A 9-year-old who weighed 186 pounds dropped 65 pounds in under a year in an effort to fight bullies and the childhood obesity epidemic sweeping the nation, according to ABC News.  

Breanna Bond's weight gain started when she was a baby: she reached 100 pounds by the time she got to kindergarten. At the age of nine, she weighed 186 pounds and as a result, the report stated that the California native experienced difficulty breathing and moving around. She also became a target for school bullies. 

"Everybody at school would call me names," she said. "They would call me fatty, they would call me fat head."

"It was horrible for me and my husband," her mother, Heidi Bond remembers. "We felt helpless. We honestly didn't know what to do." 

Heidi then decided to design an exercise routine for her daughter, which including four-mile walks, a diet that limits fat to 20 grams per day, the treadmill and becoming actively involved in sports. The whole family got involved and started walking the four miles, four days a week, together on a trail near their Clovis, Calif., home. 

"It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Heidi said. "There were times where she refused to move." But she added it was worth pushing her daughter for "a little tough love to save the rest of their life."

Before long, Breanna began losing weight and as of the week of Dec. 4, she lost 65 pounds and is down to 121 pounds - 6 pounds from her goal weight, according to CNN. She currently works out at least an hour and 15 minutes every day, and is also on a swim team, a cheer team and a basketball team. 

About 12.5 million children ages 2 to 19 are obese and the number has almost tripled since 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The extra weight can lead to serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and psychosocial issues such as poor self-esteem.