Questions about his health come as he prepares to run for a third term in office as head of his newly formed Kadima party. But Mr Sharon brushed off such concerns as he left Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital. "I don't think it will affect my functioning," he said of the stroke.

Mr Sharon was rushed to the hospital on Sunday night after complaining of weakness and showing signs of confused speech. Though obesity is not a direct risk factor for strokes, related problems — such as high cholesterol — are, doctors say. US President George Bush, a fitness fanatic, rang with some advice: "Be careful about food, start exercising and cut back on work hours."

Aides said Mr Sharon would rest for a few days. But they hinted that getting the prime minister, a onetime rugged war hero, to count his calories might be a challenge. "He has been told he needs to go on a diet since 1965," his adviser Asaf Shariv said.

Other aides said Mr Sharon had not mentioned slimming down during his two days in hospital. The Yediot Ahronot daily reported that when his sons, Omri and Gilad, implied it might be time for him to watch his weight, Mr Sharon simply laughed. Stories of Mr Sharon's appetite are legendary. He often jokes about his love of food and expansive girth, and his favourite meal is "meat in every way", Mr Shariv said.

One journalist reported watching Mr Sharon polish off a tube of Pringles potato chips during an interview. Others joked that when his now-deceased wife Lily tried to put him on a diet, he had his security detail sneak him a giant pita filled with greasy meat.

A day before his stroke, Mr Sharon enjoyed a typical meal with family and friends. It included hamburgers, steak in chimichurri sauce, lamb chops, shish kebab and an array of salads, the Maariv daily reported. For dessert, Mr Sharon had chocolate cake — and then more cake.

Mr Sharon avoided heavy or fried foods during his two-day stay in hospital, Mr Shariv said, and opted for lighter fare after his discharge, eating a lunch of Chinese noodles. Mr Sharon's aides repeatedly refused to disclose his weight, and the Israeli media grew increasingly aggressive in its demands for his medical records.

Channel Ten TV reporter Emmanuel Rosen grew exasperated when Mr Sharon's aide Raanan Gissin insisted the Prime Minister's health was a private matter. "That's not true," Rosen said yesterday. "If the doctor recommends Sharon go on a diet, not so he can compete in Channel Ten's modelling competition, but because there is a health issue, this is the public's business. "If the prime minister is not healthy, the public needs to know."

AP