395 lbs Gone in One Year! World's Heaviest Man Doing It!

395 pounds Gone in One Year! Manuel Uribe - Continues his Weight Loss to Success! excerpt from- Associated Press / by Olga R. Rodriguez SAN NICOLAS DE LOS GARZA, Mexico (follow-up on a story originally from: 3/8/2007-  July 24/07) Manuel Uribe, the man who once weighed well over a half ton left his house for the first time in five years Wednesday — wheeled outside on his bed to greet neighbors and see a mariachi band. ''The sky is beautiful and blue and what I want is to enjoy the sun,'' said Manuel Uribe, who had once been certified by doctors as weighing 1,235 pounds. Though still unable to leave his bed, Uribe has lost 395 pounds since he began a high-protein/ lowered calorie diet a year ago. He now weights about 840 pounds. To celebrate the milestone, six people pushed Uribe's wheel-equipped iron bed out to the street as a mariachi band played and a crowd gathered. With dozens of reporters and photographers in tow, Uribe traveled along, (by truck) passing the town's plaza and church and waving at clusters of people eager to get a glimpse of him. ''It fills me with joy to see he's getting better and getting a little sun,'' Uribe's neighbor Guadalupe Guerra said. ''I would go crazy if I had to be inside my house for so many years.''

Uribe weighed more than 250 pounds as an adolescent. In 1992, he said his weight began ballooning further.

Since the summer of 2002, Uribe has been bedridden. He drew worldwide attention when he pleaded for help on national television in January 2006. Afterward, an Italian and a Spanish doctor both visited and offered gastric bypass surgery.

But Uribe chose to accept help from Mexican nutritionists. The decision to undergo WLS is still pending but a team of specialists are managing his progress and ongoing care. ''My goal is to leave the house on my own but I know that will be a long process,'' he said. Doctors say it may take between three and four years for Uribe to reach his goal.

Uribe said he plans to start a foundation to help other overweight people. If interested in passing on support or contacting this "Man with A Mission!" Or to offer Manuel support for his great progress so far?

On the Net: Manuel Uribe's Web site: http://www.manueluribeac.org Or- EnglishTranslatedSite for Manuel Uribe EnglishTranslatedMessage Service for Manuel  Or- [email protected]

If you need to translate a quick note to Manuel from English to Spanish and don’t know how? Try Google Translate tools, at- http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

Who could use the support and well wishes more than the Man who was so often "Tabloid-ized" as "The Heaviest Man On Earth!" In one year to lose approximately 1/3 of his total weight, Nearly 400 lbs? And without the benefit of Weight-loss Surgery of Any Type?                CONGRATULATIONS MANUEL! Huge round of applause! Manuel, por todas partes el mundo, los extranjeros envía los rezos para tu éxito. Felicitaciones para tu progreso. (AP Photo/Monica Rueda) :: With a mariachi band playing, Manuel Uribe, who once weighed half a ton, gives a thumbs up sign as he sits on his bed while being driven around his neighborhood on his first trip outside of his home in five year to celebrate the weight he has lost in San Nicolas de los Garza, northern Mexico, Wednesday, March 7, 2007. Best Wishes- Dx

(Where is Alejandro when we need his translating skills? Hope he's holding his own in Mexico!)

i was watching this a couple days ago on the TLC channel. he has a huge lymphodema (?) on his legs and they have to cut before he can walk again. they must weigh 150 pounds each. he seems like a really nice guy and his girlfriend is great. so is his mom. the way he's taken care of is unbelievable. i'm glad he's getting help from the zone diet people and the bypass option is there for him too. he started a foundation. this guy really rocks. he could be a poster boy for wls world wide if he wanted. a great story. i sure hope it works out for him.

now on the other show, big medicine, i was grabbing capt winky the whole show. did you see where they couldn't get the catheter in and they had to cut away the foreskin and do all kinds of nasty stuff to get it in? god. that show has about 4 or 5 500 pound guys on there now. they seem to be able to do the pre op diet and lose the 50 pounds to get to surgery. let's see if they can stick with it. did you catch how the daughter of big d and sister of little d had to fly from idaho to ohio just to get a fill done right? lesson in there somewhere. later.....carbonblob

Yep, I think he’s pretty amazing. Some "Fluffy Bunny" posted a link about him on the Main That was a "Guinness Book of Records" link, That played up the "World’s Fattest Man!" aspect… with a photo linked of Uribe looking at his very worst, all but bare-azzed nekid, and at his worst condition. Sort of a "Hey, look at this!" sort of post. Of course later when folks pointed out that it was a "Freak-Show" posting, not even up to the high standards Of that Brookhaven show, Then the poster added some- "If only there was some way to help this poor man…." Backtracking. I thought, why not "Help this guy out?" And celebrate his victory and encourage his progress Rather than gawk and do the classic- "Pitiful…Oh My…." 5 seconds of google and anyone with a computer Could access his foundation. So, thus the post….. From what I read, a lot of his problem stems from his Lymphedema and the fluid retention in his arms and legs. Surgery will definitely be part of his recovery And at some point Bariatric Surgery is proposed. I see it as a "cause" to rally around. If someone billed as- "The World’s Fattest Man!" Can succeed? Dam that should let anyone know they’ve got a shot at it too. Talk about a guy that could use some OH "card-shower-support." Oh, Well…. That "Translating from Spanish" gets to be quite a barrier for many… I haven’t seen an episode of Big Med yet.. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes of it a few weeks back But I have corresponded with one of those guys by e-mail. Hopefully he will drop in here and catch-up all of us "non-viewers." (speaking of "Catching up?" – How goes the pain/drug/eating/ etc...?) Hope and pray each day gets a little better for you. Best Wishes- Dx

good post and right on the money Dx.

as for me, thanks for checking in. getting much better. off the pain meds now since the beginning of the month and stop throwing up. i'm past the withdrawl stage finally. getting my strength and mind back. haven't worked yet as my head is not on right. will work soon and get all my ducks lined up again. not sure what to do about the pain but know i will not go down the opiate road again.....ever! my eating is still way off. for some reason it hurts when i eat even just a little and i fill up way fast. so it's hard to get my protein in and calories. i think i toasted my innards last time. thanks for asking....carbonblob

That's quite a story--and a reminder to me of how fortunate I have been and am with my weight struggles. It's good to have some perspective on where we are and on the capacities of the human spirit and community. Impressive.