Motivation, a pair of tennis shoes and some tough love. All proved sure winning ingredients for a nine-year old Californian girl to topple off her obesity, from weighing 186 pounds to shedding 66 pounds in less than a year.

Born with inborn slow metabolism, it was still painful for Breanna Bond’s parents, Dan and Heidi, to see their daughter become the butt of jokes and bullying. Added to that, they also saw how their first born struggled to physically keep up with her friends, breathing heavily under her extra weight whenever playing.

Her parents said they were fully aware that at some point their daughter would reach to this.

"Her pediatrician always said that she'd grow into her body and then, after a while, we went and got other doctors' opinions," Mrs Bond told ‘Good Morning America.’

"We had her tested for everything from thyroid to diabetes – her endocrinology got tested – allergies, and everything came out fine so we knew at that point we had to step things up."

Applying tough love, which could be excruciatingly painful both for the parents and a growing child, the Bond couple rallied on the entire family for the journey ahead.

Mrs Bond came up with an exercise routine for the whole family to use, which included a 4-mile walk along the trail near their home regardless of the prevailing weather and temperature conditions, following a strict diet that limits fat intake to only 20 grams per day, using the home treadmill for an hour and 15 minutes daily and engaging in sports such as basketball and swimming.

All the efforts, not to mention the agony, eventually paid off. Breanna had lost 66 pounds.

“I can (now) be involved in sports and I can keep up with my friends when we're playing," the younger Bond told ‘Good Morning America.’ "I can just move more."

"She is an inspiration to the world and all children who are having weight issues across America, that you can do it with a pair of tennis shoes and motivation," Mrs Bond said.

"Don't be afraid to do the tough love," Mr Bond said. "It's worth it in the long run. It's their life that's at stake."