This Mom Is Inspiring Millions With Her Vow to lose 451 pounds in Viral Video
Leneathra Reed realized it was time for a change when she barely had enough energy to keep up with her 2-year-old daughter, Kenlyn, or make it down her work hallway without needing to catch her breath.
Now, Reed’s decision to make a huge lifestyle change, which will allow her to have the health and stamina she needs as the mom of a toddler, has gone viral.
Her trainer, Frank Harbin at Total Body Transformation Gym in Meridian, Mississippi, posted a Facebook video of Reed working out that has more than 53 million views and 385,200 shares.
In the video, Reed, 39, can be seen pushing a large tire and hitting it with a sledgehammer, among other workouts. Commenters on the video have shared their own weight loss success stories and words of encouragement, too.
Reed’s goal is to lose 451 pounds over a two-year period and weigh in at 175 pounds. She says she’s never been thin, but she maxed out at 626 pounds after post-op steroids made her quickly gain weight on her once-200-pound frame.
Now that she’s on her new health and fitness path, Reed isn’t making any excuses. Besides caring for her daughter, she works full-time as a certified pharmacy technician and takes a full college course load. But Reed still makes it to the gym three times a week and recently posted about going for a walk with her daughter on one of her off days. Harbin has her on a low-carb diet as well.
Plus, Reed’s got the extra motivation of coach Harbin live streaming some of her workouts. She’s created a Facebook page, Phat2Fit, for people to follow her transformation.
After losing 30 pounds since November, Reed says she can already feel a difference in being able to breathe and get around more easily.
“Why not get up and get off of my behind and show people that just because you’re big, that does not mean that you have to sit there and just take it,” she told WAPT16 News. “When you admit that you have a problem, and you admit that it’s something that you need to get up and do something about, you can do it.”