'Biggest Teenager in the World' now Able to Walk After Dropping 700 Pounds — See his Secrets Here!

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In February 2014, CNN reported that the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia ordered the "World's Heaviest Teenager" to get hospitalized and get healthy after ballooning to 1,345 pounds. The 18-year-old Khalid bin Mohsen Shaeri was no longer able to move on his own and was transferred via a special U.S.-provided airlift from his home in Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia to the country's capital, Riyadh, where he was treated by Dr. Aa'ed al-Qahtani and his team of doctors. He had not moved from his bed in three years.

Daily Mail reports that the move required not just a special crane, but the collaboration of 30 medical staff members and civil defense men to transfer the teen to Riyadh to get medical help.

In 2014, it was reported that Shaeri had improved heart and lung function and muscle strength after losing 700 pounds.

People reports that a new video shows Shaeri taking his first steps after losing 700 pounds, with the help of a walker. He and the doctors are treating him are hopeful that he will continue to lose weight through their intensive fitness plan. The now 24-year old is seen in the video smiling and taking his first steps with the aid of the walker.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, more than one out of 20 American adults are considered to have extreme obesity, and more than one in three adults are considered to be obese. Obesity has long been linked to several health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. Some obese patients undergo bariatric surgery to decrease their weight (because they can no longer do it on their own) and improve their overall health.

"The surgery...is a huge advantage for people with obesity, and medical problems associated with obesity," Dr. Stan Rogers, director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at the University of California San Francisco, explained. "When successful with weight loss over time, and the resolution of these medical problems, people have a complete change in their life, their life perspective and their medical conditions."

"The only long-term solution to severe or morbid obesity, as found by the National Institutes of Health, is surgery. When someone has tried diet and other means to lose weight and has failed, surgery is the only option," Dr. Shyam Dahiya, Director of Minimally Invasive Bariatric & General Surgery, and Chief of Surgery at Tri-City Regional Medical Center, told News Medical.

However, surgery is not a one-time cure for obesity. While it does help a patient lose weight, a modified lifestyle change is still required to maintain a good body mass index and overall health.