A year ago, Nick Turnbeaugh, 17, looked into a mirror pondering adulthood. "I looked at myself and said, 'If I'm this heavy now, what will I be when I'm 30?' "
Today, Turnbeaugh weighs 163 pounds, which is 87 pounds lighter than his peak weight of 250 pounds. His new weight is perfect for his 5-foot-11-inch frame.
Now he likes the guy in the mirror. "I never realized what I used to look like," he said. "I'm astonished at what my body can do now.
"I'm getting more confident."
Last semester, his grades jumped from middle C to a B average, the highest grades he has ever achieved.
Experts say physically fit youngsters do better in school, for any of a number of reasons, from being clear-headed and healthy to being less self-conscious and distracted by teasing or bullying.
Turnbeaugh said to make the change, he had to hate obesity more than he loved junk food. And he hated what obesity had done to his life.
Turnbeaugh's weight had set his life off balance for as far back as he could remember. The most wrenching times were when other children teased him.
"I had to change schools in junior high because it got so bad," he said. "People don't realize, that really hurts."
He added, "When I was with my friends, they'd get the girls and not me. It wasn't fun."
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New diet, exercise energize teen
