THE worlds heaviest man has been warned that he has just months to live unless he loses weight, it was revealed on Tuesday. Paul Mason, 48, who weighs a staggering 444kg is unable to move from his bed as he awaits life-saving surgery. The former engineer and Royal mail worker suffers from a compulsive eating disorder and has repeatedly tried to diet over the last 23 years. Mr Mason, from Ipswich in Suffolk, has been unable to stop gorging himself on up to 20,000 calories a day - eight times the recommended amount of 2,500 for a man. A friend said today: 'His weight has gone up and down over the years and now it is at an all time high. 'Paul just cannot help himself when it comes to food, but the doctors have told him that this is his last chance. 'He has been warned that he could die within months unless he does something to reduce his weight. He knows his days are numbered if he does not have surgery. NHS chiefs desperate to get Mr Mason to hospital revealed today that they had considered using a helicopter to fly him from his home to a specialist centre at St Richards Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex. However, health bosses now say he will be transported in a reinforced ambulance, specially designed to move obese people. Mr Mason, who has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to shed weight permanently and is now virtually immobile, lives in a rented bungalow which has specially widened doors has been his home since it was built five-years-ago. He spends time with his two cats watching television and playing computer games. He is looked after full-time by carers, with two staff on duty at different times of the day. The overall cost of keeping him by paying for carers, accommodation, medical equipment and in benefits has been estimated at 100,000 a year. Daily Mail