Fed up with his growing weight, an Oklahoma man decided to commit to a diet plan for 12 weeks — and stayed on track by filming one video a day.

Hunter Hobbs graduated from college two years ago, and discovered that the long hours at his desk job — plus daily lunches out — had negatively impacted his waistline.

“Over the past year I had got to a point where I had some super unhealthy habits,” Hobbs, who works at an oil and gas company, tells PEOPLE. “The whole full-time working routine caught up to me.”

He had been fairly slim in college thanks to a more active, outdoorsy lifestyle, but had never dieted before.

“I decided for once in my life to really just commit to 12 weeks,” Hobbs says. “I came up with the idea to document it, and I thought, if I can stick to this and make a change, I can end up with something really cool. That was a big motivating factor.”

Hobbs committed to daily workouts, focusing on weight lifting and eventually adding in cardio workouts to burn fat. He also started cooking all of his meals, which were heavy in lean proteins and healthy carbs, like chicken, eggs, sweet potatoes and oatmeal.

“While all my friends went out to lunch every day I was the only guy eating at my desk,” he says. “I was just super consistent about it, which made a huge difference.”

His weight loss journey sadly meant saying goodbye to his social life for a few months, and avoiding the food temptations all around him.

“My roommate doesn’t eat very healthy at all, and he would always eat right in front of me. One night I came home and I told him I was really craving a pizza so badly but that I had to resist. And he said, ‘Oh, that sounds good’ and ordered a large pizza and ate it right in front of me,” Hobbs recalls, laughing.

And the start of his diet was tough, because Hobbs didn’t start seeing results for three weeks. But he stayed strong, other than a couple candy indulgences to keep himself “sane.” And 42 lbs. later, he’s thrilled with the change.

“I love how I look now,” Hobbs says. “My self-esteem is 100 percent better. I feel full of energy and motivated, and way more confident.”

With his weight loss challenge now complete, Hobbs says he will relax a bit and start going out with his friends again. But he plans on generally sticking to his healthier lifestyle because he’s “in the habit now.” Plus, he’s learned how to successfully lose weight.

“Everyone’s body responds differently, but I know that consistency is key,” Hobbs says. “If you make it a habit you’re definitely going to see some real progress. My transformation was meant to be a bit extreme, but you can definitely stay motivated and see progress if you stay consistent.”