Couple surprises wedding guests with 95-pound weight loss
A bride and groom are speaking out after shocking their wedding guests with their combined weight loss of nearly 100 pounds.
Riley and Isaac Anastasiu teamed up to lose 95 pounds together and shared a video showing their transformation from their engagement party to their wedding day last November. The clip has garnered more than 6.5 million views on Instagram since Jan. 7.
The couple from Coachella Valley, California, told "Good Morning America" some of their guests were so surprised, they weren't even sure they recognized them.
"Some people that are on my side who haven't seen him in a long time [were] just being like, 'I don't even know who this guy is,'" Riley Anastasiu said.
Riley Anastasiu, 30, and Isaac Anastasiu, 27, said they both weighed 215 pounds when they decided to commit to losing weight before their nuptials.
"It just got to a point where it was like, 'I'm sick of feeling this way,'" Riley Anastasiu said of her motivation to lose weight.
As they started their shared weight-loss journey, Isaac Anastasiu said they focused on their diets first.
"When you get to tracking your foods, you realize how much you were actually eating," Isaac Anastasiu said.
Now, Riley Anastasiu said they both stick to eating "a protein, a carb and a vegetable, basically every single night."
For exercise, Isaac Anastasiu said he leaned into running, while Riley Anastasiu took up walking more and tracked her blood sugar.
"We really walk after dinner every single night. It's like an hour," Riley Anastasiu said. "The walking was working for me, so I just kept doing that."
Riley Anastasiu said she reached her goal weight one week before their wedding, and Isaac Anastasiu not only hit his goal but surpassed it.
"I feel like it was the perfect thing to do for us," Riley Anastasiu said.
After losing a combined 95 pounds, Riley and Isaac Anastasiu said they embraced taking their wedding photos.
"Being confident in your own skin, happy with where your life is at, it naturally made us really happy," Riley Anastasiu said.
Isaac Anastasiu is now training for a half marathon.
The couple said they vow to start their next chapter together in a healthy way.
"I think the biggest part for us is that … now, it is a lifestyle," Isaac Anastasiu said.
