NEW YORK ~ Anyone who feels they need to shed a few kilos might want to consider the efforts of New Yorker Michael Hebranko, who has lost a quarter of ton since vowing to battle the bulge.

Hebranko, who has been in a New York City medical facility for more than a year, was awarded a medal for his feat last week after dropping from more than 450 kilos at one point to his current weight of 207 kilos, achieved through a regime of a 1,400-calorie diet and moderate exercise.

Several years ago, the authorities had to remove part of a wall from Hebranko’s house and forklift him out into a specially enlarged ambulance to take him to a Manhattan hospital for obesity treatment.