At nearly 500 pounds, Lexi Reed felt like a prisoner in her own body. She knew if she didn't make a change, it would eventually cost her her life. So, she and her husband decided to make a drastic change. It wasn't easy, but the inspirational couple lost 400 pounds collectively in their incredible weight loss journey!
When Lexi and Danny Reed said "I do," they became partners for life. But not long after the wedding, they became partners in a difficult journey that would forever change their lives and their relationship.
When the couple fell in love, they both shared the same unhealthy habits. They typically vegged out in front of the TV and ate out for nearly every meal.
“We never ate vegetables and never tried to be healthy, everything we ate would either be fried or from a fast food restaurant,” Lexi admits.
At their heaviest, Lexi weighed 485 pounds and Danny weighed 280.
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Then, in October 2015, the Indiana couple promised "'til death do us part" in their wedding vows.
They wanted to enjoy a long life together. They wanted to have kids. But both husband and wife started realizing their excessive weight might ruin those plans.
So, in January of 2016, they made a resolution to change. And they've not turned back since!
What started as a resolution turned into a lifestyle. And over the course of two years, the couple lost 400 pounds collectively.
There was no magic pill or quick trick. Lexi and Danny stopped eating out and started meal prepping and working out. It took commitment, discipline, and hard work.
"The first 30 days we didn't eat out," Lexi said. "We didn't party with our friends or anything anymore -- we didn't have cheat meals. We just were constantly healthy."
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Sure, it was tough. But it was also empowering. And that gave them the motivation to stick with it.
“I just felt happier -- I felt proud of myself,” Lexi explained. “I was accomplishing something and I was finally doing something.”
Lexi and Danny also had each other. The accountability and encouragement they provided one another helped in their weight loss journey. But it improved their relationship, too.
"We now have a more adventurous relationship and can do more active things together such as hiking, walking, bike riding, etc," Lexi said. "This journey has brought us closer together & we have changed our lives as well as the lives of our children one day."
After two years of hard work, life is good. Lexi went from a size 28 to a 10. Danny went from a size 46 down to a 32. But more importantly, the couple knows the changes they've made means a longer, healthier life together.
"There are no words to explain the feeling of saving your own life," Lexi says. "Going into 2018 I have nothing but a newfound happiness for this life I am living. I no longer am a prisoner in my own body and instead of just existing in my own life, I'm finally alive. Every day I wake up is a blessing."
At first, talking about her weight was terrifying to Lexi. But after some encouragement from her coworkers, she started chronicling her incredible weight loss journey on Instagram under the username @fatgirlfedup.
She never expected her story to go so far. But over time, she gained more and more followers. And now, God is using Lexi's and Danny's journey to inspire others!
"I just hope that if [people] do come to my page, they can find inspiration; they can find somebody to say it's possible," she said. "You don't have to have surgery, and you don't have to pay crazy amounts of money just to eat healthy or to have a trainer. Just move, start walking — all those things are just going to make a difference."
God can do pretty amazing things and turn our pain into purpose. We're so glad Lexi had the courage to share her true inspirational story!
WATCH: Married Couple Lost 400 Pounds Together
h/t: Good Housekeeping
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