• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 ABC News
  • Wellness

High school senior loses 115 pounds by walking to school, changing diet

0:54
High school senior loses 115 pounds by walking to school, changing diet
Courtesy Jim Watson
ByKatie Kindelan
May 16, 2019, 8:06 AM

Michael Watson, 18, battled his weight his entire life but decided to make a lasting change when he looked in a mirror his sophomore year of high school.

“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,’” Watson said. “I need to actually do this.”

Watson, now a high school senior in Canton, Ohio, started by walking to and from school every day, more than 40 minutes round trip.

Michael Watson, of Canton, Ohio, weighed more than 300 pounds at the start of his weight loss.
Courtesy Jim Watson

He walked to school every day of his junior year, no matter whether it was hot, raining or snowing.

“When I took the bus to school, I’d want to sit by a kid and they’d say, ‘No, go sit somewhere else because I was so big,’” Watson recalled. “When I started walking, I didn’t even know what time the bus came and that was my motivation, ‘I have to walk.’”

Watson also changed his diet, working with his dad to learn how to count calories and then forgoing his normal fast food meals for salads, oatmeal and soup.

Related Articles

(MORE: 6 health screening tests millennials should know about)

Editor’s Picks

Mom of 2 gives kidney to 24-year-old after seeing plea written on his mother's car

  • May 14, 2019

29 classes in 30 days: We challenged ourselves to cardio dance for a month

  • May 15, 2019

6 health screening tests millennials should know about

  • May 13, 2019

“It was extremely hard, especially at first,” said Watson, who also worked at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant during his weight loss. “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,’” he said.

Watson started at his highest weight of 325 pounds. He now weighs 210 pounds, achieving a 115 pound weight loss.

Michael Watson, 18, poses after his more than 100 pound weight loss.
Courtesy Jim Watson

In addition to walking, Watson now lifts weights in a home gym he created in his family's garage.

“I lost a lot of my insecurities when I lost all that weight,” he said. “You work for it and you get it, so it feels amazing for sure.”

Watson’s father, Jim Watson, said he notices his son walk around now with “more confidence,” allowing him to show his “funny and outgoing” personality to more people.

Related Articles

(MORE: 29 classes in 30 days: I challenged myself to do cardio dance for a month)

Watson’s accomplishment caught the attention of his classmates and teachers at McKinley Senior High School, from which he will graduate later this month.

"His story stuck with me," said Terrance Jones, a family support specialist at McKinley who nominated Watson for the school's "Senior Limelight" recognition.

"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," he said. "We need to pay more attention to personal development successes with students."

Watson plans to find a full-time job after graduation, possibly in the food industry. He studied in his school's culinary program during his weight loss and credits his teacher in the program with helping him learn more about healthier food choices and cooking.

"I hope I can be an inspiration to others," Watson said, adding that he achieved his weight loss by reminding himself that "every day is a new day."

"That’s what I said on my diet all the time because I’d mess up some days," he said. "I'd tell myself, 'Tomorrow is a new day. You’ve’ got to start over and eat the oatmeal in the morning."

Editor’s Picks

Mom of 2 gives kidney to 24-year-old after seeing plea written on his mother's car

  • May 14, 2019

29 classes in 30 days: We challenged ourselves to cardio dance for a month

  • May 15, 2019

6 health screening tests millennials should know about

  • May 13, 2019

Up Next in Wellness—

More kids are swallowing magnets, despite stricter safety rules

May 20, 2025

Hailey Bieber details 'difficult' postpartum experience amid separation rumors

May 20, 2025

Jennifer Lawrence opens up about postpartum: 'It's extremely isolating'

May 19, 2025

New guidelines call for more pain management options at gynecology appointments

May 16, 2025

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2025 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2025 ABC News