Couple Loses 280 Pounds: Married Couple Loses Almost 300 Pounds Together, How Did They Do It?

A married couple loses 280 pounds together and feel better than they ever have before.

Robert Foster found himself at a weight of 325 pounds while his wife, Jessica, was at a weight of 287 pounds before committing to a life-changing experience, as reported by FOX News 13. Rob was fine with his weight because his size is what made him stand out, but his wife felt invisible and she hated it.

Rob admits he resented not being thinner and didn’t like the exhaustion he felt when taking his kids out somewhere. Jessica heard a comment made by a close relative in 2011 that stayed with her: “She used to be something to look at. Not anymore.”

Jessica had an emotional conversation with her husband just before her 30th birthday in March 2012. She couldn’t stand the way she looked and felt anymore. The Fosters had engaged in theses conversations before, but that one was different. She says:

“I adore my kids and I love my husband very much, but there was that point I hated myself so much. I wasn’t giving them the full me because I was disgusted. You have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Am I going to allow this to continue or am I going to stand up and make those changes?’ A light turned on upstairs.”

Jessica started taking Zumba classes and melted 14 pounds within a few weeks. The sheer motivation made her want to take on more physical challenges. She worked out on bikes, treadmills, and made sure she sweat for an hour at a minimum of three times a week. At that point, there was no way she was going back to how she was before, she said.

It took Rob a while to jump in with both feet in following his wife’s lead, but he did it. He began playing tennis and put an end to getting seconds at dinner.

The couple who lost almost 300 pounds combined, took on physical activities that didn’t feel like boring workouts. Beginning in the summer of 2012, they went hiking and enjoyed swimming with their kids and friends. They were feeling so great physically, that they wanted more to do.

Rob and Jessica trained for a 5k race last December. Rob walked equally as much as he ran and his wife finished way in front of him. The experience was a turning point for Rob as he got hooked on the high fives and feelings of accomplishment. It felt “addicting” to him. He had a vision after that 5k race:

“After that day, I swore I would work to run a 5k without slowing to a walk.”

Rob recalls that “it got crazy from there.” He couldn’t get enough of the running. He describes the feeling:

“I felt like my whole life was skyrocketing upward.”

In Rob’s next 5k race a few months later, he ran the whole thing without walking. On top of that, he ran his first 10-mile run followed by a marathon in May 2014. He’d lost 160 pounds after all that hard work.

During the whole process, the couple used an app for calorie-counting while losing the 280 pounds. It was a key element in changing the family’s relationship with food. With their kids still young, it occurred at a perfect time in their lives. Rob shares:

“It got to the point where we realized it didn’t matter what we fed them. If we weren’t eating the same way or if we were overeating, they were going to follow our example.”

The health-conscious couple made a habit of food shopping only on the outside perimeter of the store, avoiding aisles unless it was for cereal. The Fosters added more vegetables, fruits, lean white meats, and fish to their meals. Furthermore, they started making everything homemade that also included breads, dressings, and sauces. Rob points out:

“Our whole philosophy towards food was adding good things. What we found was, the more and more good things we added, the less we craved the garbage.”

Now the couple eats vegan for “health, environmental and ethical reasons,” according to the report.

Rob and Jess currently weigh 167 pounds each. The couple managed to lose 280 pounds successfully, a hard feat for most people to accomplish. Since the beginning of their huge lifestyle change, Jessica has lost 120 pounds and Rob has lost 160. The two feel happier and healthier. There’s nothing they feel they can’t take on.

Rob is enrolled in college and Jessica is back in the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for five years. She’s down from a size 24 to a size 10. The way people treat her now is amazing, she says, explaining:

“A lot of people became very friendly and were really looking at me in my face, instead of this blank stare. … And obviously, the opposite sex was more playful, always complimentary. I never had that. Never, ever, ever.”

Jessica adds that she really loves herself now and actually like what she sees in the mirror. She reveals:

“I love myself. I like what I’m seeing in the mirror. I know there’s some work to still be done, but I’m such a different person than I was before.”

Inside Edition reported on a couple who lost 600 pounds combined back in 2010. They were featured on a TLC network special, How I Lost 100 Pounds. The documentary following their journey and how life changed so drastically for them.

[Image via Daily Mail]