America is a country where much of the population struggles to get fit and attain a balanced diet. There was one American couple that was pushed to its limits by obesity, but they managed to overcome the situation in an incredible manner. Danny and Lexi Reed would eventually reach their limit and decided to make a change, without going back on their promises to one another. This was not going to be an easy journey for the pair, but they went to incredible lengths to change their bodies, minds, and happiness. What they ended up with was a phenomenal set of results.
Convenient Junk
Danny and Lexi fell in love and tied the knot in the same way that so many Americans do. They loved to sit by the television with a fatty meal on their laps, often preferring junk food to a healthy, home-cooked meal. Lexi was not the healthiest individual prior to marrying Danny, and things only got worse when she said, ‘I do’, to the man of her dreams. Their lives together were not on a healthy track, it seemed.
Convenient Junk
Facilitating Their Downfalls
Danny and Lexi began their relationship in 2007. They would soon find that they were inspiring each other to consume unhealthily. It seemed like their eating habits were only getting worse and worse, a steady downfall that they did not realize was unfolding. Fast food and take-out were standards for the two, and they would mindlessly eat incredible amounts while distracted by the television. That is not to say that they did not try to lose weight, but their efforts were often overridden quickly.
Facilitating Their Downfalls
United In Health
Once Lexi reached 25 years of age, she realized that she had hit the 485 pounds mark, something that was a shocking development. As for Danny, he might not have weighed as much as his wife, but his 280 pounds weight was still concerning. Further, the couple was on a steady path toward increasing fatness. It wasn’t long before they began struggling to carry out the most basic of daily tasks, like strolling around the neighborhood. It was on their first wedding anniversary in 2016 that the game changed for the couple.
United In Health
Entering The New Year Differently
The pair were gearing up to take on another year, that being 2016. It was on this fateful night that the two sat together and made a particularly meaningful New Year’s resolution. While countless people around the world were doing the same, the Reeds were incredibly devoted to ensuring that this promise would be fulfilled. It was not going to be an easy venture, but they knew that they had to go down this road if they wanted to be happy. While many will forget about their resolutions not long after New Year’s Eve, the Reeds were not going to allow themselves to break this promise.
Entering The New Year Differently
The Courageous Quest
The couple was going to commit themselves to eating healthily and working out. A pal of theirs that was present at the party and overheard their promise approached them with an added challenge that would help them along: a month of no cheat meals or alcohol. The Reeds were emboldened by this added condition and felt like they could overcome anything. But like many people inspired by New Year’s Eve’s promise of a new life, the Reeds would soon come to find that their quest for health and fitness would not be so easy. Regardless, the couple got a gym membership.
The Courageous Quest
The gym’s cardio classes would turn out to be unmanageable for Lexi, who said, “I tried to do high-intensity cardio, but I wasn’t able to”. While Lexi seemed to be showing the right attitude, and was making an enormous change by just entering a gym in the first place, she was struggling to keep up alongside the other people that had enrolled in the class. Try as she might, Lexi was unable to match the pace of the others, and she felt humiliated and distressed.
Little By Little
The gym’s cardio classes would turn out to be unmanageable for Lexi, who said, “I tried to do high-intensity cardio, but I wasn’t able to”. While Lexi seemed to be showing the right attitude, and was making an enormous change by just entering a gym in the first place, she was struggling to keep up alongside the other people that had enrolled in the class. Try as she might, Lexi was unable to match the pace of the others, and she felt humiliated and distressed.
Little By Little
Making Strides
The 30-days were coming to a close and Lexi was beginning to appreciate how much better she looked and felt. She was happily motivated by her results and was sure that she was doing the right thing by working out routinely and dieting properly. In time, she had attained a loss of 20 pounds per month, to the stage where things were evening out. Lexi described how she was decelerating with the initially speedy weight loss and was beginning to edit her calory intake to proceed with the consistent weight loss.
Making Strides
No Nonsense
Plenty of people love the idea of losing weight, but sadly never go through with their plans. Many do not possess the willpower needed to struggle through the initial tiredness and pain. This then leads to further self-esteem issues, and the further entrenchment of the belief that they cannot get fit and healthy. Lexi was free of this cycle, however, as she managed to establish a confident routine quite quickly. She saw herself as running a company, whose meetings she could not cancel as she was the CEO.
No Nonsense
Teaming Up
Although Lexi’s weight was far higher than Danny’s was, the pair embraced the challenge together was were supportive of one another amazingly. As anyone that has taken on a weight-loss challenge knows, it really helps when you have someone engaging in the journey with you. Whenever they felt that things were getting overwhelming, this couple took care of one another. They would always encourage one another, especially when things were the most difficult. The point was to stay at the highest momentum possible.
Teaming Up
Danny’s Case
Danny had done his best to match his wife’s dedication to the weight-loss journey, even though he did not weigh as much as her. He said, “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.” He commenced the challenge at 280 pounds, and would end up weighing around 190 pounds. He had lost almost 100 pounds and felt like he was on top of the world.
Dannys Case
The Popular Couple
Lexi was using social media, particularly Instagram, to update her friends and family about her weight-loss journey. But while she was greatly enjoying sharing her progress with her small social circle, she would soon find that many others were becoming invested, including People Magazine, which included them in its “Half Their Size” special issue. It was then that Danny and Lexi found themselves going viral! It turned out that they were an incredibly inspiring couple.
The Popular Couple
Overcoming Laziness
Lexi was also asked to appear on Megyn Kelly’s show, where she discussed what pushed her and her husband to go down the health and fitness road, to begin with. They had reached the stage in their lazy and unhealthy lifestyle where they no longer wanted to spend each night lazing about on the couch endlessly munching and watching television. They found that they had been locked in this system by their poor health choices.
Overcoming Laziness
Adventurous Wishes
Lexi was obsessed with the idea of heading off to Universal Studio’s Harry Potter World, but she sadly could never be allowed onto the rides that she so desperately wished for. She was too heavy for the weight and size restrictions of the wizard-themed rides, and could not safely be hooked up into the seats. Lexi realized that her size was stopping her from living out her wishes, and that if she wanted to do what made her happy, she would need to make drastic changes to her lifestyle.
Adventurous Wishes
Embracing Motherhood
But thrills seemed trivial when compared to Lexi’s more pertinent dreams. She was thinking of starting a family with her partner, something that would need a decent weight level to be safe, if not possible. Lexi was sure that she would be unable to appropriately and safely carry out a pregnancy at her old weight level. The baby would simply be too at risk within her body, as would Lexi be risking her own health by falling pregnant.
Embracing Motherhood
Dangerous Levels
Lexi was then asked about how she managed her condition on the Megyn Kelly show, to which she said, “I would wake up in the morning, my joints would be sore, I would be tired, I would be out of breath quickly.” Given that Lexi was only 25 and still very young, she hated being in such a debilitated state. Her adult life had only just begun and she was already feeling so tired, sore, and limited by her body and habits. She wanted to break free of her circumstances.
Dangerous Levels
Making The Needed Changes
Danny and Lexi began making tiny changes that became big challenges. For some people, the thought of cutting out junk food is not a big deal, as they rarely eat the unhealthy and unethical food. But for Lexi and Danny, who had relied on take-out for almost every meal, creating healthy and consistent meal plans was a huge task. They also pulled themselves off the couch and began working out five times each week.
Making The Needed Changes
Social Media Support
Instagram, as we all know, is a fantastic tool for inspiring countless people around the world. Lexi was unaware that her efforts were doing just that. She awoke one morning to find that her account handle, “Fatgirlfedup”, had been followed by a huge group of people. It was not long before Lexi had 700,000 followers on her hands! She now knew that she was responsible for motivating her followers to take care of themselves and work hard at being happy and healthy.
Social Media Support
The Sensational Turn
Of course, social media is not always the most positive place, and Lexi would also need to put up with some haters that made mean comments saying that she and her husband were being egotistical. Lexi responded by saying that despite how heavy and unhealthy she had been, she had always been incredibly happy, and that her self-love was not dependent on her physical appearance, even when she was 485 pounds. Still, she was incredibly appreciative of her newfound freedom and mobility.
The Sensational Turn
Unconditional Compassion
The Reeds might have been incredibly dedicated to their new lifestyle and routine, but they were also consistently good and loving to one another. Danny had fallen in love with Lexi for who she was, and not what she could be. He had always made her feel beautiful, and his treatment of her has not changed. He sees her in the same light now, at 182 lbs., that he did when she weighed 485 lbs. This is the kind of couple whose love for one another does not depend on shape or size.
Unconditional Compassion
Lexi Weighs In
With all the support and following that Lexi had enjoyed over the period that she had been receiving, many were incredibly curious to know how she had managed to lose so much weight and take control of her body. Lexi believes that rather than committing to stringent measures and extreme goals, people should begin with small changes, which in the end turn into massive rewards. People need to be good to themselves and start with objectives that they can meet.
Lexi Weighs In
She Never Lost Anything
The way that Lexi and Danny have framed their story, it seems that they have turned a weight loss journey into something quite unusual. They had actually gained a lot, rather than lost something. Lexi commented on one of her Instagram posts, saying, “It’s not about the weight that you lose but the life that you gain”. This is an amazing way to view the health and fitness journey. Rather than viewing it as a difficult mission to shed weight, people should see it as winning their self-esteem and ability to live life to the fullest.
She Never Lost Anything
Take Your Time
While Lexi had become a true and vocal inspiration in the fitness and health world, and she would happily discuss her amazing journey, she would never want anyone to be pushed out of their comfort zone. She believes that people must not see this as a competition, and must take their time with this journey. The point is to establish a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and not some extreme labor that few people can keep up without burning out or giving up.
Take Your Time
The Maturation Process
While Lexi and Danny had made incredible strides as individuals, they had also improved their relationship amazingly. They could now do so many more activities together and were able to embark on all manner of adventures. Certainly, when a couple commits to a unified goal, there is so much that can be achieved when both sides support each other and keep each other in check. That is not to say that single people cannot do the same, of course!
The Maturation Process
Obsessed With Health
Danny and Lexi may have stated that people must not go crazy when it comes to dieting and working out, but they had certainly become obsessively dedicated to their mission! Lexi admitted that once she saw that her diet and workout schedules were yielding results, she became somewhat addicted to the process! Being addicted to working out and eating healthily is far better than being addicted to sugar and television, but remember to be good to yourself and not push yourself too far.
Obsessed With Health
Surgery-Free Productivity
Seeing Lexi’s phenomenal transformation, in particular, might have prompted some people to question whether she had gotten liposuction surgery done to lose so much weight. Lexi was happy to put any curiosities to rest, saying, “You don’t have to have surgery, you don’t have to pay crazy amounts of money just to eat healthy or to have a trainer, like just move! Start walking”. While liposuction will, of course, speed up anyone’s weight loss journey, this is an extreme and often unhealthy choice.
Surgery Free Productivity
Enormous Support
Currently, Lexi has close to one million followers on Instagram, and you can be sure that many of them were motivated to begin their own weight loss journey to commence their weight loss journey and change their lifestyles for the better. Lexi still struggles to believe that this happened as she was content with just a handful of her friends following her and appreciating her efforts and results. This was simply an unbelievable situation for the woman.
Enormous Support
Motivating People
Lexi never wished to be famous or an “influencer”, but she was still incredibly satisfied knowing that she had made a difference in so many people’s lives. She loves reading the many heartwarming comments that people leave on her posts, where people comment that she has inspired them to begin losing weight, dieting, and working out. This is not about glory and a self-esteem boost for Lexi, but a wholesome and compassionate force for change.
Motivating People
Don’t Rely On The Scale
Scales are dieting folks’ best friends, as this is how most people gauge whether their new eating habits and workout regimes are making a difference, or not. When someone steps on a scale and sees that they have lost weight, it is an indescribably rewarding feeling. But Lexi warned against relying too heavily on the machine for affirmation. Self-love is more important, and people should not base their self-esteem on numbers. It is all about keeping up the good work and being happy with your efforts.
Dont Rely On The Scale
Stay At Home Or Order In?
Bad habits are incredibly difficult to break free of, especially when it comes to junk food. Many people may not realize that they are, in fact, addicted to burgers, and candy. Breaking free of laziness is also a monumental effort. But once a person manages to overcome those things holding them back, they will have a new understanding of the way they eat. Lexi had to learn how to cook and the preparation of meals with her partner.
Stay At Home Or Order In
Neglecting Themselves
Beyond their Instagram account, the inspirational couple also established a YouTube channel. They could never have expected that it would become a place where people could discuss issues relating to health and fitness. One subscriber asked how they had let themselves go and reached such a lazy and heavy level. Lexi responded that she and Danny had simply fallen into such a comfortable and unaware rut that they had not even noticed how bad things had gotten.
Neglecting Themselves
The Place To Be
“Fatgirlfedup” is what the couple’s YouTube channel is called if you would like to see detailed videos of this incredible couple’s journey and get to know them better. You can join their subscriber base of 30,000 people and join in the many conversations and question and answer sessions that Lexi likes to host. The couple employs the vlog style of content creation, which allows viewers to emulate their health and fitness habits and begin building their own good habits and new lifestyle.
The Place To Be
Dedication Pays Off
While we all seem to know a few different easy hacks for weight loss that involve all manner of pills, surgeries, and procedures, the truth is that the normal and healthy way to lose weight and get fit and strong takes a long time and plenty of hard work to achieve. Danny and Lexi want their followers to know that there is no magic pill that will give you the body of your dreams. It takes blood, sweat, and tears.
Dedication Pays Off
Looking Back
The initial picture of this couple, when put side by side with a more recent one, might make some people wonder whether these are the same people. It is such an amazing transformation that we are profoundly proud of Danny and Lexi. If you had looked at Lexi a while back at her original weight, you might have thought that there was no hope for her. But people like Lexi have incredibly powerful willpowers that might not seem obvious until they put themselves to the test.
Looking Back
Going Too Far
Danny and Lexi recalled the dark days when they were crazily obsessed with junk food and hitting restaurants where they could go to town on the buffets. You might be shocked to learn how much this couple was capable of putting away together: as much as seven plates when they went for Chinese food! They had a wide range of favorites when it came to their palettes. They loved wide racks of ribs, huge piles of French fries, deep-fried chicken, and many other deep-fried delights.
Going Too Far
The Beautiful Spirit
Danny and Lexi were just 16 years old when they initially encountered each other. Amazingly, the two were almost instantly drawn to one another and were convinced that they were going to be together forever. Danny was not at all put off by Lexi’s weight, in fact, he saw the woman that he would one day marry. He loved her for who she was, and the 300 lbs. teenage girl was already madly in love. Danny never once suggested to Lexi that she should lose weight.
The Beautiful Spirit
Breaking The Habit
The Reeds would eventually need to break free of their self-destructive eating habits and kick junk food out of their lives for good. Lexi made some incredible strides during this time, saying, “For the first month, I didn’t eat out at all, I made everything and I don’t even like cooking, so I was constantly learning. I was cooking foods I enjoyed and taking foods that I had liked before and making healthy versions of those meals. I didn’t feel deprived and could still eat the foods I wanted.”
Breaking The Habit
Everything Hurts
Lexi was at the stage where almost any physical activity was a huge and painful labor. She could not go hiking, fit into rollercoaster seats, ride bikes, or do much in the way of adventurous or active fun. She could not even walk very far before she began experiencing pain and fatigue. Life itself was becoming incredibly tiring and burdensome, and it is not a stretch to say that Lexi was nearing the stage where she would spend more time stuck at home than was healthy.
Everything Hurts
Patience And Determination
Lexi is an expert at weight loss by now and she knows a thing or two about staying determined. One of her main pieces of wisdom to impart to others that are committed to losing weight is to remember that this is a long game. Those that have become unhappy with their weight and size must be remembered that it took a long time for them to gain the pounds, and therefore, it will take time to lose them again.
Patience And Determination
Three Weeks’ Wait
As hard as Lexi was trying to turn her life around, she did not begin seeing results straight away. She was eating healthily, working out as best she could, and had a solid routine in place. But it was only after three weeks of hard work that she began to see results. If she had felt uninspired before this milestone moment, the moment that she saw that she was losing weight, she knew that she was on the right path.
Three Weeks Wait
Loss Of Intimacy
Many couples will know that it is very easy to fall into an unhealthy and unloving routine. Lexi and Danny were one couple that had descended into a rut without passion or intimacy. They would pass almost every evening sitting on the couch, stuffing their faces, and watching Netflix. They would barely speak to one another, and they knew deep inside that they were drifting apart. They not only got their health under control, but jumpstarted their relationship.
Loss Of Intimacy
No Expertise Needed
Many people feel like losing weight and getting into shape is a process that requires professional help from dieticians, physical trainers, and doctors. While it never hurts to get a bit of extra help, and some people do need expert assistance, Lexi managed to overcome her obesity on her own. She did not research nutrition, undergo surgery, take weight-loss medication, or go for a cooking course. She maintains that she is an ordinary woman that became tired of being a slave to unhealthiness.
No Expertise Needed
Every Little Step
Lexi would soon come to find that she had far more personal resources than she had previously given herself credit for. She found that she was much stronger and capable, and every day brought new personal lessons. Rather than looking at the full 300 pounds that she needed to lose, she took every day as a smaller challenge. If she could make it through the day without breaking her dedication, then it was a small victory.
Every Little Step
The Winning Meal Planner
So, what exactly was Lexi’s exercise routine and diet plan that had made sure that she lost so much weight? She would start off her day on the Elliptical Machine with thirty minutes of cardio. She would then prepare her breakfast: three turkey bacon pieces and two large eggs. Then she would have a protein shake as a snack a bit later in the morning. Lunch would consist of steamed asparagus and broccoli with salmon patties topped with cottage cheese. Her second snack of the day would be a banana with almond butter, before her afternoon workout with another thirty minutes on the Elliptical Machine. Finally, her dinner would be turkey patties in honey wheat thin buns slathered in fat-free cheese with a healthy side of steamed mushroom and broccoli or cauliflower.
The Winning Meal Planner
Emergency Service
Lexi was at a stage where her life was not just painful, uncomfortable, and debilitating, it was actually being threatened. The Reeds had not just pulled themselves out of misery and inactivity, they had also embraced health. Lexi does not mince words when she describes the life-saving effort that she undertook. She can now welcome each year happily and confidently, knowing that she can live life to the fullest. She embraces every day with gratitude in her heart.
Emergency Service
The Nutritious Dream
Given how learned Lexi became with the subject of nutrition, despite how she claimed not to be an expert in the field, she did find herself becoming professionally inspired. Lexi now wants to study nutrition at a university and become a qualified nutritionist. We cannot think of anyone more experienced or suitable for the profession! Pictured is Lexi proudly showing off how much spare belt she has on an airplane seat, something that would have been a painful and humiliating experience some time ago.
The Nutritious Dream
Incredibly Active
Lexi does not mind sharing her more humorous side with her followers. Pictured is the young woman who recently compared her current bust size to her previous one. As you can see, she could easily make a few new bras for herself out of her old one! Back then, Lexi struggled to find bras that were big enough for her size, and we are sure that being able to wear standard sizes was incredible for her.
Incredibly Active
Leaving It All Behind
Lexi had begun her exercise routine in a rather painful manner, where she struggled to complete even basic routines at the gym. She could also barely walk a short distance before she became overwhelmed. She cannot truly describe how incredible and liberating it feels to be able to get out into the world and adventure properly with her husband. She can ride bikes for long distances comfortably and hike like a proper adventurer! The world is now their oyster.
Leaving It All Behind
Always There For Each Other
Both Lexi and Danny have plenty of praise and appreciation for one another for how selflessly they supported one another during their weight-loss journey. Danny had never pushed Lexi to go down this road, and he was always deeply in love with and attracted to his wife, no matter what she looked like. They could not have made it this far unless they had each other’s backs the whole way. In the end, it all comes down to true love.
Always There For Each Other
Everything She Wants
Now that Lexi has reached her goal weight, she can do everything that she had ever dreamed of. She is now slim enough to do everything that she wanted and wished for, including some extreme sports! Lexi described her fun time, saying that she was, “Riding a dirtbike! Never in a million years did I ever think that my weight loss journey would take me here or I ever would get to do something that [Danny] loves so much.”
Everything She Wants
Shaking Things Up
Lexi also highlighted one of the best things that helped her in her weight-loss journey: protein shakes! While many people doubt whether protein shakes are appropriate replacements for balanced meals, Lexi promises that they are, and so do dieticians! Lexi prepares a minimum of one shake daily, which she drinks as a snack between meals. The beauty of protein shakes is that you can make them yourself with a variety of fruit and different flavored powders.
Shaking Things Up
The Highest Standards
There are some negatively minded folks out there that would never have believed that Lexi was capable of breaking free of her unhealthy ways and attaining her desirable body. While Lexi states that people should not pursue extreme goals when it comes to getting fit, it certainly helps to set a challenging objective! It also helps when you have someone by your side to bounce ideas off and then follow them through. This is what marriage is all about!
The Highest Standards
Lose A Lot, Win A Lot
Lexi would go on to participate in the “DietBet” program that motivates individuals to burn off calories toward attaining a variety of cash prizes. There are countless people that have gone to incredible lengths to shed their excess weight with the promise of earning money. While people will generally diet and exercise for their own good, it really helps when you have a cash prize hanging over your head! You can be sure that many people have won big with DietBet.
Lose A Lot Win A Lot
Inked Up
Lexi wanted to find a way to celebrate and commemorate her efforts, and a tattoo seemed like the perfect way to do that. A tattoo would be an always present reminder of how far she had come, and to never fall back into her old and unhealthy ways. There was just one problem: Lexi has a needle phobia! Of course, a person will struggle to get a tattoo if they are scared of needles, given that this is how the ink is embedded into one’s skin!
Inked Up
Everything Or Nothing
Lexi and Danny have set the standard for self-care and self-love. They have shown anyone who doubts themselves that they can easily begin making the changes needed to become healthy, happy, and most importantly, in control of themselves and their lives. This is not an easy path, and breaking free from your bad habits can seem like an impossible challenge, but as Lexi showed us, it’s all about taking life one day at a time.
Everything Or Nothing