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Ronnie Brower and Andrea Masella

(Provided photo)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - When he weighed 675 pounds, Ronnie Brower doubted he would ever marry the woman of his dreams.

But his dream will come true Saturday when Brower ties the knot with a woman he met in an East Syracuse gym where he lost 458 pounds.

Brower, 32, and his fiance, Andrea Masella, 24, are kindred spirits with a lot in common, including struggling with weight. They have lost a combined 578 pounds.

Brower embarked on a weight loss journey in 2013 after a physician assistant warned him he'd die if he did not lose weight. He gave up booze, drugs and overeating, began working out three hours a day and adopted a healthy diet.

Ronnie Brower before and after his weight loss.

Masella resolved to lose weight in 2014 after going to a beach on vacation in an ill-fitting bathing suit. Masella, who is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighed 250 and eventually lost 120 pounds.

They both worked out at Mission Fitness where they met two years ago.

"This is a story you could make a movie about," said Nick Murphy, Brower's personal trainer and best man. "It's a match made in heaven."

Masella, a hairdresser, had been following Brower's weight loss progress on Facebook. "I was really inspired by his story," she said.

Their first date was in the gym, playing ping pong and basketball.

"I instantly knew something was there," Brower said.

When Brower started working with Murphy and his wife, Jill, at Mission Fitness in 2013, they told him he'd eventually meet a woman passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle.

"I didn't believe it at first, then I started praying for it," he said.

Andrea Masella before and after her weight loss.

Murphy initially doubted Brower could lose weight, but became a believer when he saw Brower's perseverance over the course of two years.

"He never complained," Murphy said. "He just asked, 'What do I have to do?' He did it with a smile on his face. He never let on how hard it is."

Brower, who used to be on disability, now works two jobs as a school bus driver and a trucking company dock worker. "I feel now like I can do anything if I put my mind to it," he said.

He and Masella support each other's efforts to maintain their weight loss and exercise regimen.

"Both of us came from a place where food was our coping mechanism," Masella said. "We've gone through counseling and have figured out why we ate that way."

The couple will get married at noon at Abundant Life Christian Center in East Syracuse, followed by a reception in Vernon Center and a honeymoon in Mexico.

While Masella gets ready Saturday morning for the wedding, Brower plans to hit the gym to squeeze in some last-minute cardio exercise.

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