Sunday, November 2, 2008

Former World Fattest MAn to MArry his Fiancee


The 43-year-old, ranked the heaviest man alive by the Guinness Book of Records, married his girlfriend of two years, Claudia Solis, from his reinforced bed.'I am proof that you can find love in any circumstances. It's all a question of faith,' said Mr Uribe as he was wheeled out of his mother's house to the tow truck which took him to the Club de Leones in Monterrey, North Mexico.Ten burly men provided the muscle to help his journey.



Mr Uribe wore a white collarless shirt with white sheets covering his lower body. He met his future wife four years ago when Claudia, 38, visited to tell him that her husband, a friend of Mr Uribe's, had died.The ceremony drew parallels with that featured in the 2002 romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, about an overweight bride. The bed - which Uribe hasn't left in six years - was decorated with a canopy, flowers and gold-trimmed bows.Two police patrol cars escorted him ahead of a long line of traffic.Uribe tipped the scales in 2006 at 1,230 pounds (560 kilograms), earning him the world records title for the world's heaviest man.He has since shed about 550 pounds (250 kilograms) with the help of Claudia, whom he met four years ago. It took an hour to take Uribe to the ceremony 10 miles away with the efforts of over ten men with two tow-trucks - one a spare - and a police escort at hand. All the time Uribe waving to well-wishers and the many journalists and photographers present.
When he arrived at the wedding venue, Club de Leones, it took 20 minutes to lower the tow-truck's ramp over the hall's steps and then rotate his bed before pushing it through the venue's large front doors.

The bride was mobbed by more than 30 photographers when she arrived half an hour later in a black jeep.
She said: 'I'm not nervous. I'm just very happy. It's a very special day for us. We are marrying because we are in love.'
The couple met four years ago when Claudia, 38, visited to tell him that her then-husband, a school friend of Manuel's, had died - due to complications from being morbidly obese.
They grew closer due to their dedication to Christianity and eventually started a romantic relationship, including sex, they say.After the wedding ceremony there was a huge banquet with three huge cakes - which the groom vowed not to eat, as he is still dieting, in the hope that he will shed enough weight that he can walk again. The main dish was a chicken with vegetables. Uribe said: 'It is a heavyweight wedding, but low in calories.'The whole thing was arranged in less than a month when the couple decided they could not wait to wed. Friends, local politicians and sponsors donated money to help pay.







Manuel Uribe Garza, who was officially the world's fattest person last year but is now bidding for the title of the world's greatest slimmer, has announced that he is going to get married. The 43-year-old, from Monterrey in northern Mexico, was recognised by Guinness World Records in 2007 after he became so large that he was only able to leave his home by being towed in his specially reinforced bed. With the help of his fiancee, Claudia Solis, Mr Uribe has been on a high protein diet for two years, and has managed to lose more than half his body weight. He announced earlier this year that he had slimmed down to around 41 stone (259 kg) from his peak weight in 2006, when he tipped the scales at 94 stone (597 kg).
Last year he left his home for the first time in five years, and in August this year he managed to visit a local lake and beauty spot - with the aid of a forklift and a flatbed truck that transported him in his bed. A previous planned outing in March had to be called off when the truck carrying his bed got stuck in an overpass.

"We are in love, and this year my birthday wish is to be able to stand when we get married," Mr Uribe was quoted as saying of Mrs Solis. "We are a couple. We have sex, and in the eyes of God we are already married." He confirmed yesterday that he would wed Mrs Solis, 38, a hairdresser whom he met four years ago, in a civil ceremony at his home later this month.
Local mayors and media organisations have offered to help pay for the wedding, which will include a cake for 400 guests, but Mr Uribe insisted that he would be sticking to his weight loss regime on the big day. “It will be a hefty wedding, on a large scale, but with a low-calorie banquet,” he told news agencies. He added that he would have "a bite" of wedding cake for the photos, but no more because his diet forbids it. A band named Pesado - heavy - has been lined up to provide the music. A former car spares dealer, Mr Uribe has been bedridden since 2001. He drew worldwide attention when he pleaded for help on national television in January 2006. Afterwards, Italian and Spanish doctors visited and offered him gastric bypass surgery.
But Mr Uribe chose to accept help from Mexican nutritionists working with the Zone diet. He said he will stick to that diet until he reaches his goal weight of 120kg (18st).
He featured in a television programme called World's Heaviest Man, detailing his battles to lose weight and his housebound life. He met Mrs Solis, 38, a widow, in 2004. She has said that she bathes him every day, and "we get along very well". He has said that he plans to launch the Manuel Uribe Foundation to educate Mexican people about nutrition, to combat obesity problems. He has asked Guinness World Records to certify in July 2008, his second title: "The world's greatest loser of weight".


TO MR & MRS. URIBE "CONGRATULATIONS"

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