A Daring Change – A Couple Weight Loss Journey
Setting a goal to change your life is hard, but that is what Danny and Lexi Reed did. Lexi decided that she wanted to make a fantastic change in her life, and after 18 months, the change happened. The couple has made themselves into role models for people from all over the world who want to make severe changes in their life. The couple has shared quite a bit of advice to help people get started to make your dreams become a reality. Now, it is time for you to get inspired by the changes they have made.
1. Early Problems
Ever since she was a child, Lexi has had issues controlling her weight. Her weight did not get to her; she was delighted. She did try to lose weight multiple times, but it kept coming back.
Fatgirlfedup/FacebookWhen she was 25, Lexi had ballooned to the weight that was almost 400 pounds and was reducing her quality of life. She lived a happy life, but she was having a lot of problems completing her lifelong dreams.
2. Lexi Finds Love
Lexi would go on living being but would fall in love with Danny Reed. She would often tell people that he was her best friend. Danny loved Lexi, even if she was larger.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramDanny had the issue of an unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyle as well. What does not help is they were both supportive in this mission together.
3. Habits Were Unhealthy
The young couple was overweight. Danny was only a couple of years older than Lexi but still came in at 280 pounds. As they started to grow their relationship, they also started to become more sedentary in how they live life.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramOften the self-indulgence was mutual. They would often go to eat at restaurants for their food and worst of all would hit up the buffets. When they did eat a home, they would order takeout. The weight really started to pile up, and it was impacting the couple’s health.
4. A Bad Cycle
Lexi often tells people that her unhealthy eating started as a child. “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.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThe trend from her childhood continues as an adult and when she was dating Danny. Often the couple would binge-watch shows and eat food. “I was always an emotional eater, also, and no matter what the mood, food was always there for me,” Lexi added.
5. Limits Were Removed
When the couple was overweight, they could not do a lot of things others did. The two were very happy, but could not go biking, hiking, or even on walks. So they did what they could, and that was watching TV at home.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramOften Lexi’s weight would limit what she could do in her life. While she was happy, she knew deep down that something had to change. She did not know how to change it or where to get motivated. Then something changed.
6. Engaged
Danny finally had the courage built up to propose. “He never saw me as my size, asked me to change, or made me feel like anything other than beautiful,” Lexi wrote on Instagram. Finding the wedding dress quickly proved to be a challenge as she was sitting at 485 pounds.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramLexi would often post that it was a little bit depressing when looking for a wedding dress and you weighed 485 pounds. “Nobody knew how to make me feel like a bride and not 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.
7. The Big Day
Lexi did find the right dress for her wedding day. The problems only were starting after they got married. They had a journey that was going to take a lot for them to live a long and happy life together.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThe first problem to pop up was the children’s aspect, as Lexi was warned that having children at her size would be dangerous for both. However, that was just the start of the problems for the couple.
8. Small Dreams Become Impossible
Children were already out for the couple with Lexi’s weight, but even the smaller dreams started to become an issue. One of those is something a lot of people do not even think about being a problem like travel.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramLexi had a dream that she would be able to see Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. Doing research she found out she was too large for the rides and could not fit on a plane. What did not help is Florida is a long way from Indiana.
9. Married Life
A year had already gone by and nothing had changed in the married. The couple had spent all of their free time sitting in front of the television eating the same processed foods. That is when things began changing.
fatgirlfedup/Instagram
Lexi started to feel like things were getting out of control. She knew that she had to change something, but was not sure where to start. She did not give up hope, though, no matter what happened. Never did she lose hope. She was like a rock. The changed would come up casually and would end up changing her life.
10. New Year’s Resolution Keep Or Remove
During this time Lexi started to think about a healthier family for both of them. The day was none other than New Years Day in 2016, which Lexi resolved would be the day for them to make changes in their life.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramLexi was not alone in the changes she wanted to make. Danny would go out to support Lexi, and that was a big help. Granted, he was not that thrilled about the idea. It would take quite a bit of convincing for him to come on board with the resolution.
11. Change Of Heart And Mind
“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. He was a very loving husband and to help show his support decided he would lose weight as well.
fatgirlfedup/Instagram“It’s a new year and something to work toward while helping Lexi out as well,” Danny exclaimed after having a slight change of heart. Danny knew that it was going to be beneficial for both Lexi and himself.
12. A Bet
Some of the couple friends decided to make a bet with them after hearing about what was going on. The chance included working out five times a week, no alcohol, no soda, and not going out to eat food.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThey were determined that they could do it because they need to change the lifestyle that they were currently leading. This was the start of the journey for the couple, though.
13. Sick Of It
“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, resolving herself to make sure that things changed. Lexi was tired of not being able to go anywhere or even go on a simple walk with her husband.
fatgirlfedup/Instagram“We also feared if we didn’t get our health under control, we would never be able to start a family,” Lexi added. Lexi decided that she was tired of the lifestyle they were starting to lead as a couple.
14. The Fitness Center
The couple started to look at different fitness centers that were near their home in Terra Haute. Lexi kept the promise of going to the gym every day for thirty minutes. It was not easy for her to start to make it to the gym each day, though.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThe surprising news is that neither one of them had a personal trainer that they would work with, but we’re strong-willed and wanted to do the job of winning the bet. Lexi, though, had some problems that she had to battle with because her joints were suffering from her weight.
15. Right Center And Gear
You may think that it is very easy to find the right gym at any time. Lexi, though, was very conscious of what other people saw when they would see her in the gym. They finally found a gym that was not crowded and even had the proper equipment for Lexi to use.
fatgirlfedup/Instagram“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.”
16. Changes To The Diet
The gym was the starting point the couple needed to leading a healthy lifestyle. They also had to start preparing the meals at their home and avoid going out to eat. They quickly found that the best way to get the meals cooked was by doing it as a couple.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThe couple was able to support each other and managed to make their meals together at the same time. This meant that they would go from eating frozen pizza and started to make healthier food. Dieting is not easy, and that is true here.
17. Not A True Diet
The eating habits that were changed were not a new diet, but a new way of life. Dieting is something that Lexi viewed as only being a temporary measure, and she wanted something that she could stick to.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramTo make it look like a more permanent solution, Lexi did not call it a diet. “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 [myself],” Lexi stated.
18. Built-In Support Systems
Making a life change like this is not easy and gets harder if you are alone. Thankfully the couple had each other and was able to keep their promise this way.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThat is the best way for you to keep going when you are trying to do something so big in your life. The couple would turn to each other for support. They would follow each other motivated, and that would keep going, and after a month, they did not even realize it. What happened next is short of a miracle.
19. Time Continues
Danny and Lexi did something that they did not expect to do, and that was to continue the changes they have made. The results would start to show, and Lexi gained so much confidence she started taking classes at the gym. These new friends that she made at the fitness center would help support her.
fatgirlfedup/Instagram“I love my Pulse class. I love dancing to my favorite 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.
20. Work Starts To Show
Lexi started to find that her hard work was paying off. She was scared at first to go to the gym, and that was a problem, but then she realized that if she were going to have people talking and looking at her, it would be because she was outworking everyone in the gym.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramWhen Lexi started to lose weight, she started at 20 pounds a month. Then the weight loss started to get harder. That is when she decided to begin to count her calories and continue to go to the gym. The changes she was making quickly turned into a new lifestyle.
21. Danny Losing Weight
Lexi was having quite a bit of success in losing weight, but she was not the only one. Danny was starting to have success as well. He went with Lexi every step that he could, and he began to see some of the changes in his own health too.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramDanny was a true success story as he managed to lose a total of 100 pounds in a little over two years. Danny had started the journey weighing in at 280 pounds and started to drop weight and eventually ended up at 190 pounds.
22. Lexi’s Major Changes
Lexi’s life was beginning to look new after just 18 months. She was very proud of the changes that she had made but was determined to keep the changes going which she did by keeping her new lifestyle in place. By May of 2018, she had dropped enough weight that she was only 312 pounds.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThe big difference that Lexi started to see was not in her size or pants, but it was by going to a restaurant that the couple used to frequent. She mentioned that she used to have to keep her stomach on the table, but the changes had plenty of room. She found that it was a moment of pride for her.
23. Instagram Helps
While Lexi was getting quite a bit of support, she wanted to get even more support and started on Instagram in 2016. She used the name “Fat Girl Fed Up” and would share pictures of herself going to the gym and motivational quotes. She started to get a big following.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramLexi’s account now has over 750,000 people following it. She even does the before and after pictures which has some amazing results. She would take hard work to get herself transformed, but it was worth the two years that she would take on the transformation.
24. Stardom
They would quickly spread in their fame across the Internet and would even start to get picked up by television stations. They often would be brought onto shows to talk about their incredible journey, but Rachael Ray also had them on her show to talk about healthy cooking and eating.
discoveringdanny/InstagramThe stardom did not get to the couple, though. It had the opposite effect. They would quickly become more humble and would even thank a lot of the media outlets for helping them with motivation for their journey.
25. A New Change In Life
The couple has managed to lose a combined total of over 400 pounds and have a new lease of their life. The couple even went back to the beach that Danny asked for Lexi’s hands and had a run along the waterside to help them showcase their new life.
discoveringdanny/InstagramThat is a dramatic change when Lexi was weighing over 500 pounds, and even a short walk would completely wear her out. Not anymore, now the couple can go to the beach and run down the beach.
26. Harry Potter Is a Wizard
Now, with Lexi able to fit on the airplane, the couple could fit on the planes. They would make the trip that Lexi had always wanted to go on and that was to go to Universal Studios theme park. Now, they could easily fit on the rides and had plenty of space.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramThe couple is even happier now about everything in life. After the weight loss battle, the two have been able to go through; the couple feels like their relationship is even better. The one thing that anyone can learn from this journey is the buddy system works.
27. No Longer A Victim
Lexi feels that she is no longer a victim to her weight anymore. “I am grateful for every single day, and I am enjoying the journey,” Lexi said, looking forward to the days and years to come.
fatgirlfedup/Instagram“Every day is a non-scale victory and a reminder of how far I’ve come. Like, I loved myself even at 485 pounds, but to be able to wake up and do whatever I want to do and go wherever I want to go… I don’t feel like I’m a prisoner in my own body anymore.”
28. Lexi Gives Advice
Now, that her transformation is still going on and doing great, she is confident enough to give out advice to other people. Quite often her Instagram pictures are used to inspire other people.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramOne of the main things that she completely brings out to the people is the fact that people need to start small and keep building on the small changes and not fall for any of the magical changes that people have read about.
29. Helping Other People
Danny and Lexi are thrilled and healthy together but have started to run their own YouTube channel to help others who are trying to get to a weight loss goal. The couple often talks about how diet changes and exercise can help people out.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramLexi had such an inspiring story that she was invited to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2018. “I learned how strong and capable I am as a person. I thought it would take me over three years to lose 300-plus pounds, but I was so determined and hardworking that I did it in two,” she said.
30. Loving Life
You will often find that you cannot find any words that can help you feel like you have saved your own life is something that Lexi mentions quite often. As she would go into 2018, she would talk about having newfound happiness in life. She feels like she is not caught in her own weight, but she feels like she is entirely free and alive.
fatgirlfedup/InstagramSomething else that is held true is to think that every day is a blessing. Lexi does talk about how proud she is to have come so far to make her new life. Lexi often mentions that she feels a lot of gratitude for saving her own life with the changes.
31. Hollywood Came Knocking
Lexi was given a very special honor from Hollywood. Lexi was tapped to represent Loreal Paris and TNT Drama as one of the most inspiring women in 2018 at the Screen Actors Guild Award.
Instagram/fatgirlfedupThe trip was one that she would see as inspirational as well because she was finally able to sit on an airplane but also had a fantastic hotel in Hollywood while going to the show. Even on vacation, they were able to keep their fitness routine.
32. Tips For Meals
A great tip that Lexi has is to keep your healthy meals together, but also get the meals prepared early on at the start of the week. On her social media pages, she often shares some of the meal ideas she has.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookShe even helped to share some great advice on Memorial Day of 2018. “I know Holidays are hard guys but practice portion control, healthier swaps, balance, planning,” she wrote. What you will find along with the inspirational quotes is the fact that her meals are very simple and easy to make that compliment each other. All of the foods are homemade and not made from processed foods or packaged foods anymore.
33. Keeping Up The New Lifestyle
Another secret the couple shares were to keep their new lifestyle they have made it into all the activities they are doing. One example comes from when they were camping. Most people would only prepare hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill.
Fatgirlfedup/FacebookInstead, they would go on to prepare a high protein meal before they would go on a hike. The meal would often include chicken, steak, or avocado. She did mention that while the holidays and vacations often disrupt the routine of people, they are going to want to continue to keep up their routine and eat delicious food.
34. Workout Tips
The couple even has managed to turn their exercise people into the different social activities they have been doing. On Instagram, Lexi posted a picture of their date night that they recently had.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookThe post was one that would mention how they were going to meet their goals even when on a date night. The first thing that they did before going on a date, though, was to head to the gym to complete their 30-minute workout at the gym.
35. Support From The Community
The couple was able to keep community support going for their new lifestyle as well, and not all of it was online like most people expect. She often has a contest that is meant to help people feel good about themselves but also be competitive at the same time.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookAs a community, the people tend to support each other better and hold each other accountable for what is going on. Often a simple glance at the pages she runs shows the inspiration people gain from her post on Facebook.
36. Fitness Friends
Something else that Lexi was able to do was start to find friends that loved the new healthy lifestyle. Just like if you are recovering from an addiction, it is crucial to make new friends, the same goes for a lifestyle change.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookThe downside is you have to get ready to lose some of your friends who are not going to be happy with your new moves. Over time, though, these friends are the ones that would have helped hold you back from the changes you are making.
37. Rest Days
Life does go on outside of the gym, and that is something that is going to hold no matter what. The couple tends to make sure they have fun on their rest days. The couple has a couple of golden retrievers that they have spoiled.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookThis allows you to see that you can take full advantage of any of the rest days you are using. In fact, if you have a dog, it can help you, and your dogs stay healthy by taking a simple walk with each other.
38. Dirt Bikes?
Lexi did something else that she never thought possible either, and that was riding dirt bikes. You may have noticed that they are often talking about changing their life with new changes that are going to be great for each other.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookSomething else that will inspire you to stay in shape is to find new and exciting activities that you can do as a couple, but also challenge yourself with them as well. You can only imagine how inspiring it would be to get new challenges each day.
39. Men Need Motivation
Lexi is not the only one who is inspiring others to make the changes that are needed. Danny has started his own Instagram account which is called Discovering Danny.
discoveringdanny/InstagramOn his account he often talks about his weight loss, but also the adventures the couple gets to go on now because they have the extra energy. He also shares his milestones that help people get inspired but also shares the fact that he has a new tattoo as well.
40. YouTube Fandom
Danny and Lexi have started to do YouTube videos as well to help inspire people. One of the videos they even used to help document the fantastic time they had at the SAG Awards.
Fatgirlfedup/YoutubeThis is just a simple glimpse into their newfound lifestyle because they made some very inspiring changes to their life. It also showcased how inspired Lexi was to meet all the celebrities who she never imagined she would have been able to reach before.
41. On Television
They would gain a big following on YouTube, but a real breakthrough came when they were picked up by television news channels. January would see the couple speaking on The Today Show.
Today/YoutubeMegyn Kelly is the one press member who would interview the couple about their amazing 400-pound change without doing any of the surgeries that are commonly found for that big of a change. The message was starting to get out to people.
42. Kids
The idea of having kids is one of the main factors that would start Lexi on the significant change in her life. When she was first married, she was warned against getting pregnant and having children because of the potential harm to them both.
fatgirlfedup/FacebookNow that Lexi and Danny are in better shape, they are starting to look at some of the changes they can make again. In an interview with Life & Style magazine in May, she said that “In 5 years, I see us starting a family as well as finding ways to help more people change their life the same way that we have with diet and exercise.”