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."

Times Online