He’s Not Half the Man He Once Was, Gratefully : Health: Man who was near death at 800 pounds leaves hospital at 330 with thanks for those who helped him. ‘I’ll never go back to that again,’ he says.

After undergoing a 19-hour operation to remove 60 pounds of loose skin, a tearful and thankful Tommy McGruder went home Wednesday, vowing never to return to the days when he nearly died from the crushing weight of his once 800-pound body.

“I don’t want to take my life for granted,” the 35-year-old resident of South Central Los Angeles said from Chapman Medical Center here, where he underwent the procedure Dec. 15. “A lot of people reached out to me and gave me a chance for a second life. It’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever had--a strange one, but the best one.”

Virtually housebound for years, McGruder shed 400 pounds after he nearly suffocated from his excess weight. McGruder said he was so overweight that he spent most of his time lying naked in bed because his clothes no longer fit him. His typical morning meal consisted of two dozen eggs, five packages of sausage, a pound of bacon and a box of pancakes.

“I was bedridden and buck naked for three years,” said McGruder, who now weighs 330 pounds. “When I look back to that time, I know I’ll never go back to that again.”

McGruder lost the weight with the help of doctors from the Lindora Medical Clinic, who placed him on a medically supervised weight control program at no cost. Plastic surgeon Ron Goldstein also performed the skin removal surgery for free, while Chapman Medical Center provided all hospital services at no cost.

“I want to thank everyone who pitched in to help me, who didn’t turn their backs on me, who stuck by me,” McGruder said at a news conference attended by more than a dozen local and national media representatives. “They’ve given me a second chance for life again.”

With a crush of cameras zoomed in on him, McGruder said he hopes his weight loss inspires others struggling with obesity.

“If anyone else is watching who has the same problem as me, I want them to know that there’s help out there if you want it,” McGruder said, tears welling in his eyes.

McGruder’s excess skin, which is enough to cover a 10-year-old child from head to toe, will be donated for research. Doctors hope to remove more surplus skin from McGruder’s frame in about a year, if he can lose about 100 more pounds.