Teen drops nearly 200 pounds - CNN

<div class="cnn_strycntntlft"> .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px} .cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0} .captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1} .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px} ]]><div class="cnnExplainer cnn_html_slideshow"> <div class="cnnstrylccimg640"><div class="cnn_stryichgfull"><div class="cnn_stryichgflg"> Looking at this photo from summer 2012, Edgar Hernandez thinks, "How could I have let myself get that big? How could I have let myself go to the point I stopped caring about my body?"

Before he tried to start losing weight, Edgar says he hated going outside and dreaded eating lunch at school. One memory from his sophomore year stays with him. "This kid threw a pizza crust at the back of my head and said, 'Are you going to eat that?' I just walked out of the cafeteria."

Edgar began participating in 5Ks, like this race with his friend, Portlyn, after he started to lose some of the weight. Seeing this photo fills his mind with happy thoughts, he said. The teen hopes he can inspire others to achieve their goals.

Edgar no longer dreads being photographed. Although he's proud of his new physique, he doesn't want to get too self-absorbed. "I don't want to turn into one of those kids who takes nonstop pictures of myself," he said. "I don't want to become a narcissist."

Portlyn was Edgar's first real friend in high school, he says. They met when Edgar was a freshman and Portlyn was a senior. "He helped me stay motivated in school and helped me pass. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have made it."

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