全球最胖男子瘦身後喜獲愛情
He was once the world`s fattest man weighing in at a staggering 70 stone and consuming a mammoth 20,000 calories a day.
他曾經是世界上最胖的男子，重達70英石（約900斤），每天要攝入2萬卡路里的熱量。But it seems that after losing 48 stone following NHS surgery, it`s not just Paul Mason`s health that has a more promising outlook - his weight loss may have also boosted his love life.
在接受醫療服務系統提供的手術後，保羅·梅森瘦了48英石，但他收穫的未來不僅是健康的身體，他還可能因爲減肥而收穫愛情。Mr Mason has only known his new girlfriend Rebecca for a month and the pair are yet to meet, but already the 52-year old claims that Rebecca is the love of his life.
梅森先生只和他的新女友麗貝卡認識一個月，兩人還沒見面，但這位52歲的男士就已宣稱麗貝卡是他生命中的摯愛。
The pair met online last month when Rebecca saw a television documentary about Mr Mason`s extreme obesity - the result, he says, of overeating when a previous relationship ended.
這兩人上個月在網絡上相識。麗貝卡在電視上看到了關於梅森先生極度肥胖的紀錄片——梅森說那是他結束前一段戀情後過度飲食的後果。She was so touched by his plight that Rebecca got in touch via Facebook keen to help Mr Mason in his bid to get the NHS to pay for a second operation to rid him of layers of excess skin.
麗貝卡對他的境遇很感動，因此通過Facebook同他取得聯繫，以幫助他獲得由NHS付款的第二次手術，幫助梅森去掉多餘皮層。Mr Mason said: `She didn`t really think anything romantically to start with. I didn`t know anything about her and we talked all about her life and how she wants to help me.`
梅森先生說：“她剛開始時真的沒想過要有什麼戀愛關係。我一點也不瞭解她，我們只是談論了她的生活，以及她想要如何幫助我。”`It wasn`t until the second conversation that I realised there was more there than just friends. She felt the same and brought up the idea of us being boyfriend and girlfriend.`
“直到第二次談話時我才意識到我們並非普通的朋友關係。她也有同樣的想法，還提出要做男女朋友的想法。”Mr Mason says that he doesn`t go for looks and finds Rebecca`s determined attitude particularly attractive. He said: `I am more interested in the person rather than the physical side of things.
梅森先生說他不看重外表，是麗貝卡的堅定態度深深吸引了他。他說：“我更喜歡一個人的內在思想，而非外在方面。”`It is her personality, her drive and passion and she has a lovely smile that made me fall for her. It was hard for me to accept to start with because part of me is still trapped in this loose skin and I find it hard to understand how anyone can see through that.
“是她的個性、追求事物的動力和激情，還有甜美的微笑吸引了我。但我卻很難接受從頭開始戀愛，因爲現在我還是一身鬆鬆垮垮的皮膚，我也很難明白怎麼有人能看穿外表不受它影響。”`We share the same ideas, interests, and outlook on life and she has made me look at life in a new way. I`m more determined than ever to get this operation and enjoy my life with her.`
“我們有同樣的理想、愛好和對未來生活的希望，她教會我用新的角度看世界。我現在比任何時候都想接受除皮手術，和她幸福地生活在一起。”`For a long time I couldn`t really see light at the end of the tunnel. But since Rebecca`s been in my life I`ve got a whole new sense of worth and excitement.`
“很長時間以來我的生活一片黑暗，看不到曙光。但自從麗貝卡出現在我的生活中後，我又感受到了存在的價值，對此我異常興奮。”Mr Mason ballooned to his incredible size by eating ten times the amount needed by a normal man due to a compulsive eating disorder. As his weight soared he was left unable to stand or walk before finally becoming bed-ridden and being looked after full time by council carers.
梅森先生曾患有強迫性暴食症，每天要吃十倍於正常男性的食物，因此身體嚴重走形。隨着體重狂飆，他到後來無法站立行走，最終只能臥牀不起，由志願護理人員全天照料。Firefighters had to demolish the front wall of his former home so they could drive a fork lift truck inside to lift him out and put him into an ambulance when he needed an operation in 2002.
2002年他需要做手術，由於身體龐大，消防隊員只能拆除他家的一面牆，用叉車把他從家中擡出來，放進救護車裏。Mr Mason was later given a purpose-built housing association home with extra wide doorways so he could move around.
後來住宅協會向梅森先生提供了特制住宅，內設特寬門廊，以確保他能自由行走。
