Backstreet Boys’ member AJ McLean is sharing his body transformation following his decision to become sober.
McLean recently shared before and after photos of his body on Instagram, reflecting on his journey to give up drugs and alcohol.
“Thought I’d do a little throwback Thursday vibes,” McLean wrote. “[I] found the pic on the left from a year ago on vacation and wow it’s amazing what a little dedication and setting goals can do for a person. The journey is far from over though. This is just the beginning! Let’s go! If I can do it so can you!!,” he said, adding the hashtags, #healthylifestyle #sober and #nomoredadbod.
The first photo shows McLean on the beach sporting a hat, sunglasses, and brightly colored swim trucks. In the other two photos, a visibly slimmer McLean can be seen standing inside a gym shirtless as he snaps selfies in the mirror.
McLean will celebrate three years of sobriety in December, ET Canada reported. McLean previously hinted at a possible health journey during a 2019 conversation with the outlet.
“Becoming a father changes everything. For some people, they go the other way — grow up first, then have kids. But I dove in head-first and I love being a dad.”
“[Addiction] has made me have to look inward, which I think is what a lot of people who haven’t fully matured are lacking,” he continued. “That’s something I’ve struggled with for years. I put my family first, then I put my job, then somewhere down the line is me.”
“I’m slowly learning … that it’s okay to put me before all of it because if I’m not happy and healthy, how could I be the father and husband that I truly know I am and want to become even better at? If I’m not happy or healthy, all the other stuff is eventually going to go bye-bye.”
While appearing on The Tamron Hall Show in 2020, McLean revealed how a comment from his daughter Lyric prompted him to pursue sobriety. McLean explained how his daughter, who was just three years old at the time, told him, ‘you don’t smell like my Daddy,’ according to Billboard.
“That was it,” McLean said. “There doesn’t get a lower bottom in my world that your own child telling you that you don’t smell like their dad.”
McLean said regular virtual AA meetings have positively impacted his sobriety during a July 2022 conversation with USA Today.
Additionally, McLean recently released the music video for his latest single “Smoke,” which you can watch HERE.
