AJ McLean celebrates his “amazing” body transformation on his journey to fitness and sobriety.
“Thought I’d do a little throwback Thursday vibes,” the Backstreet Boys member, 44, told his Instagram followers on Thursday. “I found the photo to the left from a year ago on vacation and wow, it’s amazing what a little dedication and goal setting can do for a person.”
McLean flashed peace signs while carrying board shots in the throwback photo.
In the more recent photos, the “I Want It That Way” singer looked torn in mirror selfies taken mid-workout.
“The journey is far from over, however,” he added. “This is just the beginning! #healthylifestyle #sober #nomoredadbod! Let’s go! If I can do it, so can you!!”
McLean, who has been in and out of rehab since 2001, spoke in January 2021 on the “Recovering From Reality” podcast about being a “chronic relapse.”
“I can do short bursts and I’m OK,” explained the Grammy nominee. “Even if I fell back, I wouldn’t go on a bend.”
McLean noted at the time that he “never drank and partied for a month in a row,” saying: “It’s been one night and then I’m sober for a week or two. And then it’s one night. It was always back and forth.”
When the alum “Dancing With the Stars” appeared on the podcast “Not Skinny But Not Fat” the following year, he revealed that he had been sober for nearly 11 months.
“It hasn’t been easy,” he said in July, crediting the coronavirus pandemic for his recovery. “This two-year break that we all had really affected me in the right way. It gave me a chance to really think and really see this as [seriously] if I can.”
McLean is focused on raising his two daughters – Elliott, 9 and Lyric, 5 – who he shares with his wife Rochelle McLean.
The couple, who married in December 2011, made headlines last month when they revealed their oldest child’s new name, with Rochelle clarifying that Ava’s swap was “not a gender thing.”
She explained: “Last year she asked us to name her Elliott and it stuck. She wanted something unique that no one else had.”