This may be the best before-and-after weight loss picture we've ever seen.
Matthew Wong, a telecommunications worker who lives in Toronto's Dufferin and Davenport area, became a viral hit after he posted two photos of himself standing with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, six months apart.
One was taken on St. Clair Avenue in July 2013, before he lost an incredible 60 pounds. The second was taken at Toronto City Hall on Monday.
Wong, 32, posted the photos to Reddit on the same day that he took the most recent picture with the mayor. They subsequently became the top-ranked post on the sharing site, with over 6,000 upvotes.
He was inspired to drop the weight when his girlfriend said she was worried that she would outlive him, he told The Huffington Post Canada.
Wong began counting calories and exercising. The couple eventually split, but he kept up the routine anyway.
"I focused on myself and really committed to sticking with my routine and working out my frustration at the gym, it helped a lot," he said. "I stayed sane and I didn't fall off the wagon."
He stopped eating fried food, cut out sugar and started controlling his portions, running five kilometres per day and lifting weights for 30 minutes.
Ford's own efforts to lose weight also helped inspire Wong's lifestyle change. The mayor pledged to drop 50 pounds as part of his "Cut the Waist" challenge in 2012 but ultimately fell short of his goal.
He later re-committed himself to losing weight and was even spotted doing high-knee raises at City Hall in March.
Wong had no comment when asked whether Ford's own weight loss would inspire him to vote for the mayor in the upcoming municipal election.
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