World's heaviest teenager, who weighed around 237kg is trying to lead a normal life after undergoing a gastric bypass surgery. Mihir Jain lost over 63 kg since his surgery in April and is now around 171 kg. The 14-year-old from Uttar Nagar in west Delhi could walk without aid for the first time in years. Mihir who had been an average-sized baby grew in size due to regular consumption of fried foods and fizzy drinks.

Dr Pradeep Chowbey, a veteran bariatric surgeon who operated on him told The Times of India that Mihir is the world's heaviest teen to have undergone gastric bypass surgery. He could barely stand on his own when his family first brought him to Max hospital Saket. He weighed 2.5kg when he was born in November 2003 and gradually started gaining weight. At the age of five, he weighed 60-70kg, his mother Puja Jain said. When the family approached doctors, they were told that he was too young to undergo a weight reduction surgery.

TOI quoted Puja as saying, "Most members in our family are overweight so we didn't take it seriously then. But then a time came when he couldn't even walk properly due to heavyweight. He stopped going to school after Class II and I had to teach him at home." He said junk food which is the reason for his current state is his favourite food. Mihir told TOI, "I stayed mostly in the house lying down or sitting. Pasta is my favourite food. Pizza is the second favourite."

Dr Chowbey put the boy on a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) as he wasn't sure of a successful surgery. While a normal diet contains 2,500 to 3,000 calories, VLCD has only 800 calories. The doctor said he thought the teen will not be able to follow a strict diet and the family will not come back. But, to the doctor's surprise, Mihir returned for another appointment after losing 10 kg.

Dr Chowbey said, "I was happy to see their dedication and suggested them to continue the same diet for another two months which helped reduce the weight further to 196kg. But then we realised that for further reduction, surgery will be required and posted his case for operation in April."

The challenge in the operation was in administering anaesthesia due to the presence of fat in the tongue, throat and neck which makes it difficult to put a tube into the lungs. The doctors had to use a special equipment - a flexible laryngoscope - in Mihir's case.

Another difficulty in the operation was the 24-30 cm fat beneath the patient's muscles. As normal medical instruments could not do the needful, they had to use longer instruments. After a successful surgery, Mihir has been sent home and put on a restrictive diet. Mihir's mother said that they now avoid junk food and have learnt the need to be physically active.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2018 01:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).