Do you have what it takes to stick to a goal and turn your life around? Lexi and Danny Reed did. It all started when Lexi decided it was time to make a change in her life and 18 months later, something amazing has happened. They’ve transformed into role models for people around the world who want to make serious changes in their lives. The couple have plenty of great advice on how to get started on the path to making dreams come true. What did they do exactly to make such a drastic change? Get ready to get inspired by Lexi and Danny’s incredible journey.
1. Early Issues
Lexi Reed always had issues with her weight, ever since childhood. She was a happy and outgoing person and didn’t let her weight get to her. Even though she tried multiple times to lose weight through different regimens, it always came back.
By the young age of 25, Lexi weighed in at 392 pounds and the extra weight was impacting her quality of life. She tried her best to lives the best life possible, one of joy and happiness, but it was definitely getting in the way of accomplishing her dreams.
2. The Love of Lexi’s Life
Lexi continued on her life’s journey and eventually met the love of her life, Danny Reed. Lexi would describe him as her best friend of 10 years. Danny loved Lexi for the person she was, no matter what size or shape.
While Danny loved and supported Lexi at every turn, there was one issue: he also had unhealthy eating habits and lived an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. It turns out he was a bit too supportive in those ways.
3. Unhealthy Habits
Both Danny and Lexi were overweight. Danny, who was just a couple years older than Lexi, weighed in at around 280 pounds. Together, the couple spiraled into an even more sedentary lifestyle and ate unhealthy food to their heart’s content.
Their self-indulgence was mutual. Together, they ate out at restaurants for all of their meals, even spending hours at all-you-can-eat buffets. At the times when they ate at home, they ordered food. In the meantime, all the extra pounds were beginning to take a toll on their health.
4. A Dangerous Cycle
Lexi admitted that the cycle of unhealthy habits started in her childhood. “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.
That trend continued even when she started dating Danny. Lexi confessed that the two would frequently binge-watch TV while eating. “I was always an emotional eater, also, and no matter what the mood, food was always there for me,” Lexi added.
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5. Unhealthy Limitations
Being overweight, Lexi and Danny couldn’t do things other people could do. Despite being in a happy relationship, the two weren’t able to go on romantic walks, go biking, or go hiking. So they were left with staying at home, watching TV.
Lexi knew that her weight issue was limiting her life. And while she was a happy person and positive about life, she knew that she needed to turn her life around. But she just didn’t know how, nor have the proper motivation to do so. Until something changed everything.
6. The Engagement
Danny finally asked Lexi for her hand in marriage, and she accepted. “He never saw me as my size, asked me to change, or made me feel as anything other than beautiful,” Lexi wrote on Instagram. But finding a wedding dress in her size would prove to be challenging because by this point, she weighed 485 pounds.
Lexi posted on Instagram that there was nothing glamorous about shopping for a wedding dress at 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 Wedding
Lexi eventually found the right dress for her beautiful wedding day. She and Danny married, but their problems were just beginning. They had a long journey ahead of themselves if they were to live healthy and happy lives together.
The marriage started bringing up questions of eventually having children, something that would be both dangerous to Lexi and the baby should she get pregnant. But that wasn’t the only dream that seemed like an impossibility for the newlyweds.
8. Even The Small Dreams
While the possibility that Lexi might not be able to have children was probably the biggest thing that worried the couple, even accomplishing smaller goals in life seemed out of reach. Some of them are things that other people take for granted, such as travelling.
Lexi had a dream that one day she would be able to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios theme park in Orlando. However, not only was she too big to go on the rides there, she was also too big to fit in a plane seat. Florida is a long way from her home state of Indiana, and she had to get there somehow.
9. Married Life
Quickly, a year of marriage had gone by and nothing had changed. Still, the couple spent their free time in front of the TV while eating food that was usually unhealthy and heavily processed. Then, something started to change.
It felt like things were spiraling out of control for her. Lexi knew in her gut that something had to change but she didn’t know where to start. No matter what, she didn’t give up hope. Ever. She was strong. And little did she know that the calling for change would come quite casually and end up changing her life forever.
10. A New Year’s Resolution
The idea that they needed to start living a better lifestyle, for their own sake, became ever present in Lexi’s mind. That’s why on New Years Day in 2016, Lexi resolved to start making some changes in her life, changes that would benefit her health as well.
As in any marriage, Lexi wasn’t in it alone. Fortunately, she had her husband at her side to support her. But initially, he wasn’t into the idea at all. It would take some convincing to get him to join his wife’s healthy New Year’s resolution.
11. A Change of Heart
“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. But being the loving husband he was, he wouldn’t let Lexi take on the resolution alone.
“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. He knew deep down that, health-wise, it was best for both of them, Lexi and himself.
12. A Bet Among Friends
Upon hearing of the couple’s New Year’s resolution, some of Lexi and Danny’s friends wanted to make a bet with them. The couple made a deal that they would go a month following a few rules: “no eating out, no soda, no alcohol, no cheat meals, and working out for 30 minutes five times a week.”
Lexi and Danny were up for the challenge and determined to prove to themselves that they could do it — that they had the self-control needed to change their habits. This was just the beginning of their long journey to a happy, healthy life.
13. Enough is Enough
“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. She was tired of not being able to fly on an airplane or go on simple romantic walks with her husband.
“We also feared if we didn’t get our health under control, we would never be able to start a family,” Lexi added. Tired of the lifestyle that they had both gotten so used to, she decided to make a major decision in her life.
14. The Gym
Lexi and Danny joined a local gym in their home city of Terre Haute, Indiana. As promised, Lexi went to the gym for 30 minutes a day, every day. But it was far from easy for a number of reasons.
Neither one of the couple had a personal trainer, but they were both strong-willed people who wanted to fulfill their promise to their friends. Lexi, however, had issues at first finding the right training regimen as she suffered from severe joint pain due to her weight.
15. The Right Place and Equipment
Finding the right gym was not as easy as it sounded. Lexi was self-conscious of what other people would think when they saw her in the gym. The couple eventually found the right gym for them that wasn’t too crowded and Lexi even found the right exercise machine.
“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. New Eating Habits
Going to the gym once a day was only the first part of Lexi and Danny’s struggle toward a healthy lifestyle. They also had to stop going out to eat at restaurants, which meant that they would need to prepare meals themselves. They discovered the best way to cook: together.
With the support of one another, Lexi and Danny started to cook their own food at home. But this time, instead of frozen pizzas, they opted for healthier foods that would help them in their weight loss goals. But as we all know, dieting isn’t easy.
17. Not A Diet
To Lexi and Danny, their new healthy eating habits weren’t just a diet; they were choices in a new way of life. To Lexi, dieting is something temporary, and she needed something long term, something she could stick to.
Lexi stopped looking at eating healthier as a diet and found her own way to make the transition easier for both of them. “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. A Strong Support System
Going to the gym and eating healthy aren’t easy, especially if you’re going at it alone. But Lexi had the support of her loving husband, Danny and vice versa. Together the couple was strong and continued to keep their promise.
The best way to keep up going to the gym and eating healthy is to have someone there to support you in your journey. Danny and Lexi used each other as a support system. Together they stayed motivated and pretty soon a month had passed. But what happened next was amazing.
19. Time Goes On
As the time went on, Lexi and Danny continued going to the gym and eating right. Soon the results started to show! Lexi even started taking classes at the gym and meeting new people. These new friends would also turn into her support system and hold her accountable.
“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. The Work Starts Paying Off
Slowly, Lexi’s hard work started paying off. She quickly got over her fears of going to the gym, declaring that “if people were going to stare at me because of my weight, I was going to give them a reason to stare by being the hardest worker in the room”
At first, Lexi was losing around 20 pounds a month. Then the weight loss got more difficult. She kept going to the gym and eating healthy, counting her daily calorie intake. Pretty soon, her new habits turned into a lifestyle.
21. Danny’s Weight Loss
Lexi wasn’t the only one making significant progress in the journey towards being healthy. So was Danny. He was beside Lexi every step of the way and pretty soon he was able to see a difference in his health as well.
The couple kept up their healthy lifestyle and within just 24 months, Danny had lost almost 100 pounds. When he started his journey, he weighed in at 280 pounds, but managed to get down to a mere 190 pounds by the end of year one.
22. Lexi’s Amazing Transformation
After 18 months had gone by, Lexi’s entire life looked completely different. The difference was astounding and she was so proud of her newfound lifestyle and determination, which she did naturally by going to the gym regularly and eating healthier. By May 2018, she was down an incredible 312 pounds.
Lexi says that the first big difference she noticed in her size occurred when she went back to a restaurant that the couple frequented before they started their journey. Her stomach used to rest on the table and now she had lots of wiggle room. She says that was a true moment of pride.
23. Instagram Success
Looking for more support and wanting to share her journey, Lexi created an Instagram account in the fall of 2016 to log her incredible journey. She called the account “Fat Girl Fed Up” and began posting daily pictures of herself going to the gym, along with motivational quotes. Pretty soon she had a huge following!
Today, Lexi’s Instagram account has over 750,000 followers. She also posts before and after pictures that are absolutely stunning. In just two short years she transformed herself, through hard work and determination, into a completely different, healthy person.
24. Stardom
Lexi and Danny’s story spread across the internet like wildfire and started being picked up by news and TV stations nationwide. Lexi and Danny even appeared on TV shows to be interviewed about their amazing journey and were featured on an episode of Rachael Ray about healthy cooking and eating!
The couple doesn’t let their newfound stardom get to their heads though. The opposite, in fact. They are more humble now than ever and thank the media attention for helping motivate them further on their journey to living healthier.
25. A New Lease on Life
Lexi and Danny combined have lost over 400 pounds and both have a new lease on life. The couple returned to the beach where Danny proposed years ago and had a run along the waterside to celebrate their newfound lives.
All those years ago, when Danny proposed, Lexi was almost 500 pounds and even a short walk along the beach would be enough to tire her out and leave her out of breath. But not anymore! “We returned to that beach and ran down that beach!” Lexi declared.
26. You’re A Wizard
Now that Lexi can fit more than comfortably on an airplane, the couple finally took a trip. They took a trip to somewhere that Lexi had always dreamed of going: Harry Potter World at Universal Studios theme park. Now, both Danny and Lexi can fit on the rides, with room to spare.
The already-happy couple is now happier. Having gone through their weight loss journey together, Lexi says that she and her husband have never felt closer and that their relationship has never been stronger. Turns out, the buddy system really does work!
27. No Longer a Prisoner
Now that she’s down to a healthy weight, Lexi says that she no longer feels like a prisoner in her own body. “I am grateful for every single day and I am enjoying the journey,” Lexi said, looking forward to the days and years to come.
“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 just 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. Advice from Lexi
Now that Lexi has undergone such a dramatic and amazing weight loss journey (not that it’s over!) she is giving others advice and inspiration. On her Instagram she also posts pictures of other peoples’ journeys to inspire others.
Lexi’s advice is to “Start small — small changes add up to big results — and focus on each day, not how far you have to go.” She also advises against believing in any magic pill or surgery to get healthy, advising that it’s better to do it naturally.
29. Helping Others
Now that Lexi and Danny are happy and healthy, they’ve started their very own YouTube channel to help and give advice to others who are embarking on their own weight loss journeys. On their channel, they give advice about eating right and working out.
Lexi’s story is so inspiring that she was invited to the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards. “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
“There are no words to explain the feeling of saving your own life,” said Lexi. “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. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come and this new life that I’m living. I saved my own life, and for that there are no words — only gratitude,” Lexi explained. The couple has had some exciting things happen to them recently.
31. Hollywood Calling
As a result of Lexi Reed’s huge progress in transforming her life, she was given a very special honor. She was chosen by Loreal Paris and TNT Drama as one of their inspiring strong women and was chosen to attend the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The trip was a dream come true, especially considering that she used to not even be able to fit into an airplane seat! To get to the star-studded show, she and Danny were flown to Hollywood and provided with a stay at a beautiful hotel as well. During this vacation, they also maintained their fitness routine!
32. Meal Tips
One of Lexi’s tips for losing weight is prepping the ingredients for healthy meals at the beginning of the week and finding delicious and healthy meals. She often shares her meal ideas social media pages under the name Fat Girl Fed Up.
On Memorial Day 2018, she wrote gave some inspiring advice. “I know Holidays are hard guys but practice portion control, healthier swaps, balance, planning,” she wrote. Anyone who browses the meals she posts will notice that her meals are full of simple but delicious components. Everything is homemade and made with whole foods, not processed or packaged foods.
33. Maintaining the New Lifestyle
One of Lexi and Danny’s secrets to maintaining their newfound lifestyle is by incorporating it into all the new, fun activities they do. One example was when they went camping recently. For some, hot dogs and hamburgers might be the perfect cookout food, but not for them.
Instead, the couple prepared a scrumptious high-protein meal before they headed off on a hike. The meal included chicken, steak and mashed avocado. In the post, she wrote that “Holidays, weekends, or even being out of your routine doesn’t mean we cant still reach our goals and eat delicious food!”
34. Exercise Tips
Lexi and Danny Reed’s life transformation has been brought about because they always find time to go to the gym and work it into social activities. Recently, she shared a picture of what they did before their latest Friday date night.
“Making the time before date night to work on our goals!” she wrote in a post on May 19. “Somedays we don’t know how we’re gonna do it, but everyday we get it done!” Lexi noted that before they embarked on their date night fun, they first hit the gym for “30 minutes of lighter cardio.”
35. Community Support
One of the ways Lexi has made sure to maintain her new healthy lifestyle has been by having a strong community of support, both online and offline. On her Facebook page, she often hosts motivational fitness contests via dietbet.com, in addition to her usual motivational posts.
Together, the community motivates one another to get moving, eat healthier, and keep each other accountable. A glance at the comments on Fatgirlfedup social media pages shows stories of the followers who have made huge changes thanks to all this!
36. Friends In Fitness
Another huge factor that helped Lexi Reed make her astounding transformation was finding friends who also lived a healthy lifestyle. It’s extremely important to surround oneself with friends who have good habits and Lexi is living proof of this with her best friend and gym buddy.
“When I started my journey I normally was more of a loner and lost people I was close to due to my new lifestyle and hobbies,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “However over time I found others along the way who helped make me who I am today and helped to make my journey more enjoyable.”
37. A Day Of Rest
Life cannot be only spent at the gym and Danny and Lexi Reed recognize this. They make sure to take rest days and have tons of fun, as this picture shows. Here, the Reeds are with their two beautiful golden retrievers, Oliver and Olivia.
This shows how a rest day can still be active in the most fun way possible. On this post, Lexi wrote that she “Can’t wait for more walks with them this summer and we’re sure they are happy mom/dad got healthy too!”
38. Dirt Bike Life
“From 765lbs to riding dirt bikes,” Lexi Reed wrote in a beautiful post on April 19. “Life with you is an adventure & i’m enjoying the ride.” We’d definitely have to agree and have noticed a striking pattern.
One of Lexi and Danny’s tips for staying in great shape is making sure to find fun, active activites and looking for new challenges all the time. Way to go! One can only imagine how good life must feel for them.
39. Inspiring Men
Lexi Reed is not the only one who inspires others with useful tips for making a lifestyle change. Her husband Danny is also in the game and has been inspiring many people ever since he opened his own Instagram account called Discovering Danny.
There, he also documents his weight loss journey as well as the adventures that he and Lexi get to go on now that they have the energy to do them. He also shares his own personal milestones, such as when he recently got a new tattoo.
40. YouTube Stars
Danny and Lexi Reed not only post pictures but they have a series of videos on YouTube as well. In one video, they documented their amazing experience when Lexi was honored by L’oreal Paris and TNT Drama at the SAG Awards.
The video of what they did while they were in Hollywood is incredible and provides a glimpse into their lifestyle. It showed how excited Lexi was to be able to meet tons of celebrities, experience a luxury hotel, and most importantly, still maintain their healthy lifestyle even while on vacation.
41. Live On TV
After gaining a huge following online, it was only a matter of time until they started gaining attention by TV news stations as well. In January, Lexi and Danny were invited to speak on The Today Show to share their story.
The pair flew to New York and were interviewed by Megyn Kelly about how they managed to lose 400 pounds together and the changes they have made in their life to do it all without the help of gastric bypass surgery. Their incredible message was definitely getting heard!
