Man Loses 397 Pounds

Man who once weighed 1,235 pounds lost 397 pounds

San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico - Manuel Uribe, who once weighed half a ton, left his house Wednesday for the first time in five years.

Six people pushed Uribe's wheel-equipped iron bed out to the street where a mariachi band played and a crowd gathered to see the man who once weighed 1,235 pounds.

Unable to leave his bed for more than five years, Uribe has lost 397 pounds since he began a high-protein diet a year ago. He now weighs about 840 pounds.

To celebrate the milestone in his battle of the bulges, a forklift hoisted Uribe's bed onto a trailer pulled by a pickup truck and the 41-year-old mechanic took a ride through the streets of San Nicolas de los Garza, a Monterrey suburb.

"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 three to four years for Uribe to reach his goal.