Husband and wife reveal their unbelievable transformation after losing a combined 524 POUNDS in 19 months
A husband and wife have opened up about how they lost an unbelievable combined 524lbs in just 19 months with a healthy diet, exercise and a lot of support and teamwork.
Justin, 27, and Lauren Shelton, 26 - who weighed over 450lbs and 300lbs respectively when they married in 2008 - said on Today.com that a scare during a hospital trip forced them to reconsider their unhealthy lifestyles and embark on a journey towards weight loss.
Now, with Lauren 174lbs down and Justin an incredible 347lbs lighter, the couple from Jefferson City, Tennessee are shadows of their former selves, and they even admit that family members they haven't seen in a long time fail to recognize them.
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Before: Married couple Justin, 27, and Lauren Shelton, 26 - who weighed over 450lbs and 300lbs respectively in 2008 - have shed a combined 524lbs in 19 months
After: Compared to old pictures of them, Lauren and Justin look barely recognizable in their TV appearance, with Lauren in a slimming black and white striped dress cinched with a pink belt
Compared to old pictures, Lauren and Justin look barely recognizable indeed in their TV appearance, with Lauren in a slimming black and white striped dress cinched with a pink belt.
And Justin could be a completely different person as he shows off his new body in a black suit and plaid shirt.
Before they decided to make a change in their lives, both Lauren and Justin turned to food for comfort - her to deal with her shyness, and him because of a knee injury in middle school that left him unable to exercise.
'I ate the wrong foods and way too much of them,' Lauren says in the video, confessing that at just 25 years old, she weighed an unhealthy 341lbs.
Amazing transformation: At just 25 years old, Lauren turned to food to deal with her shyness, and weighed an unhealthy 341lbs. Now, she is healthy and confident at 164lbs
Fighting fit: A knee injury in middle school left Justin unable to exercise for a while, but now, he is trim and enjoys getting outdoors for hikes with his wife
Life-changing moment: Everything changed in January 2012, when Justin was rushed to hospital with a kidney infection, and doctors said he weighed to much for the machine to scan his kidneys
Justin had a similar relationship with food, saying: 'Food was like that friend who was always there to support you. Food never called me names or was mean to me.'
But everything changed one day in January 2012, when Justin was rushed to hospital with a kidney infection.
When he arrived at the emergency room, he weighed too much for the machine to scan his kidneys - an incident which, luckily, wasn't a deadly danger then, but the kidney infection 'could have been something worse,' says Justin.
From then on, they decided to eat healthier, and they enlisted a physician's assistant, to help them reach a healthier weight.
WATCH: Husband and wife lose over 520lbs
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Unhealthy: Before their diet, Lauren and Justin would indulge in calorie-laden breakfasts that consisted of over-easy eggs, piles of bacon, biscuits with gravy and pancakes
Making changes: But after their hospital scare, they decided to eat better, and they enlisted Lynn, a physician's assistant, to help them reach a healthier weight
Body-altering: The weight dropped off rapidly, with Justin losing 100lbs in the first five months alone
Before their diet, Lauren would eat a 1,200-calorie breakfast that consisted of three over-easy eggs, a pile of bacon and biscuits with gravy.
Justin went for a sweeter morning meal, with a short stack of pancakes, sausage, eggs and maple syrup.
To trim down, they replaced the calorie-laden meal with a much healthier alternative: pancakes made from sweet potatoes, egg substitute and whey protein powder, with a side of turkey bacon.
The new morning meal clocks in at just 194 calories - about a sixth of their old breakfast.
New lives: After joining a gym and replacing their favorite going out to eat with getting outside and exercising, Lauren and Justin are much happier - and more in love - than than they were before
Teamwork: 'Our personalities changed,' Lauren says. 'It really strengthens you when you've got something hard ahead of you and you do it together'
Unsurprisingly the weight dropped off rapidly, with Justin losing 100lbs in the first five months alone.
After joining a gym and replacing their favorite pastime of going out to eat with getting outside and exercising, Lauren and Justin are happier - and more in love - than ever.
'Our personalities changed,' Lauren says in the video. 'It really strengthens you when you've got something hard ahead of you and you do it together.'
The couple, whose boost of self-confidence is evident in the video, say together: 'We are bold, brave and adventurous.'
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