Yuma couple shed 200 pounds together

It wasn't enough when her doctor told Wendy Beckers she would die if she didn't lose weight, but witnessing a near-death experience helped her and her husband, Marty, lose more than 200 pounds together.

When Wendy and Marty Beckers first met in June 1999, the pair weighed 328 pounds and 287, respectively.

"When we got together, we were wining and dining each other. I think we put on 30 pounds," Wendy said. "We didn't think about weight loss at all; we ballooned up."

After about a year, they both decided to try the Jenny Craig food program.

"We were at high-stress jobs and fell back," Marty said. "There was no time to watch what we ate; we fell back off the wagon and gained it back."

"Plus some," Wendy added.

But the couple certainly found success in their eventual campaign for good health. Their use of Jenny Craig was so successful that they were hired to star in a national TV commercial with actress Valerie Bertinelli.

Today the couple continue to share their inspiring story with others through their Web site called YellAtYourFat.com. That novel moniker is also the name of their team participating in Fattest to Fittest: Yuma vs Yakima Weight Loss Challenge, which the Beckers joined to lose a few pounds that had recently crept onto the scales.

The road to all this success wasn't an easy one, however.

When the couple moved to Yuma, they decided to try again to lose weight. It was then that Wendy went to the doctor for her normal checkup and got some news that surprised her.

"The doctor said ,'Wendy, you're going to have a stroke if you don't lose some weight.' In all my years of being overweight, no one ever said you're going to die."

She lost about five pounds, then grew complacent again. "As time passes, you forget what has been said to you."

That changed one day in November 2005 while Wendy attended a football game in Tempe with her father. All of a sudden, a man started yelling "Help, help, he's dying."

Wendy reacted quickly. She reached around the man and performed the Heimlich maneuver twice, and half of a hot dog was dislodged from the man's throat.

"We both kind of collapsed at that point," she said. "It was this huge, surreal experience."

That night when she got back to the hotel, Wendy said, she thought a lot about the experience and her own life.

She said she reacted to help save the man without hesitation.

"But when I'm told that I have the opportunity to save my own life, I don't do anything about it. How ridiculous is that?"

After that, Wendy and Marty said, they became serious and dedicated to losing weight.

They went back on Jenny Craig and became vegetarians.

"We dropped 50 pounds just eating the right food and walking," Marty said.

But they both plateaued and went vegan, giving up all dairy products.

"That just gave us the last kick we needed," Wendy said.

Though they both said now they've probably gained about 15 pounds back, they've made a pact to lose it again after the holidays.

"It's because we lost our focus," Wendy said. "We're still on the wagon, but we're hanging off."

"We don't want to end up where we were before," Marty said.

But they're still in shape. The couple ran a marathon in Las Vegas earlier this month. And running is something Wendy said she loves to do. Wendy runs Telegraph Pass every morning.

Marty Beckers said he doesn't quite feel the same as his wife about running.

"She's nuts," he said.

But dieting and exercise is easier because they're doing it together, Wendy Beckers said.

Her advice: "Keep the things that make you happy around you."

Whether that's family, pets or sweets, Wendy said, people don't necessarily have to give up certain foods. They just have to change them to a healthier version.

"So you're not giving up anything," she said.

Also, Wendy said, staying quiet with your goals and desire to lose weight isn't the right way to go about it.

"If you just tell your friends and family what you're trying to do, then you'll get their support" - and it also helps you check yourself.

She said it's also good to track your progress. "When you have to check in once a week and weigh in, it really keeps you centered."

The Beckers said they've had the opportunity to do that by participating in Fattest to Fittest, and it's really helped give them a jumpstart to losing the extra weight.

After they lost the weight, the Beckers started a blog about weight loss and said the really enjoy interacting with people and sharing their stories.

And they said they hope to inspire others.

Wendy said the taste of food maybe lasts five seconds, then it's gone - and that's not worth living an unhealthy life.

"When you think about the most precious parts of your life, it's not the Twinkies, cupcakes and steaks," Wendy said. "We all just want to live long and be with our families - it's not about the Twinkie."