Would You Take Diet Tips from the World's Fattest Man?

Posted on Feb 16th 2010 2:00PM by Martha Edwards

When it comes to diet inspiration, peppy celebs like Valerie Bertinelli might come to mind, but she lost, what, 40 pounds? That's peanuts compared to Paul Mason's recent weight loss.

Mason, a 48-year-old man from England, has managed to lose a staggering 279 pounds -- inspiring, yes? Well, consider this: He still weighs nearly 700 pounds -- a recent diet has help him slim from 978 pounds to 698, which he needed to reach in order to qualify for gastric bypass surgery. But even after the weight loss, he's still considered the world's heaviest person, so while his weight loss is impressive, he's not exactly a shining example of living the healthy life.

Nevertheless, the infamous former postman thinks he has a few things to teach, so he's planning a book that will reveal his diet tips, reports the UK Telegraph. The book, tentatively titled The Journey, will be an autobiography detailing his struggle with weight over the years. I guess they decided against going with a more telling title like What Not To Eat.

Gorging on an estimated 20,000 calories a day -- that's at least eight times the average recommended amount -- earned Mason the dubious title of World's Fattest Man. In case you're wondering, 20,000 calories is equal to about 35 Big Macs, so theoretically, he could eat 15 burgers a day and he'd still have cut his daily calories by more than half.

At his heaviest, Mason's weight problem was so severe, it was thought the Royal Air Force might have to airlift him to hospital. The cost of Mason's care is estimated at over $164,000 a year, all of which is funded by British taxpayers.

One person who's slimmed down with surgery and has kept it off is our own Karla Carrington. Read about her amazing journey here.

40 Comment

Tags: gastric bypass, paul mason, weight loss surgery, worlds fattest man

Around the Web

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

rosi 2-17-2010 @ 7:27AM

maybe its me, but a person of this size is not getting up to get this food himself. someone is bringing it, so he's this fat not just by his own accord. He can't get up and chase you if he does not get his food, there is no way he can consume this amount of calories if he can't physically get his hands on it.

Helen Jones 2-17-2010 @ 7:40PM

Exactly! Whoever is bring him the food should be made to fund his gargantuan appetite and care.

Ches 2-17-2010 @ 6:49AM

The more you weigh, the faster and easier it comes off. It is for this reason that I am unimpressed with his 279 lb weight loss.

Tuula 2-17-2010 @ 7:12AM

Indeed I am surprised this is a Brit since the USA has worlds fattest people.

laineyb 2-17-2010 @ 8:58AM

Tuula, clearly you are incorrect since the world's fattest person is not an American. @@ He is a humongous pile of flesh that the British taxpayers are funding. He didn't get to that weight overnight and since he is bed-bound, someone else had to be feeding him on England's dime. Oh,here is a diet tip for you, 20,000 calories a day is a bad plan.

pnut166 2-17-2010 @ 1:47PM

Really - he could lose that much by just eating some bad tacos.

pnut166 2-17-2010 @ 1:49PM

I`m surprised he`s a Brit because his teeth held up long enough for him to get this big : )

Baku-chan 2-17-2010 @ 9:25PM

Oh, delicious irony. I can't count how many snotty British people on X-Box Live have informed my brothers of how fat and disgusting the people of America are. Turns out the fattest man is from THEIR oh-so-sophisticated country! I wouldn't take advice from this guy. It's easier to lose weight when you weigh a lot. When he loses enough weight enough to be called average, THEN I'll be impressed.

Messa 2-17-2010 @ 10:19AM

They left out stupid. Americans are stupid as hell too....and, your can't say I'm a "snotty Brit". I'm an American

Shell 2-17-2010 @ 2:10PM

@Messa, just because you're an idiot doesn't mean everyone else in your country is too. Why don't you stop complaining about how stupid you are and go read some books?

fichtner 2-17-2010 @ 8:10AM

So this guy feels he has knowledge about losing weight and wants to write a book about it. Here's some knowledge for you: If you eat 20.000 calories a day, you will weigh a thousand LBS if you survive that long. If you cut back to zero your weight will drop to zero if you live that long.
Everything else that affects your weight loss are just bumps in the road. If you want to cut out some of your stomach because you don't want to cut out the food, then do so. Us tax payers are getting sick and tired of you lazy fat asses eating your way into our already screwed up health system. Get out of bed and walk it off and by all means don't stop by the local McDonalds and buy 20 hamburgers. I think you should set a goal to get your job back as a mail man and instead of driving a mail truck, walk door to door. Do it for free and bypass the bypass. You'll still be ahead and us tax payers won't have to pay for your hospital bills and you can deliver us our mail.

manda 2-17-2010 @ 12:27PM

Ron,
Considering that we spend upwards of 156 billion on healthcare for obesity related problems, it is a valid point that people should at least try to take care of themselves. Especially since obesity is taking over smoking as the number one PREVENTABLE cause of death.

Grant 2-17-2010 @ 8:00AM

good grief thats like finding the worlds sickest man to ask for health tips....

Gil 2-17-2010 @ 8:08AM

Did you notice the cost to keep Moby going? $164,000 a year. Paid by taxpayers. And you better not discriminate against this guy. He carries a lot of weight in some circles. He should write a song sequel to "He ain't heavy, he's my brother." He's a former postman (In a prior life).

Rena 2-17-2010 @ 9:11AM

It is rediculous that someone could even come to that size. Its greedy and selfish and just pure lazy. To me he's no inspiration, he's a disgrace. No one in their right should even reach a size that large. I know dealing with weight issues can be hard. But there's a limit. He went to far. I'm surprised he's even still alive.

Angiebaby 2-17-2010 @ 9:35AM

Isn't this a bit like an alcoholic tending the bar?

Susan 2-17-2010 @ 7:07PM

Wrong terminology, Angiebaby. It would be like a "drunk" tending the bar. An alcoholic is a person with a disease who admits that they have a problem and, hopefully, has the willpower to stay out of bars. A drunk doesn't give a ----. Most sloshed, sloppy bar flies you find in bars are "drunks", not alcoholics. And while we're on this guy, I agree. He got that way on his own and, probably, with a little help from his friends and family along the way. I blame them as much as him. Of course, there are those who would argue that he has a "disease" too...

r 2-17-2010 @ 10:26AM

he should be committed and forced to eat healthy, hes a danger to himself

Robert 2-17-2010 @ 10:30AM

Disgusting plain and simple! This gluttonous slob should have to pay back all the money the taxpayers had to shell out for his care if and when he can work again. He should be writing an apology to the taxpayers of his country and not a book. I'm skipping lunch today. Gross!!!!!