'We look and feel better than the day we met!' Husband and wife who have been married for 16 years show off their incredible transformations after shedding a combined 160LBS

A Fulton, Missouri, couple has lost a combined total of 160lbs after taking up a healthy new lifestyle together when the wife was told she needed to drop 20lbs before back surgery.

Justin Dean, 38, and his wife Ashlea, 34, first turned to the Ketogenic diet plan three years ago, after he happened upon the healthy eating regime while looking for ways to help his wife shed the weight she needed before undergoing surgery on her back.

Keen to help his wife stay motivated, while also whipping himself into shape, Justin pledged to also follow the 'extremely low-carb' diet, which saw both of them totally giving up their beloved pasta, bread, and sugar.

Couple's that diet together stay together! Justin started the Keto diet with Ashlea three years ago to keep her motivated

But while the plan was difficult at first, the couple were thrilled with the results - which saw them both losing weight within weeks; within the first year, Justin had gone from 190lbs to 140lbs, while Ashlea had shed over 100lbs, going from 250lbs to 135lbs.

Needless to say, the couple - who are about to celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary - hasn't looked back, and after three years of healthy living, both are proud to say that they have stuck to the Keto diet and maintained their slimmed-down physiques.

Now, they mainly stick to proteins, leafy greens and fats which Justin said 'may seem counter-intuitive but is an essential part of the plan'.

The couple first started the diet regime three years ago when Ashlea, a registered nurse, hurt her back while helping a patient and needed surgery to correct it.

But the only way the surgeon said he would complete the surgery was if Ashlea lost 20lbs and stopped smoking.

Thanks to the Keto diet, she managed to meet the doctor's demands - and then some - and, along with her husband, now plans to take up regular exercise in order to get even fitter.

'Deciding to lose weight wasn't a problem; Ashlea had to do it to qualify for surgery and I was getting bigger every day so we just jumped in feet first,' Justin said.

'I think the hardest part about the process was just getting started, but we did a ton of research and planned ahead and stayed supportive for those first few weeks.'

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