Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Formerly Overweight Teen Decided To Walk To School Every Day To Lose Weight—Now He's Down 115 lbs

Formerly Overweight Teen Decided To Walk To School Every Day To Lose Weight—Now He's Down 115 lbs
Good Morning America/YouTube
Make us preferred on Google

With a little determination, anything is possible.

Case in point?

18 year old Michael Watson had struggled with his weight most of his life.


He was teased by other kids and overall just didn't feel like himself. At 300 pounds, he was ready to make a big change.

How?

Simply by walking.

The Canton, Ohio teen made the effort to, instead of taking the bus, walk to and from school every day, rain or shine.

Watson told ABC News:

"When I looked in the mirror I was really ready to get it done and thought, 'I can't just fail anymore on my diet.' I need to actually do this."

Now, he's down 115 pounds.

It wasn't just the walking that helped him lose so much weight. He also changed his diet, cutting down on fast food and learning to count calories.

This was no easy feat, seeing as Watson worked at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken.

"It was extremely hard, especially at first. What motivated me was stepping on the scale. I'd see that I was 290 [pounds] and say, 'Let's get to 280, come on Michael, you got this'.

Regular working out was also a big factor in Watson's weight loss. In his free time, he would lift weights in his garage, which he turned into a makeshift gym.

His alma mater, McKinley Senior High School, showed their pride for Michael in a recent Facebook post.

McKinley Family Support Specialist Terrance Jones nominated Watson for the "Senior Limelight" recognition, after being inspired by the teen's story.

Good Morning America picked it up from there and did a feature on Watson. They also shared video of the story on their YouTube channel.

High school senior loses 115 pounds by walking to school, changing dietyoutu.be

"His story stuck with me," Jones said to ABC News.

"Michael is a young man who aspired to be able to be a better person for himself. We're not talking about athletic accomplishments or academic accomplishments, this is a personal development success. We need to pay more attention to personal development successes with students."





Watson has already made plans for after graduation, and hopes to get a full-time job when he gets out of high school.

His goal? The food industry.

Taking culinary classes and making healthier food choices sparked a love of cooking. He hopes to possibly pursue it as an adult.

"I lost a lot of my insecurities when I lost all that weight."

Watson added:

"You work for it and you get it, so it feels amazing for sure."

GIPHY

You go, Michael!

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Cher and Bob Mackie
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Cher Leads Poignant Tributes To Iconic Fashion Designer Bob Mackie After His Death At 87

On September 14, designer Bob Mackie passed away. While he did design clothing collections and accessories available to the masses, Mackie was best known as an icon who designed for icons.

Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Bette Midler, Elton John, and Diana Ross were among the legendary names Mackie designed for.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Epically Fact-Checked After Claiming More People Watched His GOP Midterm Convention Than NFL Opener

President Donald Trump was swiftly fact-checked after he claimed that his recent midterm convention "beat the NFL" in viewership, referring to the 2025-26 season kickoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

Trump spoke for nearly two hours that night, with his address airing live on Fox News as well as the Nielsen-rated cable networks Newsmax and NewsNation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephen Colbert; Donald Trump
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Stephen Colbert Had Hilarious Reaction After Being Asked About Trump Following Emmy Win

After taking home six Emmys, including for Outstanding Variety Series, comedian Stephen Colbert had the perfect reaction after he was asked if he thought that President Donald Trump got The Late Show canceled.

Colbert was approached backstage by Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh, who asked if Colbert believes his show "was canceled because of Donald Trump?” Colbert merely said, "What?" and turned instead to CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kash Patel; Cory Booker
Win McNamee/Getty Images (left and right)

Cory Booker Compares 'Disgrace' Kash Patel To Failed Frat Boy In Epic Rant During Heated Senate Hearing

New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker lost his patience with FBI Director Kash Patel during his testimony in the Senate on Tuesday and called him a "disgrace" while also reserving other pointed criticism toward Republicans as a whole.

Booker accused Patel of overseeing the "generational destruction of the nation's premier law enforcement agency" during testimony in which Patel claimed there is "no credible information" to prove the late financer, sex trafficker, and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein trafficked victims to anyone other than himself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Katie Dippold at Apple TV's Primetime Emmy Party Red Carpet held at Nya Studios West.
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images

Emmy-Winning 'Widow's Bay' Creator Went Viral Years Ago With Hilarious Halloween Photo—And Fans Are Obsessed

Forget lifting the curse on Widow’s Bay. After its night at the Emmys, Katie Dippold and company might want to keep whatever supernatural forces are working in their favor.

Apple TV’s horror-comedy premiered in April and stars Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, the mayor of a small island town off the coast of New England. Determined to transform Widow’s Bay into a tourist destination, Loftis presses ahead despite locals warning that its sleepy seaside charm comes with some decidedly sinister baggage.

Keep ReadingShow less