The world's most obese man is attempting to lose weight
At his heaviest Juan Pedro Franco weighed 93 stone
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Your support makes all the difference.A Mexican man who weighs more than half a ton is attempting to lose weight with the help of local doctors.
Juan Pedro Franco, 33, weighed a shocking 93 stone (595kg) by his mid-20’s with the Guinness World Records declaring him the heaviest person alive in 2017.
But now, after years of being confined to his bedroom, Franco is embarking on a life-changing weight loss journey.
In a short film made by Natasha Pizzey-Slegert for the BBC, Franco explains that following a car accident at the age of 17, half his body was “broken” and he never fully recovered.
However, doctors remain baffled as to why he gained so much weight.
Since then Franco has developed diabetes, high blood pressure and hypothyroidism
The 33-year-old insists that he has tried everything to shift the pounds but after years with no success, he is finally getting surgical help.
One year ago, Franco moved several hours from his home to be closer to doctors and managed to lose a third of his body weight under their guidance.
Having been rejected by a number of doctors, he now has a team of 30 professionals helping him for free.
“Patients like him typically get rejected for two reasons. Beds, operating room and special tools for them,” Dr Jose A. Castaneda explained.
“The second is the blame, ‘it’s your fault you’re here.’ But that’s really not how it is.”
Franco has since undergone a two-part gastric bypass which involves diving the intestine into two parts; one which will be able to absorb nutrients, and another that can’t.
The operation should mean Franco only absorbs about 40-50% of the calories he eats.
Recovering well, doctors hope that he will get own to around 19 stone (120kg) in the coming months.
Hopeful for the future, Franco says the first thing he wants to do when he can walk is go outside.
“I want to feel the air, feel the street, be outside,” he said.
“Because being in bed, trapped in four walls just watching everything is really hard.”
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