This year, we cheered as the world’s heaviest man lost 500 pounds then got hitched, we wondered why some of our favorite foods suddenly looked smaller, and worried when the worst foodborne outbreak in a decade spread across the country. Here’s a look back at the year’s headlines in food, fitness, and fat – The top 8 of ‘08:

Hold the tomatoes, hold the peppers…
Tomatoes and peppers were pulled from store shelves and restaurants when a massive salmonella outbreak started in April. It took the government several months to figure out what caused it, making many people question our nation’s food safety system. When it was over, 1,400 people had gotten sick across the country.

F as in Fat
The obesity epidemic continued to climb – up in 37 states – with predictions that 86-percent of Americans could be overweight by 2030 if things don’t change soon. The epidemic brought sobering news about how obesity is affecting children with an influential physicians’ group urging young kids to take cholesterol drugs, and a new report showing the arteries of obese kids can be just as clogged as those of a 45-year-old.

Happy Anniversary (the BIG 5-0) to the Hula Hoop
It was the Hula Hoop’s anniversary – the golden one already? Seems as though it’s come, well… full circle over the years.  Just one year after it came out, the company that makes the hip toy sold more than 100 million Hula Hoops. Fifty years later, the hoop is regaining its popularity as a fun and challenging way to exercise – it’s even a featured activity on Nintendo’s new Wii Fit.

World’s heaviest man marries
First, Manuel Uribe made headlines when he lost 500+ pounds (he used to weigh 1,234 pounds). Then the world cheered him on as he married his longtime girlfriend in Mexico in October. Uribe has not left his bed for six years. His doctors want him to lose a total of 1,000 pounds.

Diabetes doubles
Diabetes is skyrocketing in the United States. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the rate of new cases of the disease has nearly doubled over the past 10 years. The main reasons? The growing number of obesity and sedentary lifestyles. About 1.6 million people age 20 or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes just last year.

Show me the calories
Calorie counts started popping up at restaurants across the country as laws passed in New York City, California, and Philadelphia requiring them to post calories on their menus. Fast food chains like KFC, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver’s also announced they would start putting calories on menu boards in their restaurants nationwide.

Honey, they shrunk the food…
With the cost of ingredients and fuel for delivery going up, some food companies are making their products smaller but selling them for the same price – giving us less, instead of raising their prices. Shrinking products include Breyers ice cream, Mini BabyBel Cheese discs, some varieties of Yoplati yogurt, and Sun Chips Garden Salsa snacks.

Oprah up again
Oprah has been yo-yo-ing for years and this year, she’s back up again. Winfrey says she now weighs 200 pounds and has “fallen off the wagon” when it comes to healthy living. She’s gained 40 pounds back since 2006. She’s expected to talk candidly about her weight on her show in January.

Did you remember all those?

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He did it! Manuel Uribe got hitched! The heaviest man in the world (according to Guinness World Records) hasn’t left his bed in six years and had to have a flatbed truck take him to the ceremony. But he did it – he married his longtime girlfriend Claudia Solis Sunday in northern Mexico.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Uribe broke into tears during the civil ceremony attended by more than 400 guests.

Uribe’s mother, told the AP her son stayed away from the five-tier wedding cake.

Uribe used to weigh more than 1,200 pounds. But after years of diet, exercise and medical care, he has lost more than 550 pounds. He says he’s shooting for a new title now: “World’s Greatest Weight Loser.” I hope he gets that title! Go Manuel!

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It’s official. Manuel Uribe will marry his longtime girlfriend, Claudia Solis this month. Uribe is the world’s heaviest man, according to the Guinness World Records. He used to weigh 1,234 pounds, but this summer, he lost 520 pounds.

The Associated Press says the two will be married at a civil ceremony in Monterrey, Mexico on October 26.

Uribe, 43, is still not able to walk, and can only leave his house by being towed in a specially made bed. He tells the AP he will take a bite of his wedding cake only for photos because he is still on a diet.

Uribe’s doctors want him to lose a total of 1,000 pounds. Solis has been helping him reach that goal. Now that’s true love. (You can do it, Manuel!!)

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He used to weigh 1,234 pounds. Now after two years of diet, exercise, and medical care ABC News reports Manuel Uribe has dropped more than 520 pounds and he’s determined to shed many more.

Has anyone else been following this story? It caught my attention when I read Manuel had gained so much weight that he couldn’t even leave his bed for years. How awful would that be?

He’s still bedridden, but things are definitely getting better. A year after Manuel started his diet and exercise routine he left his room for the first time in five years – his bed was taken outside, just in front of his home in Monterrey, Mexico.

And now Manuel is engaged to Claudia Solis (that’s her in the picture). His goal is to one day be able to walk again… and walk Claudia down the aisle.

Manuel’s doctors want him to lose a total of 1,000 pounds. He’s more than halfway there! You can do it, Manuel!

I love this story – it’s so inspirational. And to know he has found love makes me smile.

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