Written by Finlay Mead

The former “world’s fattest man” — Juan Pedro Franco — has triumphed over his weight loss battle, shedding a staggering 330kg.

We’ve seen a lot of body transformations here at DMARGE, from the Canadian man who captured his 65kg weight loss journey day by day and the 70-year-old Polish man who proved that very few of your excuses are valid, but few stories are as impressive as this one: the man who lost 330kg.

Juan Pedro Franco was crowned the heaviest living person by Guinness World Records in 2016, weighing in at 589 kilograms (1,299 pounds), equivalent to nearly ten average-sized men. The 39-year-old Mexican was confined to his bed, requiring hoists, nappies, and a team of round-the-clock assistants to get through his day.

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As reported by The Daily Star, Juan’s fate took a transformative turn when he was admitted to a weight loss clinic in Guadalajara, a hundred miles away from his hometown of Aguascalientes. By 2017, Juan’s efforts yielded an astonishing weight loss of 168 kilograms (370 pounds), setting the stage for him to undergo gastric band surgery.

Continuing to shed weight with the help of this life-changing surgery, he shed a remarkable 331 kilograms (730 pounds) by 2019, bringing his overall weight down to a still-overweight but nevertheless hugely impressive 260 kilograms (573 pounds). Images uploaded to his social media are a testament to just how far he’s come.

WATCH: A Candain chap revealed a similarly impressive transformation earlier this month…

In a story we hear all too often, Juan’s lifelong struggle with obesity goes back to his childhood, weighing in at 70 kilograms (154 pounds) by the age of six. A debilitating injury at 17 triggered a downward spiral and rapid weight gain. Hitting 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) by the age of 32, Juan became a prisoner in his own home.

After nearly seven years of isolation, he finally sought help from obesity specialist Dr. José Antonio Casteñeda at the aforementioned clinic. As Juan’s weight gradually dwindled, his health began to improve significantly: type-2 diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, hypertension and lung issues were all headed off, but the biggest wins were far more fundamental.

Reflecting on his transformation, Juan revealed that the greatest pleasure can be found in the simplest tasks:

“Just being able to lift up your arms and get up every day, get up for a glass of water or to go to the toilet, makes you feel great. It feels fantastic to be able to move more and be more self-sufficient.”

Juan Pedro Franco

As final proof of how far his health had come, Juan contracted COVID-19 in 2020 and was virtually unaffected by it; oftentimes, the disease can be fatal to those who are extremely overweight and/or have pre-existing health conditions. His doctor summarised the effect:

“What is interesting is that his diabetes, hypertension and all the diseases are under control. He is a healthy person and proof of this is that he was infected with Covid and it has not affected him.”

Dr. José Antonio Casteñeda

While this triumph for Juan was swiftly followed by tragedy — he lost both his parents within a matter of weeks, his mother succumbing to Covid-19 and his father to a heart attack — he has used these setbacks as motivation, continuing to lose weight and inspire others in their honour.

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