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Half Ton Man

Weighing the same as five baby elephants and a shade less than a Mini Cooper, Patrick Deuel is one of the heaviest men ever and a medical miracle. His heart and other organs should have collapsed long before he reached his record-breaking weight of 76 stone 8lbs. A wall has to be knocked out of his home so he can be taken to hospital – in a reinforced ambulance – where he is kept on a strict diet and loses a staggering 30 stone. After a gastric bypass operation he is sent home. It is now up to him to decide if he wants to live or carry on eating himself to death.

One of Patrick’s supporters has been Rosalie Bradford, who was once the world’s fattest woman. She was eight feet wide and could not leave the house. It was only when she realized her addiction to food was a response to being abandoned as a child that she lost an incredible 900 pounds.

Through the remarkable stories of Patrick and Rosalie, Body Shock anatomizes the science of extreme weight loss and the bewildering lives of the growing number of people who seem intent on eating themselves to death. Scientists think that years ago some people developed this fat gene to help them survive famine, but with today’s high fat diet and couch potato lifestyle, that helpful gene has become something that can kill us.

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  1. Good food like cakes, pies, and ice cream can be addictive. They are happy foods. If you are not careful they will catch up with you. And before you know it you are 75 stones as they say big. Most people cannot afford that amount of food. If I could afford it, I’d be just as big as mike there. But I probably wouldn’t be able to take it anymore because I like to move around and look good. In reference to his wife, she’s a nice lady but I think she has some kind of fettish where she likes to take care of him and is attracted to all that weight. She’s a nurse type that likes taking care of people and him in particular. I wonder how she’ll behave after he loses that weight. I’m proud of him for sticking with the program. But, I think his wife will not be as happy as when she could take of him and might just start feeding him again.

  2. the partners are such enablers, piss me off.

  3. That Michael guy is not only creepy but seems like a jerk.

  4. ”i eat pretty much what i want too i just don’t eat as much of is and i still stay away from high fat and high sodium things” crisps and kfc?

  5. I wonder what would happen if they just tied the fucker with chains somewhere and just starved him out and only gave him water. I wonder how long he would last without food. Technically his body is jam packed with surplus food so he should last for a good while. Thats a documentary right there

  6. I wonder what would happen if they just tied the fucker with chains somewhere and just starved him out and only gave him water. I wonder how long he would last without food. Technically his body is jam packed with surplus food so he should last for a good while. Thats a documentary right there

  7. Very insightful comment about 3/4 of the way through…”how many alcoholics could recover by just having one drink a day? How crack addicts could remain free of drugs and have just a little, every day?” Obesity truly seems to be one of the most difficult addictions to manage successfully. My weight has fluctuated over the years (I’m 5’6″ and 130) but I’ve just always known that I can enjoy all foods, just not too much of anything. That, coupled with a love of fruit, salads, water and physical activity keeps me, while not lean, at least slim.

    Another point I wondered about is; the people who were bedridden for months, even years; whoever was bringing them the food; however well intentioned; massive enabling! These folks wouldn’t be able to get that huge if they had to GET UP and get their own food. Overall, I feel sad and a lot of compassion that they’re choosing such a difficult life. The current “fast food” industry and lack of any nutrients in the food supply sure isn’t helping either!

    Thanks Documentary Heaven! A very interesting documentary!