is so hard that it's not even worth pursuing." Why try something that is impossible? I appreciate your mentioning of hunger. That blew my mind. I didn't realize how much I was treating every moment of hunger as an emergency. Now that I'm counting my calories, I KNOW I am eating a healthy/reasonable amount of food, so it's now obvious why snacking every time I feel hungry adds up! These days, I actually put effort into filling my meals with healthy foods that will keep me full, and I actually enjoy eating more than I did before. I'm not restricting myself as much as you did, so I am still eating all foods, I'm just mindful of portions. Damn if my one slice of sourdough with dinner doesn't taste even better than the four I'd eat before! Thanks again, man! Truly changing lives out here.

Congrats man, you are an inspiration to me. Thank you for being honest and vulnerable!

The timing of this is incredible. As others have mentioned in the comments, I needed to see this on my feed. Exact same story. Put on about 60lbs since COVID began. Incredibly frustrating to not be able to wear clothes that once used to fit. And since I work from home, I'm always in joggers and t shirts. Every time I get hungry..I blast down some cookies and milk or just junk food etc. I do train very well thinking, it's all a dirty bulk. Enough is enough. At 36, it all changes TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS.

He’s right! you can never outwork a bad diet naturally.

Great to hear about your journey! You can even adjust content of your future videos to how to eat and enjoy healthy ethnic foods. It’s not about depriving yourself of foods you love….its about understanding how to eat in moderation and learning how to savor things you eat . Thanks for sharing 😊❤

Big respect! Thank you for voicing your opinions on this stuff! Good job losing weight and remaining consistent with you diet. You're looking better than ever!

I'm a woman, but I'm at about where you were at. 5'4, 178lbs. Losing 40lbs is basically GOALS for me. Definitely needed to see this. I'm an alcoholic and drink a can of Dr. Pepper Mon-Fri, sometimes on weekends...so obviously those two things are the biggest things that need to go. But damn, I also need to do some type of diet like this. Damn near everything I eat is processed. Just got out of a bad relationship...about to revamp my life. I needed to see this video!! Thank you!

Holy cow man. I feel like I needed to watch this right at this exact moment. I’m 5’7 and currently weighing 193. I’ve been fooling myself that I’m that fluffy but fit type but man watching your transformation just gave a whole new perspective. Thank you so much being vulnerable, it’s already helped me see what I can improve with my diet!

I’m so proud of you, and I appreciate how honest and open you are with this video. I feel many people are in the same relationship with food as you were, and I think that this video has the ability to give people hope that it is possible to lose weight in a sustainable, healthy and manageable way. Thank you

Way to go Ari! Your weight loss journey was exceptionally inspiring. A huge congrats to you for having such incredible self-discipline and for keeping totally motivated along the way. I too gained an excessive amount of weight during Covid and as a result I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Began seeing a nutritionist on a regular basis, stuck to the no carb diet and lost 60 lbs but it took me a year to do it. But I am way older than you. I started the diet when I was 62. What resonated for me was when you said that one can train themselves to get used to being a bit hungry. Eventually it passes and you feel much better. Anyway, thanks for doing this video. Very educational, informative and motivating.

I struggled to get over 170 at 30years old, since the pandemic I’ve gained so much and I hate it. I’m currently I’m 217lbs blows my fucking Mind, I have a twin brother and he’s the gym fanatic. I’ve got to start working on my health and confidence. Two years ago I was eating crab legs and cut the roof of my mouth with the shell and it almost killed me it became extremely infected with staph, it got so bad my teeth began to literally fall out. For me that was absolutely devastating my smile was the one thing I’ve always been confident about and now I’m 36 with 0 teeth just saying that makes me want to ball up and die. Don’t mean to be so negative, I don’t have any one to open up to about how much it’s affecting me. It honestly does help by watching your videos and the positivity you exude so thank you again

Did exactly the same my man! Over the course of 12 months in 2022, lost 20lbs the first month, 10lbs the next month, then it slowed down significantly after that but ended up dropping 60lbs over the year, got in the shape of my life and climbed a mountain in South America. Largely did it all by eating stacks of legumes, green veg, basic food stuffs. nothing complex, no processed foods, no vitamins or replacements etc. just lots of basic foods as they are and sticking to it. Keep going my dude, you're smashing it

Thanks for sharing this, Ari! I've become concerned with the same issue and it's good to know there's light at the end of the tunnel.

I had the complete opposite experience, i lost weight by making my meals incredibly tasty but yet healthy, in fact i have such an intense sweet tooth that i eat homemade desserts daily using whole foods and that has made my diet sustainable. I look forwarded to breaking my 16 hour fast daily since my meals are such a treat, i don't even need a cheat day! I tried the "if it tastes good spit it out" method by making my food less palatable and that led to binge eating and a life of misery. Each to their own hey, do what works for you since it's different strokes for different folks

Obvioulsy I'm here for language videos but this is your best video ever. As someone in the best shape of their life at 42, diet is so so important.

For me hunger has been the worst enemy. I’ve lost 111 lbs as of this morning (currently 214 lbs). I’ve used coping mechanisms to actually help my hunger. Telling myself hunger is a state of mind and rationalizing it and taking my emotion out of it. Distracting yourself with lots of activities helps too. Keep yourself busy. The more sitting around you do, the more you’re worried about your next meal. I would also say vegetables are awesome at filling your belly up and feeling fuller with less fats, carbs, and proteins in your diet. Anybody can lose weight. You just gotta be willing to adjust your lifestyle.

I hope you are proud of yourself. This video is life changing my dude. I’m done with my past relationship with food as of now. I have two young kids and want to be a good example to them and to live a long life. Thank you for the inspiration to get serious 💪

I like the message that you're basically telling here which is eat more veggies and don't stuff yourself (which is pretty much portion control). What I don't really like here is that you're telling yourself to put up with being hungry and also eating food that you down right don't like, if not hate. I definitely feel there's a happy medium there. I have a massive weight loss journey ahead of me, and I'm convinced that I can cut way back on portion size and still eat tasty, yet still healthy, foods and lose weight at the same time. I'm not talking about processed foods, but I feel there's still room for delicious, natural fruits among many other things that you can eat as well. Regardless, I'm incredibly proud of you for looking inward and taking steps to lose the weight. You look wonderful and sound like you're a lot happier! I definitely hope to be there in the future as well one day.

You are such a smart guy fixing the problem. You look so much better. Probably saved your life. High inflammatory processed diet is bad all the way around.

Big W. You look great!! Your kids are blessed to have a dad who cares about longevity and health because of them. Stay healthy, fit, and strong!

I really really appreciate the overlay text in all of your b-roll that was showing the meal examples! 🙏

Really needed to see this right now! Thanks so much for the information and for just being so open and honest about it.

Other than diet, what I found that works well for me is getting enough quality sleep(7+ hours) and drinking plenty of water

Actually perfect because I just told myself I was going to lose 50 pounds yesterday

Keep up the great work!! Thanks for sharing your diet journey with all of us

this is such a gem of a video, I totally feel you with vegetables taking up much more volume on the plate. It’s at the point where I feel really weird and unsatisfied if I’m not consuming a substantial amount of veggies with every meal. At some point a healthy habit becomes a lifestyle 🌱

thanks for breaking down every single step of your journey. a lot of people who go through weight loss dont go into detail of how they lost weight. a critical point you made was some the example recipes and actually showed them on camera. ive struggled to lose weight since i started looking into it and i think this is a fantastic video to get me going in the right path. im going to commit to rewatching your video everyday, so that i can engrain it in my head and start to build healthy diet habits. im excited to look forwards to sweating less, moving better, and sleeping better. i hope i can report back with some great results, thank you Ari for all your content and insight

Ari i have been watching you since the Pandemic and over the past year I lost touch for some reason and then this morning the Turkish Bath video popped up on my youtube and I watched it and loved it and was shocked at how GREAT you looked.... then of course my next video to watch was this one about your weight loss... I found it so helpful, so insightful and so REAL... better that most of the professional fitness and diet videos... GREAT JOB ARI... you are inspiring us more than you know... keep up the healthy living and the positive energy you put out into the world.....

Goodness! So proud of you for sharing and your honesty. This, no doubt, will help so many people.

Good for you Xiaoma! You look healthier and younger as well. Keep it up - your wife and children will appreciate you for it.

This is one of the best, most practical videos I have ever seen on weight loss. You are spot-on and I'm sending it to so many people. Thank you and congratulations on your weight loss!!!

Congratulations! I watched another video and I thought you looked different, but I didn’t know why. Good for you for loosing weight for a healthy lifestyle. Great for yourself and your family!

So much that you said resonated with me and was so genuine. Followed you since Covid. You inspired me like no one ever before to eat healthier and lose my 40lbs.

Love this video, no extra stuff, no promoting, raw footages. It really just shows your journey, and its amazing! Thank you for sharing! :D

So’ proud of you! I was concerned after watching your videos and seeing you gaining weight. Wish you the best for you and your family. Keep it up man!

Good on you, keep us posted every once in awhile on how your doing. Once a quarter.

As my main man Tony Horton taught me, it's 80% diet, 20% workout for results. You can workout non stop but if you eat junk, you will get stronger but your physique won't change. Eating empty calories while binge eating. When I noticed your weight loss I thought you maybe were taking shots of Ozempic. Thanks for sharing what you did to reach your goal.

"if it tastes good, spit it out" is an incredibly unhealthy way to look at food. You can make healthy, filling food taste good. Being healthy shouldn't be a punishment: learning to limit yourself is the way to go

I really related a lot with this video and I’ll gladly take the advice. I gained 25lbs over covid and would like to lose that. I actually changed up my workout recently to focus more on cardio and HIIT instead of weight lifting but I did not even think about eating more vegetables which I’ll admit does not even take up 10% of most of my meals. Your progress has inspired me to start as soon as possible. Thanks!

SO HAPPY FOR YOU GETTING HEALTHY!! YOU'RE A GREAT DAD, AND THIS MAKES YOU EVEN BETTER!

i did notice that you were losing weight gradually over the past handful of videos, it was great seeing you are still capable of learning different languages and doing your normal videos while also taking care of your self. congrats man, love the videos

Michael Pollan would be so proud 🙏 "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is still a go-to book recommendation for anyone curious about why we eat the way we do and what we should do about it. Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store. "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much." Here, "food" means "recognizable whole foods."

Awesome that you shared this with us. It was kind of inspiring. I need to loose some weight as well. The hardest part is getting started!

100% with you on dropping processed foods. You are absolutely correct about them. Good for you and your health! Keep up the journey!

Such determination is truly admirable! Congratulations!! 🎉🎉

Thank you for posting. This is actually inspiring as some one wanting to go through a very similar journey.

Hearing you talk about this is making me reflect on my own life. Having a similar body type to you at the start, this is making me think about changing my diet at the very least thanks for this video!

It's crazy that you've posted this, it's exactly what I've been needing to hear. I really enjoy hearing your perspective and I can relate a lot! I think you provide a lot of points that could be very helpful for me, but difficult! I admire your discipline.

Great job bro. Keep going man. Don't diet. Permanently change the way you eat. For the rest of your life. You will stay around 140 easily this way.

very instructive and inspirational - thanks, Xiaoman!

This is probably the best video on weight loss I have ever seen

You are GLOWING BABES! I’m so proud of you! Being healthy and taking care of yourself is the greatest gift you can give the world bc it means you will be around longer to shine your amazing light. Your smile is so contagious and my heart is so full of love for you and this personal journey you’ve taken. Keep shining friend ⭐️

I like that you didn't glamorize the journey here. This is the first video I've watched of yours so to be frank I'm not invested in anything else but what you've presented and as someone who's been needing to lose weight for a long time and haven't connected with any motivation, just seeing you put it plainly with only quick highlights of the realities and what worked really makes it connect for me. I'm currently eating tacos and drank some soda while watching but I've generally had a better diet of late. The synchronicity did help with the connection though, so hey I guess things happen for reason. I cook most of my food and do use a lot of veggies but the raw/whole foods strategy may be something I have to emulate for myself. Thanks for a good simple vid brother, keep it going.

i’m very proud of you man. you are very smart for thinking ahead in your life.

Great inspirational video for someone who is 40 lbs overweight! Love the Jack comment ‘if it tastes too good, spit it out’! Keep it up ‘yung fella’!

congrats bro, it takes a strong resolve to find the balance between satisfying our taste and listening to our bodies' needs. well done

Brilliant; take aways from this post was comfortable with being hungry, eating vegetables, no or minimal processed foods. Thank you for sharing this!! I practice the intermediate fasting, eating 10am to 6pm. Was three meals a day and now normally two meals a day, loss over 30 lbs for me. Happy to hear that through your discovery you will allow yourself a pasta meal ever so often, that's a great balance!! Very glad to know your life is better and living longer is a reality for you!

Xiaman...Good job My man....Lookin good but better yet bein healthy for you and your loved ones...Keep up the good work!!!!!!

wow, I find your determination to lose weight so strong. I’ve been trying to lose weight since the pandemic too, but I feel like I just say that and haven’t ever applied myself like you. I hope I can use your video to further motivate myself. Thank you for posting.

I went through this myself, same height and weight. I didn't exercise. I didn't have a job, so I really just played video games and ate well. I ate a lot of leafy greens, fiber, seeds, tofu, veggies, and lots of herbal tea. I didn't eat sugar, wheat or dairy. No alcohol. I was already vegan. I lost 50 lbs in a few months just eating and sitting on my butt all day lol Great video. Thanks for sharing! Happy to see you doing well 😊

I started my weight loss Jan 1st this year and am down 30 pounds. I was also super skinny as a kid and in my early 20's. I resonate with this video so much! Congrats on the lifestyle change Ari!

As a powerlifter, I feel everyone even those in competitions forget that you cannot outlift a poor diet. You don't have to go as extreme however, but with todays smart phones in the palm of your hand, you can easily find healthier eating options for you and the whole family. I myself probably need to cut 10lbs or so and yes i have muscle, but like you said sometimes we fool ourselves when we look in the mirror and say " well i am getting stronger so its ok" . In the end we need to find a happy medium between healthy eating and fitness. We have to be able to enjoy life but not like you said to much where we over indulge and forget the main goal of overall healthy living. Congrats on your hard work and keep it up, 325 squat for someone whos not really into powerlifting is great ! .

The video I needed to see today, congrats, and thanks for your honesty!

Thanks for the helpful vid, friend. I switched to a plant-based, whole foods a little over a year ago, simply for the same reasons you changed your diet. My breathing is better, my joint inflammation is gone, I sleep better, my digestion, blood pressure, attention span...everything is just immeasurably better. I feel great! I miss the foods I used to eat, but the trade-off just simply is not worth it! Keep up the good work, Ari!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I went through a transformation recently and you hit the nail on the head around food. Our relationship with what food is and it's main purpose is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. Exercising is extremely important as it has multiple benefits for your mental health and wellbeing. You also need to be careful that being in a caloric deficit(I assume you were?) means you are going to lose lean muscle. No matter what someone tells you, you need a healthy amount of lean muscle to have a strong and stable body. No need to body build but a good resistance training programme is a must or you will possibly end up skinny fat. Overall an amazing achievement my friend and much love to you for changing your life for a better future for you and your family! Oh, amazing content my man. You are an amazingly talented individual. Keep up the good work💪🏾 For those reading this,you got this.Be consistent in your nutrition and exercise , don't give up and you will see results 💪🏾

I love that you posted this video because it makes me think that I'd like to motivate others just as you helped me stay on track. ❤

I became a whole-food, plant-based vegan just over two years ago at 61 years old. Dropped 40lbs, my arthritis went away, and my sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure all returned to optimal range. Good for you for doing this so young and giving yourself the best chance for a healthy life! Keep up the good work!

Respect my dude. I am in a similar boat, hovered around 135-140 all through my early 20's and since lockdowns I've ballooned up to 180. I feel awful and just haven't exercised enough will to stop myself yet. This is a little piece of inspiration.

Ari, the fact that you made the effort to lose weight and stay healthy is the important thing and I commend you for that. I know how hard it can be. Been there too.

thank you for making this video, this helped me alot mentally

Well done Ari! Also, you look amazing! I dropped 55lbs last year in about 6 1/2 months. I hit my low in October and have maintained since . High protein, high fibre, (broccoli! tofu! beans!) for the win! At 55 years old, menopause wasn't doing me any favours either, and, as you mentioned, exercise alone doesn't cut it. At my age/weight, it was just hurting my joints. It doesn't take a genius to say... "hey.. I could go for a 2 hour brisk walk and burn 450calories and anger my plantar fasciitis and sore knee ... or I could just *NOT* eat that Muffin".. .. so I dropped the weight through diet first, THEN i kicked up the exercise to maintain it, and be fitter and healthier. As I'm going for long-term sustainable, I have one really nice/fun meal a week and just budget the calories for it. but no ultra-processed - too addictive, and now I find I'm losing my taste for it! I'm now no longer obese or overweight, and am up to 7 or 8km running twice a week, when before I couldn't run for the bus. So... maybe i'll hit 60 now without getting diabetes or having a heart attack? also.. i've taken some Repeat After Me Cree lessons thanks to you!

Good for you!! I totally agree that it's so important to eat minimally processed whole foods! I'm not a professional, and I'm not trying to insult or sit on a high horse. I'm just commenting as someone who is on their own weight loss journey (who has also lost about 40 pounds) and has met with some professionals and done research on the latest science and recommendations. I'm super happy for you Ari that you're happy and feeling great with your new food lifestyle and body, but the methods you used to do so may be too extreme for some people. Here's a few things that come to mind: 1) Eating "well" is generally about achieving balance, and eating many nutritious and minimally processed foods while limiting highly processed/high sugar/high fat foods. That said, many professionals even recommend that we "indulge" in "junk" food occasionally because it's fun, because doing so often vastly reduces the risk of you going back to bingeing, and because it's about balance and not necessarily about absolutes/extremes. It's often easier/more doable and more fun for people to include such foods in their food consumption rather than eliminate them completely. 2) Be careful with fast weight loss!! Too much weight loss too fast can be unhealthy/unsafe for the body. It's generally recommended to lose 4-8 pounds per month, or 1-2 pounds a week. Losing more than that in a short amount of time puts you at risk for health problems and at a higher risk of "relapsing" and quitting your new "diet". You're at risk for nutritional deficiencies, losing muscle mass, sending your metabolism into "starvation mode" where it will slow down temporarily but then kick back up when you go back to eating a less extreme diet, gallstone development, electrolyte imbalance, fatigue, and dizziness. 3) Plant based protein like that from legumes is great, but be aware that they can cause some serious digestive upset if we suddenly eat a lot of them and aren't used to doing so. Many can be hard to digest.

I think you've achieved some great insights. Being able to enforce them with yourself is very admirable and the ultimate key to fitness--and long life. Best of luck.

Fantastic video. Thank you. Good luck on your continued successful journey.

Well done. As we age we realize our purpose and align our priorities. Health and longevity should be at the forefront.

You're a good man! Not only excelling in learning so many languages to communicate with the world, but now you show you care about your health FOR YOUR KIDS/FAMILY! That's being the man for them! I'm proud of you! 💖

Thank for your openesss and honesty. Taking care of your future self is so important, your body will thank you later.!! My mom is 86 and she runs around the city and is in very good health. Doesnt need medication and eats well. I attribute this to her diet.

This is so interesting. Thanks for taking us along your journey.

Good on you man! Thank you so much for your advice as I could really use it. I'm probably 45 lb overweight right now and I'm 56 years old. My entire life before my early '40s I never had even a wisp of overweight and I was able to eat completely unrestricted and now it is all changed. I need to come to grips that I need to have a personal revolution and face up to some hard facts before this gets any worse than it already is. Thank you for being so open and honest! That is a brave thing that many people are incapable of doing and I admire you for it!!

Good to see that what I discovered about losing weight is the same things that has given you results. I am on my journey to becoming healthier and fitter. Thank you for the video! I’ll remain encouraged!

Really loved this video. Congrats on the weight loss and journey!

I love the videos so much, and I commend you for being honest with yourself and making a change that you felt was necessary.

A huge part of your job/calling is connecting to people of other cultures. Connecting with people and their cultures through food has been and always will be a huge part of that. Happy for you, proud of you, but go easy on yourself!

I really like this narrative! Really informative and I like how you show your whole experience and thoughts on it. Glad you could go on good path so easily.

I was expecting a noom ad so much! Glad this isn't! Really inspiring and motivating!

I saw the video with the sumos. As a person with eating issues (binging and starving in intervals) I could see the problem. I wondered how you felt about it. You seemed confident. But it’s good to hear your truth and your story. You’re a strong individual. You achieve some great things on your own will power. You learn fast and push forward. You Should be proud

Just the motivation I needed. Thanks for this video, and congrats on your health journey ❤

Love the transparency here. Thanks Xiaoma for sharing your full thoughts and opinions 😊

Killin’ it bro! Huge change in lifestyle = huge benefits. Way to go.

Way to go Ari, those are difficult habits to build. Good video too; I'm glad you've used your platform to promote good and reasonable diet habits. Cheers buddy!