On a big party day, he might get up to 40 pounds.

But before work can start they need the money, and the final bill could come to several million pounds.

"Michael is at least six feet and close to three hundred pounds."

Last year, that figure was up to 280 million pounds.

At the turn of the century, he said, it was close to 18 pounds a person.

That can add up to 30 or 40 pounds per year.

I was now up to 952 pounds, more than 90 percent of the way to my goal.

At one point in the hospital, he had dropped to 140 pounds.

"I went down to 98 pounds and almost died when they made me not work," she said.

At the moment, she appears to be close to 190 pounds.