Couple's 280-Pound Weight-Loss Story Will Leave You Cheering

The story of this couple's dedication to improving their lives and well-being is probably one of the most satisfying things you'll read all week: in 2011, Robert Foster weighed 327 pounds, and his wife Jessica weighed 287 pounds. Both had spent much of their adult lives developing unhealthy eating habits and ignoring exercise.

The thought of going for a run was "unappealing to the point of agony," Rob told Fox affiliate KDVR, and the simple task of unloading groceries would render him too tired to play with his children.

Facebook/Robert Foster

Jessica, who had grown accustomed to being ignored in public, says it was a comment from a close family member in late 2011 that did the trick. "She used to be something to look at. Not anymore."

Then in late 2012, the couple had "an emotional conversation" as Jessica was about to turn 30.

"I wasn't giving them the full me because I was disgusted," said Jessica of her relationship with her family. "A light turned on upstairs."

The next week, Jessica enrolled in Zumba classes, and within a few classes, dropped 14 pounds. The quick results inspired her to try other physical activities, like biking and running on treadmills. Soon, Jessica had developed an exercise regimen that she stuck to three times a week.

For Rob, the call to fitness was harder to heed, but he started with small changes like playing tennis, and not eating seconds at dinner.

By the summer of 2012, the couple had started swimming and hiking with friends. In the winter, the couple signed up for a five-kilometer race, in which Jess finished way ahead of Rob. It was then that he experienced an epiphany.

"The feeling of accomplishment became addicting to me," he told KDVR. "After that day, I swore I would work to run a 5K without slowing to a walk."

Facebook/Robert Foster

At the same time, the couple's diet took a drastic turn for the better. The family began shopping only for fresh produce and lean meats, and avoiding the processed foods-filled aisles of the grocery store except to buy cereal. The Fosters began cooking everything from scratch, which made an incredible difference.

"Our whole philosophy towards food was adding good things," Rob said. "What we found was, the more and more good things we added, the less we craved the garbage."

Recently, the couple even decided to become vegans for health and environmental reasons. Today, the Fosters both weigh 167 pounds, and they've lost a total of 280 pounds since they began working out.

Although the couple is committed to improving the health of their family even further, the changes so far have been impossible to miss.

"I love myself. I like what I'm seeing in the mirror," said Jessica. "I know there's some work to still be done, but I'm such a different person than I was before."