You know you have a weight problem when all of the king’s horses and all of the king’s men struggle to whip you into shape again.
CNN reports that a Saudi man lost 700 pounds, roughly half of his body weight, after the nation’s monarch personally intervened with a weight loss plan.
King Abdullah had Khaled Mohsen Chaïri hospitalized in August as part of an obesity awareness campaign. Since then, doctors have regularly updated the local press on the patient’s heart rate (improving), breathing rate (improving), body weight (dropping) and emotional well being (uplifting, despite the media circus).
With obesity rates climbing across the Gulf oil states, the focus may now widen from one royal subject to an entire kingdom.
[CNN]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com