Mark Munoz dropped 64 pounds – stunning before and after weight loss pictures

Mark Munoz is responsible for one of the most inspiring weight loss stories we have seen in a while.

The UFC fighter returns to the octagon next weekend against Tim Boetsch at UFC 162 for his first fight in nearly a year. Munoz broke his foot in a knockout loss to Chris Weidman last July and ballooned to 261 pounds after becoming depressed while recovering from the injury. But with some desire, discipline, diligence, and dedication (in his words), Munoz was able to get back in shape and go from “obese to a beast!” as he described it.

In a statement on his website, Munoz explained his journey.

Battled through injury, self-doubt, and depression. I turned to food for comfort and what I found was more heartache. A never ending cycle of “eating because I was sad and sad because I was eating.” I had to find peace and comfort in my faith in God, He shaped my life.

No matter what adversity, you have in your life, you can be transcendent over it with God by your side and you can accomplish all things. Thank you all who believed in, encouraged, motivated and prayed for me! I thank you for you compassion and care! Now I am going in confident to #UFC162 with all I had to work through!

There r a lot asking, "how long it took for me 2go from 261 to 199." Took 5 months of #desire #direction #discipline #diligence #dedication

— Mark Muñoz (@mark_munoz) June 29, 2013

In other tweets, Munoz explained more of his story.

Munoz worked with Sunfare to create the ideal diet — a paleo diet for athletes. He says the only carbs he ate were fruits, vegatables, and sweet potatoes. Munoz says he trained 4-5 hours a day, stuck to his diet, and did an hour of cardio per day. He says he was at 261 at his heaviest and that he had to do “a lot of cardio to melt the fat.” Munoz also says he dropped all the way down to 197.

Over Twitter, he even encouraged others to lose weight.

“u can do it! Set a goal to get 1% better everyday. U might not see a difference in the beginning. But in time u will.”

Here are some up-close pictures of Munoz before and after weight loss:

Glove touch to Bloody Elbow
Photos: Twitter/Mark Munoz; Todd Norman