Manuel Uribe used to hold the record of World’s Heaviest Man, weighing in at 1,235 pounds. That title has held him back more than anyone could ever imagine. He has been bedridden since 2002, completely dependent on relatives and close friends for food and personal hygiene. Yesterday, according to Mexican news reports, Uribe left his home in San Nicholas de Los Garza, Mexico for the first time in five years after losing 395 pounds off his large frame. Friends wheeled him out of his home on his bed where he was greeted by neighbors and hoards of media.

What’s so remarkable about Uribe’s weight loss is that he is dropping pounds by following a fad diet. He is working with Mexican doctors and nutritionists to lose an incredible 1,000 pounds by following The Zone Diet. Uribe serves as an inspiration to other individuals who suffer from obesity, proving that surgery is not the only way shed fat and return to a normal lifestyle. He is losing weight and improving his health along the way.

At the same time Uribe is using his experience to help others. When he regains his mobility he plans to start a foundation to help others who suffer from obesity to live healthier lifestyles and gain access to medical services.