It was another milestone for Monterrey man Manuel Uribe last week. For the first time in five years he left his room and went outside. A Mariachi band played, and Dr. Gustavo Orozco of Zone Diet Mexico popped the cork on some champagne to celebrate his progress.

Manuel, who has been called the fattest man in the world, has been following the Zone Diet and taking Dr. Sears’ fish oil since last May. He has gone from 1,200 pounds to about 780.

The biggest news is that the massive fat tumors on both of his legs have substantially shrunk since Manuel switched from the same dose of Dr. Sears’ OmegaRx to EicoPro fish oil when it became available in January.

“What prevent Manuel from walking are two very large lipid tumors, called lipomas, on each leg. The diameter of each tumor has shrunk from 40 centimeters to 30 centimeters within two months after taking the new super fish oil,” Dr. Sears said.

Dr. Silvia Orozco, who has also worked with Manuel since last spring, said the fat tumors have gone from rock hard to soft.

“It is our hope that he will walk by the end of the year,” she said.

Being confined to his bed is not keeping Manuel from actively reaching out to people. He has established a non-profit foundation and hopes to help other people who have obesity problems. Late last month he was wheeled in his bed to a warehouse two blocks from his home to talk about the Zone Diet to 200 people.

“These are poor people who can’t afford to go to a doctor. He wants to give practical advice to help people follow the Zone,” Dr. Silvia Orozco said.

Since Manuel came into their lives last May, Dr. Sears’ partners at Zone Diet Mexico have received calls from as far away as Italy, the Dominican Republic, China and England asking for more information on the Zone Diet.

“We are excited because of the impact around the world,” she said.