'World's fattest' man loses 46st (From Salisbury Journal)

'World's fattest' man loses 46st

10:02am Friday 4th January 2013 in National News © Press Association 2013

A man once dubbed the world's fattest says he is looking forward to a normal life after shedding 46 stone.

Former postman Paul Mason, from Ipswich, weighed in at 70 stone before a gastric bypass in 2010 to reduce the size of his stomach.

He now weighs 24 stone but says he needs further surgery, costing up to £37,000, to remove folds of loose skin.

The 51-year-old told the Sun: "I was ashamed to be called the fattest man in the world because I knew I'd got myself in a hell of a state.

"Now I guess I could well be the biggest slimmer in the world, but I still have a way to go.

"I want to get down to between 14 and 15 stone which is the healthy weight for someone who is 6ft 4in."

Mr Mason has started his own jewellery business and is working towards a life where he can learn to drive, go on holiday and find someone to settle down with.

Firefighters removed the front wall of Mr Mason's house and used a forklift to load him into an ambulance when he needed a hernia operation in 2002.

He believes he was eating 20,000 calories a day, nearly 10 times the recommended average.