Weighing a Total of 765 Pounds, This Couple Lost Almost Half Their Combined Body Weight Just by Changing Their Lifestyle

For many of us, the motivation to put in the hard yards to shred those extra kilos only lasts the short timeframe of a week. But what if it was a life or death situation? For Lexi and Danny Reed this was the scenario they faced if they didn’t change old habits. But it’s the final result they reached that is sure to amaze you.

Trouble from the Start

Since childhood, Lexi Reed struggled to control her weight. It’s a feeling most can relate to – no matter how much she tried to keep the pounds off, they always found a way to jump right back on again. But she didn’t let this stop her from being the optimistic and outgoing person that she was raised to be.

By the time she was 25 years old, Lexi was sitting at 392 pounds on the scales, with the build-up of weight having a detrimental impact on her overall satisfaction with life, despite her best efforts to live life to the fullest.

A Match Made in Heaven

Not much longer down the track, Lexi fell in love with Danny Reed who was once her best friend but is now her partner in crime. Lexi’s shape or size didn’t faze Danny, as he loved her for her optimism and love of life.

But despite being a supportive partner, he too was a big contributor to Lexi’s unhealthy lifestyle choices. His love for food and lazing around on the couch gave the pair the green light to continue with their self-destructive lifestyle, perhaps a little oblivious to what it would do to their future.

Self-Destructive Habits

The couple were both overweight and living unhealthy lifestyles. Only a couple years older than Lexi, Danny marked 280 pounds on the scales. From here their lifestyle grew to be heavily inactive, as they lounged around the house and indulged on the wrong food.

They shared an unhealthy bond in terms of fuelling each other’s weight gain. They dined at restaurants for every single meal, while sharing a love for all-you-can-eat buffets. And in the times where they didn’t go out, they ordered take-in. Consequently, the pounds continued to add up.

Going Around in Circles

Lexi’s habit for unhealthy eating was one that originated in her childhood. “Growing up, we never had a lot of money and my parents never cooked. Processed foods were always easier to purchase than healthy foods…” Lexi told PopSugar.

And the cycle didn’t stop even after she met Danny. It became a habit for the pair to spend quality time together by eating while binge-watching television series and movies. “I was always an emotional eater, also, and no matter what the mood, food was always there for me,” Lexi added.

Held Back by Limitations

Their overweight figure meant that neither Danny nor Lexi could engage in activities that other individuals could do. Their days consisted of hiding away in their home watching TV, unlike other couples who would go out hiking, cycling or on romantic walks by the river.

Despite being aware that her weight held the reins on how she could live her life, she didn’t let that stop her positivity. Lexi really wanted to make changes to her life but didn’t know how, lacking in motivation. It all seemed like a downward spiral until something sweeping happened.

The Proposal

When all seemed lost, Danny got down on one knee and asked Lexi to be his life-long partner, and to Danny’s delight, Lexi accepted. “He never saw me as my size, asked me to change, or made me feel anything other than beautiful,” Lexi wrote on Instagram.

But despite her few seconds of joy, what came next left her shattered. Now weighing in at 485 pounds, her troubles of finding a wedding dress that fitted her figure had just begun, taking her thoughts to Instagram. “Nobody knew how to make me feel like a bride and ignore my size. Thank god I was strong enough to know my worth and kept searching for my 34W dress even though I questioned if I would ever find one,” she added.

You May Kiss the Bride

After some time, Lexi had finally found her perfect fit with a beautiful white laced wedding dress for her special day. The couple married, but it only brought on even more problems. Their dreams of a long and happy life together was far from a reality.

The thought of having children was a dream the pair had no hope of achieving if they continued with their current lifestyle. If Lexi was to fall pregnant, not only would it impact her life but also her baby’s. But that wasn’t her only trouble.

The Crushing of Hopes and Dreams

While having children was pretty high up on the hopes and dreams radar, Lexi and Danny were still unable to do small things that most of us take for granted such as travelling on a plane. Their weight refrained them from leaving their home state.

Lexi was really keen to one day go to Orlando’s Universal Studios to explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. But her excessive weight not only stopped her from going on the rides, but she also couldn’t fit in a standard plane seat. And with Florida far from her home state of Indiana, getting there by plane was her only option.

One year Anniversary

After a year of being married, the couples habits hadn’t adjusted. They still binge-watched TV while eating their store-brought meals, or heavily processed snacks. It wasn’t until she hit a hard place that Lexi realised that her habits had to change.

Lexi was losing control of her life. She had an impending feeling that if she didn’t change her way of living, things were going to end up badly for the pair. The trouble was, she didn’t know where to begin. But she didn’t let that take away from her hope because she was resilient and strong. Change was coming. In fact, it was right around the corner.

Happy New Year

On the 1st of January 2016, Lexi made the life-saving choice to make healthy changes to her lifestyle. She came up with a New Year’s resolution which was one that was going to play an important part in changing her life and health forever along with her husband.

Danny became Lexi’s rock and made sure that she didn’t engage in this life journey alone. At first, he was a little hesitant about the idea, but Lexi was quick to convince him about the benefits that this resolution would have on their health, lifestyle and outlook towards life.

Through Fitness and In Health

Danny wasn’t fond of Lexi’s idea as he was more of a couch potato like we all can be at the best of times. “At first the idea didn’t sound great because it was always good going home, sitting down, eating and not having to worry about anything,” Danny said.

But in reality Danny really loved and wanted to support his wife. “It’s a new year and something to work toward while helping Lexi out as well,” Danny exclaimed. It was their final chance to get a real shot at turning their lives around.

External Forces Lending a Helping Hand

When news got out about the couple’s resolution, Lexi and Danny’s friends wanted to challenge the couple by placing a bet. Both husband and wife made a deal with their supporters, going a month “[without] eating out, no soda, no alcohol, no cheat meals, and working out for 30 minutes five times a week.”

It was a challenge that the pair took in great strides, as they were determined to make a statement and to break the barriers that they’ve been restricted by for so long. It was the beginning of a new life and a new journey together.

Breaking Free

Lexi wanted what everyone else had. She wanted to experience flying, going on romantic strolls and being allowed to do whatever she wanted without being held back by her weight.“We were fed up with the life that we were living and all the things that we weren’t able to do together as a couple,” Lexi said.

Lexi really wanted to stray far away from the lifestyle her and her husband Danny had gotten so used to in order to save their future happiness. “We also feared if we didn’t get our health under control, we would never be able to start a family,” Lexi added.

Scoring their Fitness Haven

Going to gym after gym to find the right atmosphere to train in wasn’t as easy as you would think. Lexi was insecure about other people’s thoughts and didn’t want to train while facing judgement. Eventually the pair found a gym that wasn’t heavily occupied and even had a machine that Lexi fell in love with.

“I started going there when I got a free trial and — since it was never really crowded, my machine faced the wall (so I didn’t feel like everyone was watching me), and I found a machine called the CrossRamp that didn’t hurt my joints at 485 pounds — I fell in love with it,” Lexi said.

From Couch to Kitchen 

In order to get the most out of their lifestyle change, Lexi and Danny had to do more than just workout at the gym. They swapped their couch for the kitchen and their love for dining became a love for cooking. The best way to prepare meals was to do it together.

While supporting one another, they learned how to cook nutritious and delicious meals from the comfort of their own home. They said goodbye to their frozen pizzas and invested their time into healthier meals. But like always, dieting wasn’t easy.

Resolution No More

What started as a New Year’s Resolution had turned into a lifestyle change. Lexi and Danny didn’t like the dieting terminology as they found it unmotivating and short-lived. Instead they categorised what they were doing as a lifestyle change to continue to stick to their healthy ways.

Lexi was hesitant to let go of the foods that she once loved, so decided to turn them into meals that were a healthier alternative in order to make the change easier. “I started taking the foods I loved and making healthier versions so I no longer felt like I had to give up something or deprive,” Lexi stated.

The First Sign of Results

As time passed, Lexi and Danny committed to their lifestyle change. Not long after they got their first glance at what looked like hard work paying off. Lexi got more involved with her gym, making friends and joining fitness classes. Support for what she was doing continued to grow.

“I love my Pulse class. I love dancing to my favourite music and not feeling like it’s a workout. We can do a song full of squats and even though my legs are burning, it’s so much fun that I don’t even notice,” Lexi said.

Half the Size

As the results improved with time, Lexi soon became half the size of her wedding dress. Her fears of judgement also shrunk, with Lexi saying that “if people were going to stare at me because of my weight, I was going to give them a reason to stare by being the hardest worker in the room”.

Lexi was losing 20 pounds a month, something that she would never have thought that she could achieve. However, as she lost more weight, the weight was becoming harder to lose. But with grit and determination she continued her downward trend, soon turning her resolution and nearly-learnt habits into a lifestyle.