But Virani’s ordeal came to end when he underwent an operation at the Wockhardt Hospital ten days ago. He underwent laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy — a weight loss procedure in which the size of the stomach is reduced by 85 per cent by surgically removing a large portion of the stomach, following the major curve.

The open edges are then attached together with surgical staples to form a sleeve. Performed on extremely obese persons, the procedure permanently reduces the size of the stomach and is irreversible. With minor dietary changes doctors expect Virani to lose 100 kg within a year-and-a-half.

Though Virani is not the heaviest person to be operated upon, but more obese persons like him are coming forward for the surgery.

In Bariatric surgery, patient’s stomach is stapled. “A normal stomach can take one litre of food, but after the surgery a person can take 150 ml, almost 1/6th of the original capacity. Thus it helps reduce food intake,” said Dr Ramane Goel, bariatric surgeon.