Couple Who Weighed 685lbs Share Secret Behind Joint Transformation

It can be really hard to stay motivated while losing weight and few people know that better than Marlon, 33, and Camille, 31, who ultimately decided to support each other through their weight loss journey.

After getting hitched in 2017, the Atlantan couple witnessed their weight grow exponentially. By 2020, they'd both reached their heaviest weight yet with Marlon at 475 lbs and Camille measuring at 210 lbs, tallying them both as part of the 41 percent of American adults over the age of 20 classed as obese. With their new weight came new challenges, and at 28 years old, Marlon was diagnosed with diabetes while Camille's blood pressure soared. Both conditions were a confirmed by-product of their respective weight gain.

The pair decided enough was enough and teamed up to shred a combined weight of 250 lbs in a matter of months. Newsweek spoke with the couple, who say they now feel "great," about how they transformed their bodies and what they learned along the way.

"We'd been trying to lose weight for years but never got that far with it, but then at the age of 28, Marlon received a diagnosis of being diabetic. This served as a significant wake-up call for both of us," Camille opened up.

"He soon encountered fatigue, developed dark patches on his legs and experienced weight gain. Concurrently, I had recently been diagnosed with PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome], following symptoms like weight gain, bloating, recurring ovarian cysts, and fatigue," she added.

While each new diagnosis served as an alarm bell for the young couple, the new health conditions they'd acquired made it even more challenging for them to lose their desired amount of weight.

Embracing the Mindset of Making Small Changes

"Each of these health conditions significantly impacted our weight-loss journey, posing additional hurdles and intensifying the already difficult challenge we faced," Marlon explained.

Still, the couple didn't waver from their mission and set out on a rigorous fitness journey. They began slowly, doing 20-to-25-minute at-home high intensity workouts three or four times a week.

"We found this to be a quick and convenient way to engage our bodies, which ultimately increased the likelihood of our adherence," Camille said.

The pair shared that they had found it difficult to see their end-goal of slimming down as an attainable one, in part due to past failings and how much they weighed at the time.

Camille joked to Newsweek that she had tried nearly "every diet out there" to little avail. What really pushed them towards their goal this time was tailoring their journey to suit their specific needs, individually and as a couple, rather than attempting to conform to a generic approach that had been popularized online.

"We focused on what worked best for us and gradually built upon it, day by day. Embracing the mindset of making small changes, allowing us to maintain consistency and develop a true lifestyle change," Marlon said.

The couple soon realized that the problem with their previous fitness kicks was that the lifestyles they'd tried to embark on were just too restrictive and unrealistic. This would lead them to lose all motivation before getting anywhere near the finish line. On top of that, after their health began to deteriorate at such a young age, the pair knew that they needed to implement a "forever" lifestyle change and not just a fad diet.

For the couple, that meant keeping up with a regular, but not too strenuous, exercise routine and cooking more healthy meals at home. Since making a transition to this mindset, the couple have not only been able to shed the excess pounds but have also kept it that way.

"The first step that we took to adapt our diets to the new lifestyle changes that we wanted was cooking more at home. Previously, we had eaten takeout and fast food quite often. It was just easier with our busy schedules," Camille said.

"By simply challenging ourselves to cook at home, we began to see small physical changes. Once we saw the impact that cooking at home had, I began to explore and create different recipes that were healthy, tasty and easy to make to help keep us consistent at home," she added.

Camille became so passionate about her new recipes that she went on to write two cookbooks tailored to other home chefs hoping to lose weight.

'We Had To Overcome Challenges'

While it may sound pretty straightforward to just cook more meals and work out a few times a week, the couple shared that they felt like giving up several times. They were able to persist because their action plan was tailored to their specific needs.

"This experience really has brought about changes in our lives that extend far beyond weight loss. We have gained a newfound appreciation for numerous aspects of our lives such as the ability to move our bodies, nourishing foods, the energy we have to enjoy life more, and so much more," Marlon said.

"There were numerous occasions in which we wanted to give up on the journey and return to our previous, more comfortable habits. Not many people want to deny themselves the indulgences of life, but we understood that our goals were deeper than just weight loss and stemmed into our futures here together," Camille added.

The pair said the most challenging part of their journey was their daily commitment to taking the necessary steps toward their shared goal, like eating healthily and working out.

"That was hard. It was also the most rewarding part of our journey as, each day we persisted, we drew closer to our goals, proving to ourselves that we were capable of achieving it," Marlon continued.

After roughly ten months of this persistence, Marlon managed to slim down to 275 lbs while Camille dropped to 165 lbs. Although the couple had gotten their weight in check, they continued on with their new approach and sought to educate themselves further on health and wellness. This has allowed the pair to stick to their new weights with ease.

Not a One-Size-Fits-All Approach.

"Marlon and I have become certified NASM [National Academy of Sports Medicine] fitness and nutrition coaches! This knowledge has been a major tool in our understanding of nutrition. We are able to stick to our weights because we genuinely educated ourselves and made genuine changes," Camille said.

The couple both cite each other as being their greatest motivator during the journey, and recommend that others hoping but struggling to lose weight pair up with a partner or buddy.

"Having one another as a teammate was pivotal to our success. We are here to support one another and we often split tasks to make our workloads a bit easier. I would come up with our meals for the week, while Marlon would plan our workouts," she added.

They now run a joint Instagram account where they share healthy recipe ideas and low-maintenance workout routines with their online followers. Their presence in the online fitness influencer space has even led to them appearing on Good Morning America, where they talked about their weight-loss journey. Their message? Weight loss isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.

"Our mission is to help as many people as possible find what healthy looks like for them," Camille said.

Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Correction 6/27/23, 8:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to specify that Marlon is 33, not 32, and that Camille is now 31, not 30.