DENVER — Studies show losing weight is much easier when you do it with someone you love. Julie Brown and her husband Ron Sherratt lost more than 250 pounds combined, and found a whole new experience to enjoy together.

Julie and Ron used to weigh nearly 500 pounds combined. It was a problem that not only held them back from many opportunities, but threatened their lives as well.

Ron said, “I couldn’t breathe. My wife took me to start on the weight management program and I couldn’t get in the door.”

He explained that feeling that he wouldn’t live for long was devastating. There was no choice but to change their lifestyle.

Paying thousands of dollars for weight loss surgery was not an option, so the couple enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente weight reduction program.

Their dedication to exercise and and eating several nutritious low fat low carb meals each day ended up saving their lives.

“If you would have said that I would be a hundred pounds lighter I wouldn’t have believed it,” Julie said.

They said the strength of their 24-year marriage turned out to be a secret weapon against failure. “There are times when one of us will want to stray or eat something and the other one gets us back on track,” Julie said.

Today, Ron and Julie are keeping the weight off. Both can now fit into one of Ron’s old pair of pants.

More importantly, they’re laughing again and it’s only the beginning of a new journey. “We want to take a trip, we want to ride roller coasters that we can get the seatbelts on,” Julie said.

For more information about weight loss visit the American Heart Association.