Czechia, the land of dumplings and obese children... Thirteen-year-old Patrik, weighing 179 kg, finally said ENOUGH!

Patrick is not just "a little bit fit". At just under fourteen, he's carrying the weight of two grown men. Reality catches up with him at the first steps - where others run, he ends up in a pre-infarct state. On the doctor's recommendation, he ends up in the Oliva hospital in Říčany, where he tries to reverse the catastrophe into which he (and not only he) has got himself into by his own lifestyle.

Chips, a couch and a sugary kofola: a recipe for a national tragedy

Chief Medical Officer Eva Havránková says it straight: since the revolution, we as a society have resigned ourselves to movement. Instead of playgrounds, there are tablets, instead of apples, there are potato chips and hectolitres of sugary drinks. Patrik is a classic victim of this era - free time spent in online worlds with GTA 5 and a diet that would bring down a professional lumberjack.

"I don't want to live like this anymore," Patrik says, and there's more courage in that sentence than most adults who loosen their belts in front of the TV.

A drill that hurts

The fun is over at the rehab. No late-night raids on the fridge, but a tough regimen:

• Five meals a day: But forget the giant portions. It's grams here.
• Three times a week gym: Where Patrick's sweat pours out.
• No excuses: He can't even get away with a morning warm-up.

The result? Two weeks, 5.5 kilos down. It's a start, but in a country where 65% of kids are in rehab just for fat, it's a feat that deserves respect.

Viral hero or warning finger?

Patrick's journey is breaking records on the networks. Hundreds of thousands of people are watching the boy struggle with his own laziness and genetics. People are cheering him on, but the question remains: Do we have to let it get to six feet before we notice something is wrong? Patrick's on a great path now, but the real hell will start at home. When he's surrounded by fast food ads and friends with a packet of crisps, we'll see if his determination survives in "dumpling land".

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