Find out about the Child Obesity Center

"Obesity is a condition and the good thing about that is it can be changed," said Child Obesity Center director Michaesha Dennis.

Dennis and a team of health professionals have dedicated their lives to helping overweight kids get their lives back.

At the Child Obesity Center in Phoenix, the first step is figuring out why certain kids gain weight. And before she gets to the root of the problem, Dennis insists the entire family gets onboard.

“We made a safe place for the kids to actually feel comfortable coming to and the parents actually feel comfortable coming to, as well,” Dennis said. “They don't have to feel like they're being attacked, or feel bad that their child is overweight.”

Like so many other overweight kids, Kiante Smith, 14, and his brother Ki-Chaun, 12, got tired of being teased at school. It's just one of the reasons their mom got them enrolled in the program.

"We used to eat out a lot, but now it's more, 'Mom, let's go to Subway instead,'" Chanti Smith said. "Let's not have french fries; let's bake the potatoes instead of frying them."

"We've got smaller portion sizes and we're eating a lot of fruits and veggies now,” Kiante said.

"And we actually go to the store, we check the back and read the nutrition label about the calories and grams of sugar," Ki-Chaun said.

In addition to revamping their diet, the brothers are getting into exercising. For the next eight weeks, they'll be teamed up with Captain Fitness from Oasis Personal Training and Group Fitness.

"It makes me feel great to see them turn on instead of start to back off of society," Captain Fitness said.

The Child Obesity Center isn't just geared for overweight kids. As a matter of fact, Dennis' daughter, Larryja, is just one of many kids who attend the program to learn how to make better choices in their diets.

"You can take baby steps and pretty soon maybe if you’re eating the right foods, maybe you'll get rid of all the junk foods," Larryja said.

As for Kiante and Ki-Chaun, they believe the program will not only get them back on a healthy track, but also build up their self-esteem.

"You know that's the reason why you're going to stick with it," Ki-Chaun said. "That's why still go for it."

"Work hard at it and just do basic exercises like push-ups and sit-ups," Kiante said. "And do eat more veggies and you'll lose the weight.”