A lot of us have made this mistake:  You try to get in shape by going overboard, and do too much too fast.  Like you decide to run five miles . . . then you’re sore for a week and never do it again.

So the right way to do it is by thinking long-term . . . creating goals . . . and sticking with a routine.  And here’s a great example . . .

There’s a 17-year-old kid in Canton, Ohio named Michael Watson who’s graduating from high school this month.  And he’s been overweight most of his life.  At one point, he was 325 pounds.

But about a year ago, he decided to do something about it.  So he overhauled his diet . . . stopped eating pizza every day . . . and walked several miles to school every morning.  Even if it was snowing, he still walked.  That’s how determined he was.

And his high school gave him a shout-out on Facebook . . . because he’s lost a total of 115 POUNDS.

We saw some before-and-after shots, and he looks like a different person.  He says the secret is you really have to want it.  And taking a real look at his relationship with food was hard, but worth it.

(Fox8)