An obese couple who weighed a combined 55 stone have shed half their body fat in 12 months.
Lexi Reed, 26, weighed 34st 6lbs when she married husband Danny, 28, – who at his heaviest weighed 20st.
The couple from Indiana, USA, ate over 8,000 calories a day, dining every day on fried food and Chinese takeaways.
But last January, Lexi and Danny ditched their fast food lifestyle, the couple stuck to their resolution and have now lost an astounding 22st in 12 months.
Lexi, a receptionist, said: “I was always terrified of breaking furniture when eating out, people would stare at us and it’s no real surprise as we weighed a combined 55 stone.
“We never ate vegetables and never tried to be healthy, everything we ate would either be fried or from a fast food restaurant.
“We were easily eating 4,000 calories a day each, we didn’t know where to stop.
“Every year I would make the same New Year’s resolution and would never stick to it, but January 2016 was different and we stuck to it.
“When we started dating we put on a lot of weight together, we spent most nights revolving our dates around going for dinner.
“It’s what our relationship revolved around, most days we would go to a Chinese buffet and eat three-four plates each before getting home and ordering takeaway.
“My size controlled my life and it was also affecting my health, I had difficulty breathing and I’m pretty sure I was pre-diabetic, people don’t understand how hard it is to be over weight.”
Lexi added: “I was once turned away at a theme park because I was too big to fit on the rollercoasters, it was humiliating.
“But once we put our mind to it the weight quickly started to fall off, I have since lost nearly 17st and Danny has lost 4st 6lbs.
“Danny and I are still working hard every day, our journey isn’t over yet, but never in a million years did we think we could get where we are today, it’s incredible.”
Lexi and Danny had always been over weight however after meeting in 2007 their weight issues increased.
She added: “In January 2016 my best friend challenged me to not eat out for 30 days, I wasn’t allowed to eat any junk food and for once I stuck to it, and so did Danny.
“From there it was so much easier to keep at it and I said to myself that I would be happy with losing seven stone in the first year.
“Danny was really supportive and we started to make everything from scratch at home, we found alternatives ways of eating food that we loved, so we would still eat pizza but it would be a healthy option.
“I think that’s what made it easier, we didn’t feel like we were depriving ourselves of our favourite foods.”
Diet before:
Breakfast – nothing
Lunch – Chinese buffet 3-4 plates
Dinner – large family pizza meal deal
Snacks – mountain dew, sweets, chocolate, crisps
Diet after:
Breakfast – eggs and turkey bacon
Snacks – cheese stick
Lunch – salmon or chicken with vegetables
Snacks – handful of nuts
Dinner – chicken, cottage cheese, vegetables
Snacks – low calorie ice cream
As well as dieting, the couple attended the gym five-six times a week and Lexi regularly attended Zumba classes.
And in 12 months the couple have now lost just under 22st – with Lexi currently weighing in at 17st 7lbs and Danny weighing 15st 5lbs.
“I now try to eat 1,500 calories a day, but of course Danny’s intake is a little higher than mine, and I sometimes struggle to fill those calories,” she said.
“I started an Instagram page to document our journey and people have been so supportive, it really helped me to stay focused.
“We want to encourage people that it is possible to change your life with diet and exercise.
“You don’t need a trainer, surgery, to spend tons of money on healthy food or supplements. You just just need yourself and to put forward hard work and determination.
“Small changes are going to add up to big results.”
