Ben&Ben's Paolo Benjamin celebrates stretch marks, his past self in inspiring weight loss post
Ben&Ben's Paolo Benjamin is sharing his weight loss progress and celebrating the small wins that come with it.
One half of the Filipino folk-pop band's twin vocalists took to social media to share that he had hit his weight goal with a before and after photos.
In the after picture, the artist can be seen with 6-pack abs in a mirror selfie taken in a Dubai hotel, where he and his bandmates are slated to perform for Dubai Expo 2020.
"These pictures represent years of hard work and sacrifice. Today, I just wanted to celebrate this growth with all of you," he wrote.
The 28-year-old gave some words of inspiration for his fans who may be going through the same journey: "If you are on a path of growth, do it out of love for yourself and do it for the people you love."
"Never do it just to please others, because it will never be enough. You are enough."
He capped off the post to show some love to the lesser-appreciated parts of someone's weight loss journey, such as the aftermath of losing body fat and how his former self had the courage to make a change.
"In this picture, I also celebrate my stretch marks. Cause they're awesome. I also celebrate my past self, because he's awesome too."
In an equally-inspiring Instagram post on Mar. 7, the artist shared that running is his preferred choice of exercise and ultimately played a big part on his journey.
"I was never really a runner. I started from not being able to run straight for 2 minutes, to conquering 21 km," he began. "I want to unapologetically celebrate this moment because it took literal blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point."
He once again reminded his followers to remember the ups and downs of pursuing a healthier lifestyle: "I had painful bouts with low self-esteem and loss of motivation. But I also remember the mini-victories, and the small breakthroughs."
"As you go through your own journey of growth, know that at all times you are accepted and loved, but also know that you have so much room to grow and be the best version of yourself. We just gotta put in the work, but we'll get there!," he added.