Many have tried to achieve their goals of living a healthier lifestyle while losing weight. Their attempts were often met with failure. Lexi and Danny Reed are one couple who wanted to change their lives for the better and succeeded in 18 months. They also became role models to everyone who followed their story.
Danny and Lexi reach out and share their inspirational story with others who are trying to make the same life-changing success. If you are wondering how they change their lives, keep reading about their amazing transformation. This couple proves that nothing is impossible if you keep working at your dream.
1. Problems
Lexi Reed’s like many others had a problem with her weight, which started as far back as in her childhood. She tried many times to lose the weight on her own, but still gained it all back despite her efforts. Clearly, Lexi had a negative view of her own image.
By the time she hit 25, she weighed almost 400 pounds. Of course, her weight put a strain on her life. Her weight had an unfavorable effect on Lexi’s life. No matter how hard she tried to not let it affect her life, the weight was keeping her from living the life she wanted.
2. Heaven Sent Husband
Even overweight, Lexi found happiness in living her life, and then she met a man named Danny Reed. She fell in love, and the two made the perfect couple. Danny gave Lexi his love and support. To Danny, her size was never a factor because he loved her for the wonderful person he saw.
Despite Danny’s supported nature and love for his Lexi, the couple’s unhealthy food habits and no exercise were leading them in dangerous waters. Neither one voiced those concerns as they continued with their destructed eating habits and not exercise until Danny began to realize he wasn’t helping Lexi with their unhealthy habits.
3. LifeStyle Behavior
Their daily ritual of overeating grew more out of control, but to Danny and Lexi, their way of eating was normal. Only a few years older than Lexi, Danny’s weight became a problem for him as he weighed up to 280 pounds. Their health became more of a concern for the couple.
Danny and Lexi both found that food gave them solace as they continue to eat unhealthy foods. Preferring to eat at restaurants instead of cooking, they also overly indulge in the buffet setting. Whenever they did eat at home, they would buy fast food, which led to an increase in weight for Danny and Lexi.
4. When It All Began
According to Lexi, her unhealthy choices of food began during her childhood. She remembers her parents didn’t cook, but prefer to buy processed food, which became a preferred way of her choice of food to eat. In a statement to POPSUGAR, she commented that processed food was cheaper to buy than the healthier version.
Lexi felt stuck with no way of escaping her bad habits. This dangerous habit continued after she reached adulthood. Lexi and Danny both like to eat and watch TV at the same time. Lexi has always been emotionally addicted to eating and that it didn’t matter what kind of mood she was in.
5. Unhealthy Habits And Limitless Eating
Happy with each other, but both felt the limit of what they could do with their weight becoming an obstacle. The limit of things they could do became increasingly clear to the pair. They couldn’t take part in activities such as long walks together or hiking. The most they could do as a couple came down to watching television and of course eating.
Lexi understood the consequence of her weight was having on her and didn’t shy away from the issue. Happiness in her marriage with Danny didn’t stifle the urge she felt to change her situation for the better but found herself at a loss as to what to do. That’s until some important event came into Lexi’s life.
6. Engagement
The excitement when Danny Reed asks Lexi to marry him, and she said yes, was marred by Lexi’s discovery. She couldn’t find a wedding dress to fit her. Even though Danny didn’t care about her weight, Lexi discovered at 485 pounds that she was finding it even more difficult to find her perfect dress than other brides.
She posted on her Instagram that wedding dress shopping lacked the charm for her. She further stated that no one at those shops made her feel like a bride to be while shopping for a dress and that she thanked God that she knew she was worth more than her weight.
7. The Big Moment
Fortune smiled when it came to finding Lexi’s wedding dress. Lexi found her perfect dress to wear on the big day. Still, Danny and Lexi were nowhere near close to fulfilling their dream. Their plans of living a healthy and happy life like other couples were not yet happening for them.
Their joy on the big day didn’t come without concerns on whether they could have children. Many couples go through the same concern, but in Lexi’s circumstance, both she and the child would be endangered if she were to become pregnant. This was not the only concern Lexi would face because of her weight.
8. Taken For Granted
As painful as it was to face up to the fact that they might not have children in their future, Lexi and Danny realized other dreams and hopes would become an issue for the pair. Those issues included something like traveling that would have been easier for someone else, but because of the weight, they would find it challenging.
Lexi’s fondness wish was to visit and experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. Unfortunately, her weight would prevent her from fulfilling her dream because not only was she too big to sit on any of the rides, she was even too big to sit in any of the plane seats.
9. Issues Of A Married Couple
A year into their happy married life, Lexi and Danny continue practicing unhealthy habits. They made no changes in lifestyle choices, and any free time went into watching movies and overeating. Something had to change for Lexi and Danny as they went on with their daily lives, and it did.
Lexi understood she needed to change because she felt she had no control over her eating habits. Still, she did not know how to make the changes she needed and unsure how to start. Lexi didn’t give in to discouragement but believed that she would succeed. Even though she was looking for some sign, Lexi would not know the changes would bring a whole new life.
10. Starting A New Year
Lexi wanted to start the new year differently. She wanted a change in her habits and a new lifestyle for herself. 2016 New Year’s Day marks a day when Lexi would come to an important decision. She decided 2016 would be different for her future. This was the day she had been waiting to change her life.
Although Danny loved Lexi and always supported her, he hadn’t fully believed in her plan. It took time, but Danny saw the wisdom in what his wife was trying to do, and he came around to her way of thinking. He, too, was as motivated as Lexi. He just needed a push in the right direction to get him started.
11. A Change In Lifestyle
Not particularly thrilled with the plan at the beginning, Danny explained that he had grown used to their old lifestyle. He liked coming home to Lexi and watching TV, eating and not doing exercise, or worrying about anything. He felt that they were happy when they went home and sat and ate. Nevertheless, he came around and got on board with a little convincing.
Danny realizes that 2016 could change things for not only Lexi but himself. They could work together on altering their eating habits. Danny began to see it as an opportunity to motivate himself and help his wife at the same time. He came around after realizing this modification in their lifestyle would benefit both of them.
12. The Bet
After hearing about Danny and Lexi’s goals to change their lifestyles and their determination to accomplish their goals, their friends wanted to motivate them so they made a deal with them. For example, Danny and Lexi promise they would continue to exercise every week for 30 minutes. They would eliminate sodas and junk food for a month.
The couple accepted the deal. They wanted to show their friends how determined they were to accomplish their dream. Danny and Lexi believed they had the control and a determined mind to succeed at accomplishing their goal so that they could live the life they always wanted. They believed they had what it took to have self-control over their eating habits.
13. Letting Go Of Habits
Both Danny and Lexi were tired of their old ways. They were sick of settling for the same routine because of their weight and wanted a life where they could do things together as a couple like anyone else. Lexi was determined to change and do all the things she wanted to do but couldn’t because of her weight.
Lexi stated that they both worried about problems with their health if they continued down the same road. They wanted children, a family, and they feared it wouldn’t happen. Lexi and Danny realized they had grown complacent in their habits. Lexi understood it was time for her to make a big change.
14. Exercise
To start their life out by doing something different, Danny and Lexi joined a gym. The gym was not far from their home at Terre Haute in Indiana. Lexi did her best to keep her bargain with friends and worked out five times a week. She found the task to do so challenging though.
For one thing, they lack a personal trainer to steer them in the best method. They also met with other difficulties. Despite the problems, they never lost their faith that could do this. It took time for Lexi to understand the proper way of exercising, especially with the pain accompanying the exercise.
15. Understanding Common Ground
At first finding the right gym proved difficult, but they found one that met their needs. Lexi felt nervous about letting others see her body. They decided on a gym with a smaller crowd. For Lexi, her comfort with the gym began when she spent time thereafter her shift was over.
The gym they chose always made her feel at home because of its low crowds, and the machine she worked on was near a wall, so she would face the wall while working. Her favorite machine at the gym is called the CrossRamp. She loved it because at 485 her joints never felt bad during the exercise.
16. Bring On The Healthy Habits
If Danny and Lexi thought going to the gym, every day would be the only challenge they had to face, they soon found other issues waiting for them. Those issues include where to eat. If they were going to shift their bad eating habits to good ones, they would have to stop eating at restaurants and prepare alternative healthy meals.
They found the answer while cooking at home. Because of the couple’s love and support for one another, it made cooking easier for the pair. Their decision to become healthy included getting rid of fast food and other junk food and concentrating on healthy-style food. Unhealthy food such as frozen pizza was off the menu for the pair.
17. Not Just A Diet
Wanting something more long-lasting than a fad diet, the couple saw their alternative lifestyle as more healthy choices and without junk food. Lexi believes a diet is something you do for the moment. They both wanted something more permanent in their lives, a way to enjoy food and lose the way without feeling restricted.
Lexi realized she didn’t want to be deprived of the food she liked to eat, so she made alternative meals that were healthy but still gave her satisfaction. By finding this solution, she found she no longer felt deprived of the food she liked. She kept at her healthy cooking and persisted until it became a new habit.
18. The Meaning Of Support
Many people know about struggling to make better changes in their way of eating and how hard it can get without someone to help you through the tough times. Having a friend or loved one for support makes changing a lifestyle habit easier. Because of Danny, Lexi didn’t have to face those struggles by herself. She had his love and help during her rough patches.
Going to the gym every day and having to avoid temptation with food is less of a burden for someone who will help you through those rough moments. Both Danny and Lexi found comfort and support in each other. They rely on each other to stick to their decision to change their old ways. Danny and Lexi were not only the inspiration for each other but to many who watch their progress.
19. Time
Danny and Lexi were determined to keep their bet with their friends. The couple persisted and kept attending the gym and eating healthy. The old saying hard work pays off comes true for the couple. Their efforts were rewarded, and Lexi took on a new challenge. She joined classes and met others who also gave support to her.
Lexi found to her delight that she enjoyed her new class called Pulse at the gym. According to Lexi, she never felt like she was doing a workout because she loved that the class offered dancing. She would do squats with music and even though her legs felt the burn. She barely gave it a thought.
20. Hard Work Pays Off
Lexi’s reward for working so hard and sticking with her decision began to show. She started to drop more weight. She felt more comfortable with herself. She commented people were staring at her because of the weight. She was determined to work harder than ever before and give them a reason to stare.
Lexi’s weight loss began in only a month’s time, and she found she had lost about 20 pounds. However, as time progressed, her weight loss began to slow down, and it became harder to take off the weight. She didn’t let it stop her. Lexi still kept at her regular exercise and eating the right type of food. She made her daily routine a habit.
21. Danny’s Progress
Lexi wasn’t the only one getting motivated. A strong supporter of his wife, Danny found he too could make changes for himself. Danny wanted a better life for himself, so he attended the gym every day as well as ate healthy foods. He saw the result from his hard work in dropping pounds.
Both Danny and Lexi prove to themselves and others they had what it took to change their habit so that they could have a more productive and joyous life. Danny found that in a year’s time he had lost a hundred pounds. The couple kept pushing toward a better alternative health lifestyle and succeeded in losing weight and changing their habits.
22. Transformation For The Better
Only 18 months later, Lexi has transformed her way of life for the better. She had proven she could make and stick to her new lifestyle. She also saw the loss of 312 pounds. Those changes came from exercising at the gym and eating healthy. By the time May 2018 hit, Lexi was enjoying her new freedom.
Lexi wanted to pay a visit to one of the restaurants she and Danny once frequent. She realized with astonishment how much her body had changed when she had plenty of room at the table. In the past, her stomach would push against the table. Her success gave Lexi the confidence she needed.
23. Fed Up With Being Overweight
Lexi’s decision to lose the weight and show her progress to others came about in the fall of 2016. She got online on an Instagram account to document her journey. She picked the name FatGirlFedUp. It didn’t take long before Lexi began to gain followers. People who were interested in her journey and wanted to encourage her.
Lexi’s followers kept growing. The number has reached over 750,000. Because she made a choice to share her progress with those followers by posting pictures of her progress before and after, her pictures inspire others who want to break away from bad eating habits and start their journey into a healthy lifestyle.
24. Famous
Their story was such inspiration that it took off on the internet not only in the US but across the world. People were amazed at the young couple’s dedication, and the progress they were making to have a better life for themselves. Danny and Lexi’s story led to guest spots on TV shows, including a segment on Rachel Ray.
With their popularity on the internet and making guest appearances on TV shows, you would think all the fame they were getting would change them not so with Danny and Lexi. The couple felt gratitude to all their fans while they continued to improve their lifestyle habits. Their followers’ encouragement helps to keep them motivated.
25. A Better Life
The couple couldn’t have been happier with their new lifestyle. Danny and Lexi tracked their weight progress and found they lost over 400 pounds. Overjoyed at meeting their goals, they decided to visit the beach where they first got engaged. Danny and Lexi wanted the same place that Danny proposed to be where they celebrate their progress.
Only a few years ago, Lexi’s weight had barreled to nearly five hundred pounds, and she could only walk a short distance on an idyllic beach. All that changed, and the couple can not only walk on the beach but jog without problems. According to Lexi, they ran all the way toward the beach.
26. Trip To Orlando
Now that they had lost the weight, Lexi found she could finally do more events than she could before she lost the weight. She could fit into an airplane seat, and the joyous couple finally got to take the trip to Orlando. Lexi’s dream of being able to visit Universal Studios Theme Park was coming true at last.
The couple’s lives are drastically different from before their journey. Danny and Lexi had never felt so happy, and all their dreams were coming true because of a decision they made to change their lifestyle. Their happiness has brought Danny and Lexi a profound closeness, and it would seem the two are a perfect match for each other.
27. Freedom From Restriction
Now that Lexi has lost so much weight, she admits she feels better about herself and because shedding those extra pounds no longer restricts her from doing activities she loves. She has always loved the person she is but feels comfortable in her new body and thankful for the opportunity she has been given in her new life.
In her own words, Lexi counts each day as a victory and remembers how far she came from being a girl who weighed almost 500 pounds. Even though she loved herself at 485 pounds, the feeling of being free from the limit of her old body is liberating and has transformed her life.
28. Motivational Advice
Now that the couple had met their weight goal, they wanted to continue forging ahead on their lifestyle commitment while helping others. Lexi still takes the time to share on her Instagram account posts about her incredible journey. Her posts are filled with inspiring messages on motivating others to continue on their health journey and to keep trying to reach their goals.
Lexi gives tips on how to stay motivated. She recommends not overdoing it and starting small so that you don’t get discouraged by trying to do too much. She urges others to focus on the day and don’t worry so much about how far you have to go before you reach your goals. This is only of her many tips Lexi posted to her followers.
29. Offering Encouragement
Both Lexi and Danny believe in helping others with their journey. They started their own Youtube channel. They hope to inspire others with their success by posting videos to their channel. Their Youtube is filled with helpful advice on staying motivated to their followers and contains motivational messages from the two about eating healthy and exercise. They want their followers to know about the best method out there.
Lexi’s journey to lose weight has brought rewards to the couple that they could not have expected. Some of those rewards included an invitation to the Screen Actors Guild Award in 2018 for the couple. As Lexi says, her incredible journey to losing weight and changing her life has made her realize how much strength she has in staying committed.
30. A New Life
2018 has brought good fortune for Lexi and profound happiness for her new life. She feels set free from the constriction of her own body. She is no longer existing for life, but living the life she wanted. As she put it, she has found freedom. She discusses how losing old habits changes her life.
Lexi remains a humble person, and she believes by taking the steps to lose the weight she saved her life. She feels no words can express the feeling she has, only gratitude. Now she and Danny are both enjoying their new way of life as they push forward to transforming themselves and staying on their journey.
31. Rewards
Lexi’s inspirational story kept bringing her rewards and opportunity. Those awards include an honor for Lexi from L’Oréal Paris, the internal personal care company located in France, and TNT an American Cable Channel Network. The young couple couldn’t have expected so much benefit they would receive, and the benefits for the pair kept coming.
Lexi and Danny’s amazing journey didn’t go unrecognized in Hollywood. They earned a trip to tinsel town. The pair were given the royal treatment with a plush hotel. To say they had fun would be an understatement, Danny and Lexi not only enjoyed themselves while visiting Hollywood, but they also stayed true to their fitness program.
32. Preparing Meals
Lexi shares advice on how to eat healthy, starting with preparing meals for every week. She shows how you can have healthier food choices while not giving up tasty food. On her Instagram, she offers several tips on how to eat healthy, so that you too can go on your life-changing habits.
One of the things Lexi discusses is how to avoid temptation during holidays. She understands for many the holidays are one of the times where it’s the most difficult to keep eating right. She advises practicing portioning food, swaps unhealthy versions for healthier choices, and planning among other tips. She made the post in 2018 for memorial Day to remind others to be careful when indulging during the holidays.
33. Staying Diligent With Hard Work
Lexi and Danny use several methods in staying fit, but one of those ways is to combine eating health into their normal lives and activities. They want to make sure they incorporate their new lifestyle so that it becomes a habit. For example, when camping they make alternative meals instead of hamburgers.
They make sure their meals come with high protein substitute food choices. Such as avocado and steak, two sources rich in protein and can give them the energy they need for their activities. In one of her posts, Lexi discusses why holidays, weekends, or any other activities do not mean you have to give up your newfound habits and go back to the old habits.
34. How To Stay Fit
Because Danny and Lexi continue to persist in their effort to break old habits in their eating, they found success with their results in switching from junk food. Their new lifestyle includes making choices to go to the gym and not letting old habits sneak in during activities and holidays. To give an example of how dedicated they were, Lexi posted a photo of her and Danny before they went out on their date.
Lexi admits it is not always easy and there are times when she and Danny aren’t sure how they will keep up the same regime every day. Still, they managed to do what’s necessary. In her post, she cited how they did a fast cardio workout before going out on that date.
35. The Support From Others
One of the blessings Danny and Lexi received is they always manage to get enough support from their followers online and off. The support from their followers has meant a great deal to the couple and has given them the strength to stay on track of their journey to a more healthy lifestyle.
Both Lexi and Danny can maintain their healthy lifestyle, thanks in part to all the encouragement and inspirational comments they’re given. This support helps the couple in keeping a focus on their goals. The overflowing support from followers and messages on Fatgirlfedup from their followers includes sharing their own story of changing bad habits because of Lexi’s journey.
36. Starting Friendships Over Fitness
Another reason for Lexi’s success at changing her behavior toward food is the friendships she made while on her journey. These friendships started with fitness and have helped her to maintain her goal, but one of the most important friendship and fitness partners is Lexi’s husband. Danny has been supportive of her journey from the beginning and remains her fitness partner as well as her best buddy.
At the start of Lexi’s journey, she found herself a loner at times after losing some people in her life because of her alternative healthy lifestyle. People who she was once close to but now no longer there for her. Lexi talks about how she felt about the loss in a post on Facebook.
37. A Day Of Peace
As much as Danny and Lexi enjoy going to the gym, they needed some downtime from all their exercising. The couple prefers to spend some time relaxing. They took a picture of Olivia and Oliver, their two golden retrievers. The pictures highlight how they spend their downtime relaxing with their companions.
They believe in spending the least one day off from exercise at the gym and doing some other fun activities. This routine is an important factor in the couple’s changing habits. Lexi commented on her post about how much she looks forward to spending time having fun with her dogs.
38. Adventures With Dirt Bikes
Now that they have changed their habits and lost weight, Danny and Lexi are free to do other activities besides eating and watching television. In one of her posts, Lexi wrote how she and Danny went from weighing 785 pounds to now being able to ride dirt bikes. Her post on the subject goes into detail about how far they come.
Danny and Lexi have indeed come a long way from staying at home to doing more outdoor activities. They want to encourage others that hard work pays off and to enjoy their fruits with fun activities. They continue to work hard and stay focused while having fun with their pursuits.
39. Advice From Danny
Lexi isn’t the only one with an Instagram account. Her husband Danny has chosen to share his story about the changes in his life and pursuit of goals. He has his own account and calls it Discovering Danny. A fitting name for someone who wants to inspire others with his success story.
Like his wife, Danny has many inspirational posts on his Instagram account. He has also shown a picture of the amazing adventures he and Lexi have had on their journey to a healthier life. Danny has also given some insight into his own goals. One of his goals included getting a new tattoo not too long ago.
40. Famous Youtubers
If Instagram wasn’t enough to keep them busy, the couple has created a YouTube channel. They remain involved on the channel by posting videos to the channel for their fans to watch their progress. One of the videos they shared with fans included Lexi receiving an honor from the Sag Awards.
As they continue to post good news with fans like the video about their trip to tinsel town, they give their followers a chance to share in their life. The video also shows how Lexi was over the moon about the trip and meeting so many famous people. The video also demonstrates how fame hadn’t changed the couple.
