A victim of bullying turns things around

My name is Walter Alvarez, and I’m 21 years old. I’m from Guatemala, and I live in Florida. I was always a chubby kid. And my family never saw my being overweight as a bad thing. I would eat large portions for my age, and I didn’t realize the problem that it would cause afterwards. Not everything was rosy at school. When it was time to be part of the sports teams, they never chose me. I was always the last one waiting to be picked. They never chose me because I was the slow “chubby”, or “ball of fat” as my schoolmates would call me. I gradually isolated myself and stopped living the life that a normal teenager would have. I looked for comfort in food and reached 267 pounds. I chose to not attend my graduation ceremony to avoid being mocked and getting hurtful comments. They didn’t accept me and I didn’t accept myself either. One morning, while crying in my room, I heard one of the Success Stories in the background. And it was there that I felt a call to start my transformation immediately. As of today, I’ve dropped 102 pounds. And I’m happy because I passed a difficult life test and have graduated with honors from the University of Life! Now, I can welcome you to the best version of me. And what better way than with Yes You Can!