Students who attend a boarding school for obese teens in the Central Valley learn to completely change their lifestyle.
We take you back to the Academy of the Sierras in Reedley for the one year reunion of the first class... and hear how the program gave them much more than a smaller pant size.
Before coming to A.O.S., 19 year old Daniel Burger of Mesa, Arizona barely left the house and never wanted to do anything.
One year after leaving the school, things are very different.
He says, "Now, I'm the exact opposite. I hate to sit around. It's like when I sit around, I'm just like, I feel like I either have no friends or I have no life."
He certainly has a life now... friends, a job at Wal-Mart and a high school diploma... something he was not on track to get before.
Daniel lost 150 pounds during his 10 months at A.O.S., but it's what he gained that's changing his life... self-esteem and self-worth.
Daniel elaborates, "Well right now, I honestly, I feel pretty much like a million bucks. I mean, I go around and everyone's telling me how great I look. I even get hit on, I get complimented. Ya know, it's amazing. Every day is pretty much an ego boost. Some people say too much of one, but oh well."
While some of the students have been very successful in keeping the weight off, others are still struggling.
However, no one has gained all the weight back... and some of the teens shed even more pounds once they went home.