A couple who collectively lost over 200lbs have revealed how their separate weight loss journeys helped them fall in love – even though they lived thousands of miles apart.
Today, Maria and Ben Landers are happily married and living Clearwater, Florida, but back in 2015 Maria was living in her native Sweden and clicking through weight loss videos on YouTube when she came across a clip featuring ‘the most handsome guy I had ever seen in my life.’
In her story submitted to Love What Matters, Maria described how her life as a floor nurse in a health care facility saw her on her working hard all day long, but taking every opportunity to sit down and gorge on candy during her breaks.
Love online: Maria and Ben Landers met online in 2015 when Swedish Maria had lost around 80lbs and came across Ben’s YouTube video documenting his 100lb weight loss
Quite a difference: Maria was working as a floor nurse in Sweden when she found herself at age 22 having ballooned to 260lbs
As a result of her lifestyle, she soon found herself tipping the scales at 260lbs at the young age of 22.
‘Being tired was my daily feeling. At the end of the day, I was ashamed about giving medical advice when I clearly was not a good example of good health’, she said.
‘I would preach about healthy eating habits and the importance of exercise while I took a bite of my fifth piece of cake.’
One day, she found herself struggling to tie up one of her shoes and knew in that moment that she had to do something. She went ahead and signed up to get gastric bypass surgery.
After first being concerned that she wasn’t heavy enough to qualify, she received a call from the doctor telling her she was going under the knife in eight days. The news sent her into a panic and prompted a revelation. Why, as a health professional with all the knowledge required to sort her lift out, was she resorting to this?
The other side of the ocean: Over in Louisiana, Ben had been through a similar journey
Meet-cute: One day, Maria claims she was flipping through YouTube when she spotted Ben’s video and thought he was ‘the most handsome guy I had ever seen in my life’
Similar story: He was apparently ‘stand-offish’ at first but opened up when he learned about their shared experiences
‘I quickly called the doctor back to cancel the surgery, threw the pamphlets in the trash, undressed and took loads of pictures from every angle.
‘I decided that I will NOT be a statistic and I would not remove my organs at the age of 22, all because I would not stop eating.’
Across the ocean, Ben was going through a similar struggle in his native Louisiana, and sharing his progress with the world on YouTube.
One video in particular caught Maria’s eye. She had lost nearly 80lbs when she came across handsome Ben speaking into the camera about his more than 100lb weight loss journey.
In the video, he explained having a similar moment of clarity as Maria, saying that ‘one morning after drinking tequila I just realized, I don’t want to live like this anymore,’ adding that he felt as though he was ‘merely existing’ rather than living life to the full.
On his way: Ben started his journey close to 300lbs and lost more than 100. After becoming ‘very skinny’ he changed his diet and workout to gain muscle
Staying motivated: Maria has since also lost more than 100lbs, having started at around 260lbs
Hitting the road: Eventually, Maria decided to move to the US to be with Ben, and he responded by proposing
Maria felt inspired and instantly attracted – so much so that she sent him a direct message. He replied the next day.
Although Ben was hesitant to get attached right away, learning about Maria’s journey helped him warm up. Soon enough, they were chatting ‘for hours’ online and on the phone.
Their connection quickly became clear and Maria even changed to the evening shift at work so she could keep up with the time difference.
The phone calls and texts eventually turned into visits, starting with Ben inviting Maria to be his date to a stateside wedding.
‘Needless to say, things were getting serious. I had found my soulmate, my other half. Maria and Ben, I liked the sound of that,’ she said.
Loved up: The pair have been happily married since September 2016 and live together in Clearwater, Florida
The pair kept up their long distance romance for about a year before Maria decided to take the plunge and move to America. Ben responded by pulling out a ring while the two walked along the river during a trip to New Orleans and asked her to marry him.
They tied the knot on the beach in Florida in September 2016.
Now, the couple life their healthy lifestyles together, motivating each other along the way and producing videos for their separate YouTube channels.
Both have lost more than 100lbs and have each kept off the weight for more than five years – though Ben’s journey has also included building up ‘an incredible amount of lean muscle’ since his initial weight loss.
‘He has given me the best support you could ever ask for to make the right choices,’ Maria said. ‘We lift each other up and now realize what an incredible journey this has been. I would not trade this lifestyle for anything!’