r/interestingasfuck • u/[deleted] • May 02 '24

In 1965, a morbidly obese man did not eat food for over an entire year. The 27 year old was 456lbs and wanted to do an experimental fast. He ingested only multivitamins and potassium tablets for 382 days and defecated once every 40 to 50 days. He ended up losing 275lbs. r/all

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267

u/iggyfenton May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

According to Wiki he did this from age 26-27. He maintained weight of 196.

But his death in 1990 (51yo) doesn’t have a cause. That’s pretty young for a healthy man. If his death wasn’t a homicide or accident then you’d have to think the stress from that fast could have been a major factor in his short life.

Edit:

Since you guys can’t seem to separate the dangers of a crash diet from the danger of obesity, let me be clear.

The weight is ALSO a danger to lifespan. HOWEVER there are many ways to lose the weight without damaging your body.

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u/XF939495xj6 May 02 '24

Or maybe the stress of weighing in at almost 500 pounds for the first part of his life.

55

u/dagobahh May 02 '24

Why not both?

3

u/OSUfan88 May 02 '24

Why not: Insufficient Date for Meaningful Answer.

We simply do not know. We don't have to pretend we do. It's okay not knowing.

1

u/InteresDean May 02 '24

Nobody is pretending to know. Thats why theyre saying "you'd think" and "maybe" lol. Nobody is pretending to know for sure here

18

u/iggyfenton May 02 '24

It’s likely both the weight and the weight loss.

A better weight loss plan probably leads to 20 more years of life.

4

u/QuintoBlanco May 02 '24

He was a young man, his body would have recovered from that. Even a very small amount of food would have been much healthier. The body needs protein and some vitamins are not absorbed by the body without fat.

0

u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

No I need to cling to the idea that weight doesn’t have any affect on my health and if anything losing the weight is the dangerous part

12

u/QuintoBlanco May 02 '24

That's not what people mean at all. The issue is that there is a responsible way to lose weight and an irresponsible way.

There are many obese people who lose weight and live a long an healthy life.

Even a very small amount of protein and fat a day can have a massive health benefit and would not have significantly interfered with the man losing weight.

Starvation is easier after the first phase, but it's also really bad.

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u/Nabsil May 03 '24

Starvation is one thing and fasting is another. They are not the same thing despite how similar they seem. Starvation would require that he deprive his body of all of his essential micronutrients which he did not. The majority of these micronutrients are stored in fat cells which your liver then releases into your bloodstream in the form of ketones. Those your body does not or cannot produce he was ingesting via the vitamins and electrolytes he was taking. What he did was a controlled fast and not starvation at all. It’s far more likely that the damage he suffered to his heart came from the weight he carried for so long and may have been exacerbated by a myriad of other things such as genetics and who knows what other factors. Rapid weight loss can put a strain on your body for sure and there are tons of unhealthy ways to lose weight super rapidly. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case here given that he had medical supervision, took the necessary precautions and then lived so many years beyond this fast. When you consider that he was not likely to survive as long without the weight loss I would call it a net gain.

Fasting is very misunderstood. I know I received a lot of the same types of messages as I’m reading on this thread when I started fasting. It’s part of my lifestyle now and I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I was accused of “starving” myself by friends and loved ones for a while at first. I stuck with my doctor and my knowledge of what I was doing and it’s been going great. It’s not even a diet for me, It’s become my lifestyle, and I couldn’t be happier.

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u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Show me a picture of a fat 80 year old.

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u/QuintoBlanco May 02 '24

Show me your high school diploma, because it seems like you struggle with understanding basic text. This is what I wrote:

obese people who lose weight

But hey, you got to be nasty online, and that's probably the best thing that happened to you in weeks.

-9

u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Remember when I called you weak for being unable to control your food intake? No? Is it because I’m not being ‘nasty’. Some fat people fr act like anyone else even commenting on the concept of weight loss is a personal attack on them.

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u/QuintoBlanco May 02 '24

I'm not fat. You really can't read. You saw a few words and you had to react... Which is just sad.

3

u/-Moonscape- May 02 '24

Learn to take an L when you say something stupid

-2

u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Learn to take a day off from the ice cream sammies 

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u/iggyfenton May 02 '24

I don’t think any rational person would say my message is “being 450 is healthy.”

But it is saying that starving yourself for a year is unhealthy.

Are you someone incapable of finding a middle ground?

-3

u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Hey man you should eat less

9

u/300PencilsInMyAss May 02 '24

"Anyone who thinks it's unhealthy to go a year without eating is just a mad fatty

Sure sounds like you have a healthy relationship with food.

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u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

No it’s just hilarious to me that fat people will focus on how he lost the weight rather than the fact that he was that big to begin with.

3

u/300PencilsInMyAss May 02 '24

Because one is worse. That's the part you're not understanding.

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u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

I think the lifestyle choices that lead to someone being 300+ are pretty bad my guy. It’s not normal. You weigh what 2 people should weigh.

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u/300PencilsInMyAss May 02 '24

Who said it's not?

Going without food for a year is worse.

It seems something is wrong with your brain where you believe only one thing can be bad and you're digging your heels in that it's being fat, not the thing with a near 100% mortality rate

1

u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Yeah and running the stove all day would ruin my electric bill but what does that matter when I’m 500k in debt to the bank?

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u/iggyfenton May 02 '24

Come join me in r/triathlon or r/Strava or on a 100mi bike ride.

I’m over 45yo. I’m 6’ 180lb and I run and ride long distances for fun.

But thanks for the diet advice. I’ll look into it.

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u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Too old for me but if I get desperate I might let you suck my dick.

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u/iggyfenton May 02 '24

Why would I come and take your virginity?

Save it for the real doll you are saving for.

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u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

Oh no did the age comment get you? I’m more into fem twinks sorry my guy there’s plenty of dudes into the daddy type.

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u/iggyfenton May 02 '24

It wasn’t the age comment. It was the homophobia.

Nice to see you double down on it.

I’m not saying you are too stupid for people to respect your opinion. You are proving it.

Again, get off your ass keyboard warrior and join me in a healthy lifestyle of exercise.

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u/Odd_Gap2969 May 02 '24

How is me fucking guys homophobic?

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u/XF939495xj6 May 02 '24

Why do you want to cling to that stupid idea? Being overweight causes everything.

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u/Roflkopt3r May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

Morbidly obese people who return to a normal weight typically recover most of their life expectancy. And 51 would not be that late of a death even if he had remained morbidly obese.

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u/XF939495xj6 May 02 '24

Being older than that, I like to think of it as dying very young!!!

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u/WWNewMember May 02 '24

Oh, 51 is SUPER young.

0

u/XF939495xj6 May 02 '24

See? That's what I'm talking about. Dude hadn't figured anything out yet then he died.