A Londoner who was officially the world’s fattest
man has died.Keith Martin, 44, died from
pneumonia following a lengthy battle with his
weight.
It happened just eight months after Mr Martin –
who weighed 70 stone at his heaviest – had
undergone a successful gastric sleeve which
removed three-quarters of his stomach.
Now the surgeon who tried to save him with life-
changing weight-loss surgery is calling for the
government to swiftly impose a fast-food tax as
he backed NHS plans to offer more gastric
surgeries to high-risk patients.
If he had lived he would have lost hundreds of
pounds and regained his ability to walk and live a
normal life, according to head surgeon Kesava
Mannur who operated on Mr Martin at Homerton
Hospital last year.
Mr Mannur supports new NHS guidelines which
encourage doctors to suggest weight-loss surgery
for anyone with a BMI higher than 30 and type 2
diabetes.
“If they can get the weight off they can improve
their health and mobility and maybe contribute to
society rather than being a burden.
“But the thing that does need to change quickly is
how easy it is for people to access very cheap,
unhealthy fast food.
“Society needs to do more to encourage children to
be healthy from a young age. They need to learn
early about physical activity and a healthy diet.
Before he died in March, unemployed Mr Martin
admitted much of the weight had come from
eating huge amounts of super-cheap fast food.
He would gorge on 20,000 calories a day – almost 10
times the recommended amount – having six-egg
fry-ups for breakfast then pizzas, kebabs,
Chinese takeaways and Big Macs for lunch and
dinner all washed down with six pints of coffee
and two litres of fizzy drinks.
He’d also snack on sandwiches, chocolate, crisps,
sweets and biscuits.
Mr Mannur added: “Keith, like many people, had
some emotional issues and he turned to food for
comfort.
“That type of behaviour is nothing new, but what
is new is how easy it is for people in that situation
to buy a lot of cheap junk food.”
Mr Martin left behind his two sisters – Sharon and
Tina – who cared for him for many years leading
up to his death.
Speaking from the home they shared in west
London, Tina Martin said: “We’re still grieving. We
miss him very much.”
Mr Martin’s surgery was filmed for Channel 5
documentary 70 Stone & Almost Dead.
A hopeful Mr Martin said beforehand: “I’d
resigned myself that either I was going to die in
my bed or I was going to kill myself. But now I
think ‘you stupid person’.
“I’m a lot more confident than I used to be. I feel
a lot happier.
“In a few months’ time I want to be up and walking
“I know the only person to blame is me. All those
years wasted. I’m not going to waste anymore of
it. ”
Having been stuck in his house for ten years and
bedridden for several years due to his size, Mr
Martin was able to drop 25 stone in order to
qualify for the surgery after switching to a 2,000
calorie a day diet.
But just a week after the procedure he discharged
himself from the hospital, against doctors’ orders,
because he was homesick.
By October 2013 he was back in hospital with
septic shock and dehydration. Two weeks later he
contracted pneumonia.
Mr Martin spent four months in hospital before he
was released in February 2014, having been
deemed medically fit. His weight had dropped to 39
stone
After being transported home he said: “I feel
great about surviving the operation.
“It gives me a chance now to go do some of the
things I wanted to do – to get myself up and
walking, take my dog Benji out for a walk.
“This is the end of one chapter and the beginning
of a new chapter. Where it takes me I don’t know,
but it’s going to be fun finding out.”
But just a month later he was dead.
Prior to the weight-loss surgery, Mr Martin
recorded a video message to his family in case he
didn’t survive.
He said: “Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know
that I love you guys and thanks for being there
for me. You can tell the rest of the family I love
them and thanks for the support. Take care of
each other.”
Mr Martin’s weight ballooned after he became
seriously depressed in his twenties.
He blamed blamed the bingeing on depression and
anxiety which he developed after his mother died –
also of pneumonia – when he was 16.
Mr Martin, who used to spend his days playing
video games and watching TV, explained in 2012: “I
started eating to ease the pain and before I knew
it, I was binging every time something upset me.
“I’ve always been depressed. I am an agoraphobic
– I’m afraid of public places – but it was never
treated.
“I just want to be happy, without needing food to
make me happy.”
