Paul Mason Drops 644 Pounds, Now Weighs 336 Lbs (PHOTO)
World’s Fattest Man Is One-Third the Man He Used to Be, and Proud of It
Paul Mason, 52, weighs in at 336 pounds. That may sound like a lot until you consider that he used to weigh 980 pounds. Once deemed the world’s fastest man, Mason lost 644 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2010.
He estimates that he used to eat about 20,000 calories a day, about eight times the recommended amount for an average man. The surgery shrank the size of his stomach to about the size of an egg, leading to rapid weight loss.
The surgery was followed by a strict diet which helped transform the man who used to consume upwards of 20,000 calories per day. His stomach is now the size of an egg, and Mason reportedly has not cheated on his a single time while on his doctor prescribed diet. He also exercises every day.
Mason began overeating after losing his mother. The depression led to thoughts of suicide, but instead he began binge eating. 10 years ago he needed the help of a forklift to get into an ambulance. Nowadays he manages quite well on his relatively svelte frame, eating a single piece of toast for breakfast and a baked potato for lunch.
Mason still has to undergo surgery to remove the large folds of skin left behind from his morbidly obese days. Surgeons will carefully remove the skin which will make it easier for Mason to move around and will cut down his chances of infection.
“I have nothing but admiration for Paul’s courage, determination, and steadfast aim to get his body once more back in the shape it should be,” says photographer Paul Nixon, who documented Mason’s remarkable transformation in a series of before-and-after pictures.
“I have watched Paul literally shrink before my eyes,” adds Nixon.
Mason hopes others will learn from his mistakes.
“I do look back and think I should have got to grips with myself earlier,” Mason told the New York Times. “But I think I can use what I’ve gone through as a tool to help other people.”
Paul is currently under 340 pounds with his approaching goal weight of being under 215 well within reach.
According to Yahoo Health, Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has reportedly spent more than $1.5 million on Mason’s medical care but hasn’t authorized the complex skin operation, which would cost about $47,000 if done privately.
