In the past 12 months, the teenager has lost almost half his body weight in an effort to become healthier and happier.

Weighing in at 90kg this time last year, the then-14-year-old decided it was time to take action.

He started a regular exercise regime and cut out sugar – no mean feat for a teenager.

A year on, the results speak for themselves.

The 15-year-old from Bolwarra now tips the scales at 50kg and is as healthy as a horse.

Lachlan told Fairfax Media today that he embarked on his journey after his older brother went away to the army.

It was then that he decided it was time to change his own life.

“In a way I didn’t feel accepted and I copped a bit of bullying which really drove me to get fit,” he said. 

“That was some of the motivation behind my weight loss.

“For me it started with just half an hour every day and I slowly upped my time at the gym. All it takes is 30 minutes a day to start losing, look better and feel happier.”

With increasing talk about the rise in childhood obesity in Australia, Lachlan’s story is all the more inspiring.

According to the Federal Government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in four children aged between two and 17 years old are overweight or obese (18 per cent overweight, 7 per cent obese).

The proportion of five to 17-year-olds classified as overweight or obese in Australia jumped from 21 per cent to 25 per cent between 1995 and 2007-08, but remained stable between 2007-8 and 2011-12, when the most recent data was collected.

“Rates of overweight and obesity are similar across age groups, ranging from 23 per cent for children aged 2–4 to 27 per cent for adolescents aged 12–15,” according to the AIHW website. 

“Boys aged 5–7 have the highest obesity rate (9 per cent), and obesity among girls is most common at ages 5–7 and 16–17 (8 per cent).”

Lachlan should be commended for his can-do attitude and for taking matters into his own hands. His progress over the course of the past year shows a maturity beyond his years and provides a great example to all of us that determination and hard work – no matter what the goal in life – pays dividends.