We’re nicely versed in unimaginable weight reduction tales right here at DMARGE — simply take this man’s controversial 6-month transformation that exposed a clumsy fact about male health or the current breakthrough ‘beige fats’ discovery as prime examples. Nonetheless, few tales embody fairly such a exceptional turnaround as this one…
Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari, as soon as decreed to be the heaviest man alive, shed an astonishing 542 kilograms thanks largely to the unlikely intervention of Saudi Arabia’s then-King Abdullah. The comeback story started when Khalid — who weighed a life-threatening 610 kilograms (1,345 kilos) and was not solely the heaviest particular person alive however the second heaviest particular person to ever have lived — reached out for some long-overdue assist and acquired a response from an entirely surprising supply.
Your Highness’ Intervention
In 2013, Khalid had been bedridden for over three lengthy years as a result of his huge weight, leaving him solely depending on the help of family and friends to fulfil his fundamental wants. His situation grew to become so extreme that it caught the eye of King Abdullah, who, moved by Khalid’s plea for assist, helped assemble a complete and expensive plan to avoid wasting his life. The King’s provide was easy: entry to one of the best medical care out there, for gratis, to assist Khalid regain his well being.

A crack crew of 30 medical professionals have been shortly introduced collectively, and utilizing a forklift and a specifically designed mattress, Khalid was transported from his house within the southern metropolis of Jazan to King Fahd Medical Metropolis in Riyadh. There, he was positioned below the care of a devoted crew that devised a strict remedy routine, combining each surgical and therapeutic approaches.
Khalid’s Journey
Khalid’s remedy included a gastric bypass surgical procedure and a fastidiously customised weight-reduction plan and train plan tailor-made to his (very) distinctive wants. Have been they not backed by a number of the finest scientists the Center East has to supply, the outcomes could be thought of nothing in need of miraculous. Inside simply six months, Khalid misplaced practically half of his physique weight. The fast nature of this first-phase transformation was a testomony to the intensive care he acquired, which additionally included intensive physiotherapy periods to assist him regain his long-lost mobility.
By the top of his journey, final reported in 2023, Khalid had misplaced an unimaginable 542 kilograms, bringing him right down to a wholesome 63.5 kilograms (140 kilos). The bodily transformation was so dramatic that, as is usually the case with individuals who handle to shed such big quantities of weight, it required quite a few extra pores and skin elimination surgical procedures.

In the present day, Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari is thought affectionately within the area as “The Smiling Man”, coined by the medical employees who witnessed his journey. Khalid’s story is an inspiring one but additionally makes clear the huge monetary and logistical efforts that may typically be required to assist somebody in such determined want. Weight reduction can so typically include an sadly hefty price ticket and, whereas this man was fortunate sufficient to get pleasure from royal backing, many aren’t.