MONTERREY,
Mexico--Manuel Uribe, who once weighed 1,235 punds, has lost
more than 500 pounds, thanks to an international team of doctors
led by Dr.
Barry Sears, creator of the Zone
Diet. setting a new world record for the most weight
lost. Photo:
Manuel Uribe jokes as he holds a fruit cake with his girlfriend
Claudia Solis outside his house in the suburb of San Nicolas
de los Garza in the northern city of Monterrey. REUTERS/Tomas
Bravo (enlarge
photo) He weighed 717 pounds (324 kg) in May
after losing 518 pounds (235 kg) since March 2006 on a diet
of grapefruits, egg-white omelets, fish, chicken and vegetables.
Uribe has also added a new goal to his weight-loss
plans he wants to be able to stand up for his wedding in
the coming year.
His wish is simple to be able to stand on his
own when he marries girlfriend Claudia Solis. He said: It
frustrates me a little, because it is not easy to get out.
We are in love, and this year my birthday wish is to be able
to stand when we get married, Photo: Manuel Uribe jokes with
his girlfriend Claudia Solis outside his house in the suburb
of San Nicolas de los Garza in the northern city of Monterrey.
REUTERS/Tomas Bravo (enlarge
photo)
Its been four years since the couple met four
years ago and now they have been together for the last two
years.
We are a couple. We have sex, and in the eyes
of God we are already married, said Uribe. In fact, his ladylove,
Solis said that life with a big man was not a cakewalk all
through. I bathe him every day, and we get along very well.
At times, yes, people say things that its a fake relationship,
but what we have is real, she said.
Claudia said her family initially opposed the
match because Claudia's first husband, who was also obese,
died of respiratory failure. "They were worried about me being
involved with another fat man, because they thought another
husband would die on me," she said.
Uribe spent the 1990s eating pizzas and burgers
in the United States where he worked as a computer repairman.
Addicted to junk food, he eventually tipped the scales at
1,235 pounds (560 kg) back in Mexico, bingeing on greasy tacos.
His bulk made him the world's heaviest man.
Photo: Manuel Uribe, who weighs a third of a ton, exercises
in his bed/ Daily Mail
(enlarge
photo)
A former auto parts dealer who has been confined
to his steel-reinforced bed for more than six years, Uribe
blames his condition on too much junk food and a botched liposuction
that damaged his lymph nodes and left him with 200-pound tumors
on his legs.
Uribe is still unable to move his swollen legs
and his dream is to walk again and visit the mountainous countryside
around Monterrey.
Until then, Uribe wants to share his story with
others in the hope it will serve as a warning about diet,
junk food and the need for moderation in all things.
About two years ago, a team of doctors stepped
in to help Manuel change his eating habits and tackle his
extreme obesity. Today he says he eats small portions
of food five times a day, including chicken, ham, egg-white
omelettes, fruit and vegetables. While sitting in bed, he
exercises his arms with pull-ups and by pedalling with his
hands.
Hoping his struggle will inspire others,
Manuel plans to launch the Manuel Uribe Foundation this year
to educate people about nutrition and how to combat obesity.
June 29, 2008 Video: Manuel Uribe Loses 400 Lbs with
the Zone Diet
