300-kg Briton sheds flab in India

PUNE - A 300-kg Briton, who is looking forward to getting married, became the heaviest patient to undergo weight loss surgery in Asia when he went under the knife at a clinic in Maharashtra’s Pune city, a doctor said Tuesday.

Doctor Shashank Shah at Ruby Hall Clinic and his team conducted the surgery upon 35-year-old Zachari Andrew Smith from London Nov 4.

“Nobody in my family is so fat. They sure have a heavy built, but are not obese,” Smith told IANS.

He underwent bariatric surgery which helps weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach with an implant device or through removal of a portion of the stomach.

Smith lost around 13 kg immediately after the surgery. He also lost around 8 kg in the next four days.

“It was one of those rare cases to see a British person flying down to India to lose weight and lead a healthy life. He was the heaviest patient operated upon in Asia for obesity,” Shah said.

Smith, who is ready to return home, intends to lose another 180 kg in the next one year. “I always ate the wrong kinds of food. I already weighed 150 kg when I was 18. At 35, I weigh its double,” he said.

He lives with his mother and has two brothers. He plans to lose weight in the next year and get married.

A super obese patient, Smith suffered from heaviness in the abdomen, severe backache, hypertension and problem in walking, Shah said.