A news story on ABC Channel 7 news caught my attention this morning and I felt compelled to write about it. According to the article on the news channel's website the world's most obese man, Manuel Uribe, was using diet rather than invasive surgical procedures to try and drop 1,000 pounds of body weight. With the help of his doctor, Uribe started The Zone Diet one year ago and has dropped 400 pounds.

In 2006 Uribe weighed in at 1,200 pounds and has not been able to leave his house in five years. This Mexican resident ate an average diet of beans, rice, tortillas, burgers and fries, but worked in an office environment was his level of physical activity was very low. Doctors, however, say it take more than a high fat diet and lack of physical activity to gain 1,000 pounds. Uribe is considered morbidly obese, meaning he has a body mass index over 40. This type of weight gain is usually caused by genetic or psychological factors, such as an eating disorder.

Most individuals who are considered morbidly obese are candidates for weight loss procedures, such as gastric bypass surgery, where part of the stomach is removed to make it smaller. The number of procedures taking place in the United States has increased dramatically over the past decade. In 2004 alone 120,000 people underwent some type of weight loss procedure.

While most patients experience dramatic weight loss in the months following surgery as they adjust to their new stomach size, many people put the weight back on down the road. The reason for this is that surgery does not address the underlying problem for why individuals gain weight in the first place. Procedures may help people who are genetically predisposed to weight gain, but individuals with food addictions will only continue to overeat unless they receive the psychological help they need to overcome their addictions.

Uribe is not just accomplishing his own weight loss goals he is setting an example for others who suffer from morbid obesity. He is proving that having an invasive surgical procedure is not the only answer for achieving dramatic weight loss. With a little support and a strict diet plan more people can achieve weight loss naturally and safely.