Pre-Diabetic Teen Drops 200 Pounds

Sixteen-year-old Edgar Hernandez's suffered from a weight issue. The St. Louis, Ill., high school student weighed about 370 pounds at 5-foot-9 inches tall.

Bullying at school due to his appearance had hurt Hernandez before. He had even been seeing a therapist to boost confidence due to his low-self esteem and unhealthy diet and exercise routine.

"I tried my best to ignore it. But there were times when I just gave in and started crying," said Edgar, who lives in a suburb of St. Louis and is now 18, via CNN.

Yet it was his diagnosis of type 2 diabetes when he made the decision to change.

"It was time to stop blaming others for my choices and make a choice to take responsibility," he said.

Edgar began a new exercise regimen in which he dropped nearly 200 pounds throughout the last year and a half. He now weighs 185 pounds, and has thrown out his Double-XL shirts and size 48 pants for medium T-shirts and 33-inch pants.

However, he admits that the weight came off rather slowly at first. When his younger brother, Mario, who weighed 235 pounds at 5-foot-7, joined in, the duos progress sped up.

The boys decided to restock their family's fridge with fresh produce, getting rid of any processed foods and sodas. Their new meals switched to healthier choices, and the two began running together in support of each other's weight loss goals. Mario has now lost 70 pounds.

Their family has also taken up a more healthy routines.

"As a family, we go outside more, walk a little more. It shows because we have a lot more energy," Mario added, via CNN. "Even though other members haven't lost as much weight, maybe five pounds, you can see it in their faces."

Statistics show that obesity rates have doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents within the last 30 years. Many continue to take on healthier lifestyle choices in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic.