It’s a beautiful thing when a father and son can share the same experience and bond over the course.
A Chinese photographer has documented the amazing transformation of him and his father after the pair started a gruelling weight-losing journey together.
Ding Guoliang, 32, said he hoped his father Ding Youwang, 53, could lose his beer belly and feel happy again, so he encouraged his old man to hit the gym and promised to join him.
Before and after: The pair began their exercising regime in March (left) and in September they both had an enviable body
Caring son: Ding Guoliang, from China, had deliberately gained 1.6 stone (left) before starting to lose weight with his father. He said that way his father would feel less awkward about going to the gym. The photographer now boasts a six-pack (right)
Down-to-earth man: Ding Guoliang’s father owned a small bamboo factory. He became depressed after his business lost money and put on a lot of weight (left). After working out for six months or so, the 53-year-old looks a decade younger (right)
To boost his father’s confidence, the caring son deliberately gained 1.6 stone (22 pounds) before the duo began the tough exercising regime on March 10, 2017.
The results were phenomenal.
After working out in the gym five days a week for nearly seven months, the pair from south-east China’s Fujian Province, managed to turn their rounded bellies into six-pack abs.
‘Previously my dad was shy and didn’t talk much; now he is much happier and more energetic. He even looks a decade younger,’ Guoliang told MailOnline.
The photographer, who is also a new father, asked his wife and mother to take pictures of him and his father every 10 days to capture the changes of their bodies.
Guoliang asked his wife and mother to take pictures of him and his father every 10 days to capture the changes of their bodies
Guoliang said at the beginning his father felt the exercising too hard, but gradually he was able to get accustomed to it
After working out in the gym five days a week for nearly seven months, the pair turned their rounded bellies into six-pack abs
The pair shot to fame after Guoliang posted the images on his Instagram account under the name of ‘xyjesse’. He also made a video of the process and posted it onto his account on WeChat, a Chinese messaging app.
Guoliang said his father is 5ft 6in tall and weighed 13 stone (183 pounds) before losing weight. By the end of September, the retiree shed 3.1 stone (44 pounds) and obtained a super toned body.
On the other hand, Guoliang’s weight decreased from 11 stone (158 pounds) to 9.4 stone (132 pounds). Guoliang, who is also 5ft 6in tall, said he had previously gained 1.6 stone in order to make his father feel comfortable about the weigh-loss proposal.
Guoliang said hadn’t lived with his parents for more than 10 years, and he hoped to get to know his father better
The incredible exercising routine has brought the father and son closer than ever, and Guoliang said they are like friends now
Guoliang said: ‘My father was going through difficult times then. He owned a bamboo factory, the business had gone down’. Guoliang’s father is pictured harvesting bamboo shoots. The man got drunk often after losing money to his business
Guoliang grew up in a small village in Fujian Province and now works as a professional photographer in Xiamen, a bustling coastal city in the same province.
He said hadn’t lived with his parents for more than 10 years since he left his home for work.
At the end of 2016, his wife got pregnant. He hoped his mother could help look after his wife, so he decided to ask his parents to move to Xiamen and live with him.
Guoliang said he also wanted to take the opportunity to spend time with his parents and get to know them again.
‘My father was going through difficult times then. He owned a small bamboo factory, the business had gone down and he lost money.
‘He is a reserved person and doesn’t like sharing his trouble, so he resorted to alcohol and got drunk often.
‘He spent hours on end playing with his phone and wouldn’t leave the house.
Nearly there: The two pictures taken in September, before they finished their six-month workout plan, show solid abs on both
Guoliang wrote in his online blog on WeChat: ‘In my mind, my father has always been a tall and strong person.’ In both pictures, Guoliang is seen hanging out with his father. The left one was taken in 1980s and the right one was recent
Guoliang said his father’s depression shook him so he decided to take him to the gym and was determined to make him happy
Guoliang said he was heart-broken to see his father like that, so he decided to do something to help him.
He wrote in his online blog on WeChat: ‘In my mind, my father has always been a tall and strong person. His depression shook me, and made me feel determined to change him.’
Guoliang went to the gym with his father five days a week after work. He said at the beginning his father felt the exercising too hard, but gradually he was able to get accustomed to it.
The dedicated son also designed a training rota, printed it out and stuck it on the wall at their home.
Guoliang and his father’s passionate workout regime also influenced his wife and mother. The family of four were pictured before (above) and after (bottom) the pair’s incredible transformation. One other change was Guoliang’s son was born
Towards the end of their weigh-loss journey, Guoliang’s mother was also inspired and would do some light jogging with Guoliang’s father. Guoliang’s parents, both 53 years old, were pictured before and after the pair’s workout regime last year
Guoliang said: ‘Every 10 days, we would record our changes until September 30. We never stopped working out.
‘Exercising in the gym is a self-challenge, but also a self-cultivation. [My father and I] cooperated with each other and constantly encouraged each other.
‘We have built a special bond through it.’
Towards the end of their weigh-loss journey, Guoliang’s mother also started joining them.
‘My mum’s health is not good, so she would do some light jogging with my dad.’
Guoliang’s wife, who gave birth to a healthy baby boy on in May, is now also passionate about doing Yoga.
The family man confessed that he wasn’t aimed at turning him and his father into hunks when he proposed the exercising regime. He said he just wanted to get to know his father a bit better and make him happy.
‘Now my father is like my brother, my teacher and my friend, could any father-and-son relationship be better?’
While describing how the memorable journey has changed his views on life, Guoliang used a famous line from film Forrest Gump: ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’
Guoliang’s wife, who gave birth to a healthy baby boy on in May, is now also passionate about doing Yoga