Valley Couple Loses More Than 500 Pounds

Valley Couple Loses More Than 500 Pounds: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Valley Couple Loses More Than 500 Pounds

Weight loss led to birth of daughter

Updated: Wednesday, 04 Jan 2012, 12:52 PM MST
Published : Wednesday, 04 Jan 2012, 9:19 AM MST

PHOENIX - This is a weight loss story that will inspire you in the New Year. Meet a valley couple who lost more than 500 pounds.

There was no magic pill and no surgery, but it took a major wakeup call to change their life.

Past pictures of Charles and Carly Hutchison show Charles when he tipped the scale at 590 pounds, while Carly weighed 291.

Their weight loss story ends well, but it started with a food obsession that spiraled out of control.

“I went to two different fast food restaurants, and I ordered a lot of food -- three different hamburgers, two different sides of fries that were large fries, chicken nuggets -- and then I went to another place and ordered tacos and bean burritos and -- two tacos, two bean burritos and two nacho bell grandes. I went home, and I ate all of that,” Charles said.

That night, Charles went to bed and noticed he couldn't feel his legs -- they were numb -- and his heart was pounding.

“And the realization that I was going to die hit me,” Charles said. "And I said, 'I have to do something. I have to lose weight. And I need you to do it with me.'”

“He gave me kind of like an ultimatum -- I need to do something, or I'm not going to live past 30 probably,” Carly said.

That restless night was the wake-up call.

Together, Charles and Carly changed their life dramatically by starting a weight loss program with a few simple principles. They joined Weight Watchers.

“Counting calories, and eating a balanced diet, and getting your activity in - your exercise,” Carly said. “In the beginning, he was so big and me as well, not being in that much shape, we literally just walked around our 2-bedroom apartment. And then we grew from there by walking around the complex, and then maybe two times. And eventually, six months down the road from our starting our weight loss journey, we got a trainer.”

“It's amazing to think about that time when I could only walk the 2-bedroom apartment and how hard that really was and walking to my car just from my apartment seemed like an astronomical feat,” Charles said.

After dropping a few pounds, they got a big surprise when they added weight of a different kind.

After trying for years -- miscarrying once and failing to conceive again because of what doctors said were "weight-related issues," Charles and Carly got a big gift around Christmas time -- a healthy baby girl they named Charley.

“It's interesting to look back at that picture, because I remember being that size and how I felt that size,” Charles said. “I didn't feel like a successful person. I wouldn't even buy a house because I was so afraid I was going to break it.”

Now, subtract 381 pounds for Charles and 132 pounds for Carly.

“Now that we've lost so much weight, it's almost like a new life. We go hiking, we do spin classes, we always go to the gym ... We're going to be doing a half-marathon in January, which I would've never imagined being that girl,” Carly said.

“I see a different woman. And it's crazy because sometimes it catches my breath how beautiful -- she's always been beautiful to me, but sometimes I just go – wow. Or someone sends me a picture, and I'm like, ‘How did I get so lucky to have such a beautiful wife?!’” Charles said.