fighting fit as a couple...! Obese man and wife-turned-fitness fanatics lose a combined 500LBS and run more than SIXTY marathons in four years

Success: Willie and Angela Gillis have lost 300lbs and nearly 200lbs, respectively, since they started their weight loss journey in January 2011. The couple is pictured before (left) their weight loss and after (right) 

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    Angela, 34, developed a passion for jogging, and she encouraged Willie, 35, to join a running club with her
    She has lost nearly 200lbs and has run 34 marathons, while Willie, 35, has shed 300lbs and run two marathons and more than 30 half marathons

  Story after the cut ...    Willie and Angela Gillis, from Beaumont, Texas, vowed to lose weight after the birth of their goddaughter

The couple started by swapping fast-food for home cooked meals and walking just five minutes a day on the treadmill
    Angela's goal is to run a marathon in all 50 states

Harsh reality: Willie, who weighed 492lbs at his heaviest, said he was inspired to lose weight after the birth of his goddaughter. He feared that if he didn't get his weight under control he wouldn't live to see her turn five

A married couple has lost a combined total of 500lbs after five-minute walks on the treadmill per day helped them develop a passion for running marathons together.

Willie Gillis, 35, from Beaumont, Texas admitted that he weighed 492lbs at the time of his goddaughter's birth and feared that he wouldn't live to see her turn five if his weight continued to spiral out of control. 

'Willie came to me and said, "I don't want to be this person anymore." So I said, "If you're going to do it, I'm going to do it,"' his wife Angela, 34, told Woman's Day.

Fitness fanatics: The couple from Beaumont, Texas are pictured doing push-ups together at the gym

Angela, who weighed 338lbs at the time, started her weight loss journey with Willie on January 6, 2011 during their first year of marriage. 

Willie and Angela used to be active, but they stopped focusing on fitness after they became consumed with work and the stresses of every day life.

In order to lose weight, the couple started by slowly changing their habits, walking on treadmills at the gym for five to 10 minutes a day and swapping fast-food with healthier meals they cooked at home.

Instead of relying on a personal trainer or nutritionist to help them navigate their weight loss, they signed up for the Lose It! app, which allowed them to track their calorie-intake and workouts.

Weight loss winners: Willie and Angela started by walking on treadmills just five to 10 minutes a day. Angela developed a passion for jogging and they eventually started running races together 

Bad habits: The couple, who are pictured on their wedding day, used to eat fast-food and drink soda before their weight loss 

Small changes: In addition to their newfound love of running, the couple swapped fast-food for healthy home cooked meals 

After their walks on the treadmill became a daily routine, Angela started jogging and eventually joined a running club. 

Two years after she started trying to lose weight, Angela signed up for her first marathon in Willie's hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, while he signed up for his first half-marathon. 

The couple drove eight hours to Memphis after a winter storm caused their flights to be canceled just a few days before the race.

However, when they arrived, they were devastated to learn that their races had been canceled as well. 

Feeling proud: Willie has run two marathons and more than 30 half-marathons over the course of three years 

Happy day: Willie and Angela are pictured posed in a pumpkin patch after shedding a combined total of nearly 500lbs 

Passionate runner: Angela, who once weighed 338lbs (left), has run 34 marathons. Her goal is to complete a marathon in all 50 states 

Willie and Angela were so determined to reach their goals that they ran their miles around his neighborhood. After Willie completed his 13.1 miles, he followed Angela around in a car while she ran all 26.2 miles. 

Over the course of five years, Willie lost and kept off 300lbs while Angela has shed nearly 200lbs and developed a passion for running marathons. 

Angela has completed 34 marathons and ultra marathons so far, and she is now a cycling instructor as the gym where she started walking on the treadmill five years ago.

Free nutrition tracker: After they vowed to lose weight, Willie and Angela signed up the Lose It! app, which allows users to track their calories 

Support system: 'We didn't want to give up on our ourselves or each other, and that's what carried us through,' they said of losing weight together 

Sharing her story: Angela blogs about their weight loss and fitness goals on her website We Beat Fat 

She also blogs about her weight loss and her current goal to run a marathon in all 50 states on her website We Beat Fat. 

Meanwhile, Willie has completed two marathons and more than 30 half-marathons since he vowed to get healthy.

'There were moments when it was hard, but we were fully committed,' hey said. 'From day one, there was no backslide, there was no "we're not doing this anymore" or "we can't do this", and I think a lot of that is because we were going through it together. 

'We didn't want to give up on our ourselves or each other, and that's what carried us through. I know that together we can overcome anything.'

Courtesy: mail

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