A TEENAGER who once used to be the world’s fattest boy looks unrecognisable after undergoing a dramatic transformation.
Arya Permana from Indonesia once weighed 30 stone and was so big that he had to be washed outside in a specially-built pool.
At age nine, he weighed a staggering 190kg, more than a baby African elephant.
He reportedly used to eat five meals a day, enough to feed two people – and his diet included rice, fish, meat, vegetable soup, and a traditional soy patty.
Arya’s parents said his appetite started to get out of control in 2014 after he turned eight years old.
Within two years, he gained an incredible 11 stone in weight, earning him the nickname “the world’s fattest child”.
After a point, Arya struggled to walk alone without support and could not stand up for more than a few minutes without getting out of breath.
Things got so bad that he could not even eat on his own – and someone else had to feed him.
And a special pool was built outside his house in Indonesia just so he could take a bath since he struggled to fit inside the regular shower.
However, things soon changed for the young boy who took on a journey to transform himself.
He embarked on an intense diet plan and was whipped into shape by celebrity personal trainer and bodybuilder Ade Rai.
The fitness coach told Jakarta Post: “I only support him. He likes sports. When he was still very fat he liked soccer.
“The kind of support that I can give him is to share with his parents about the importance of keeping to a good diet and their motivation to support Arya.
“Arya is now a symbol of hope. People now say: ‘Even Arya can lose weight, so why can’t I?'”
As well as exercise and a new diet, Arya also underwent bariatric surgery to reduce the size of his stomach and curb his vast appetite.
Arya now weighs around 87kg – less than half of what he weighed at his heaviest.
His father Ade Somantri said medical treatment, diet, and strict exercise routines had helped transform his son.
Indonesian MP Dedi Mulyadi, who first met Arya back in 2016 when he went viral for his enormous size, shared pictures of the transformation on his social media.
Dedi wrote: “On July 12, 2016, I once visited Arya Permana who is receiving medical treatment at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung.
“Arya weighed 420 pounds at that time. Now that I read through the media, it turns out Arya’s body has returned to normal like children in general.
“The kid looks handsome in glasses and turns out he’s handsome too. Keep healthy Son, a bright future awaits you. Happy Sunday to all kind netizens wherever you are.”