SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota (AP) -- A man who once weighed more than half a ton has lost 321 pounds under the care of a team of doctors and hopes to lose 450 pounds more.

Patrick Deuel, 42, of Valentine, Nebraska, weighed 1,072 pounds when he was admitted to Sioux Falls' Avera McKennan Hospital eight weeks ago. Deuel, who is just under 6 feet tall, is on a 1,200 calorie-a-day diet.

"If we hadn't gotten him here, he'd be dead now," said Fred Harris, Deuel's lead doctor.

The former restaurant manager has been bedridden since last fall. He has battled heart failure, thyroid problems, diabetes, pulmonary hypertension and arthritis, and needed help just to roll over in bed.

"Until recently, I wasn't able to see any light at the end of the tunnel," he said Monday from his hospital bed.

A group known as the League of Human Dignity helped arrange for Deuel to be driven to a local livestock scale, where he could be weighed.

According to the Guinness World Records Web site, the record for heaviest man in the world is 1,397 pounds (629 kilograms), held by Jon Brower Minnoch of Bainbridge, Washington, who died in 1983.

Deuel, who has battled weight problems all his life and blames his condition in part on genetics, said it took months to find a hospital. Hospitals closer to his home balked at admitting him, he said.

"I got scared because I couldn't help him anymore, and I didn't know who would help him," said his wife, Edith.

Harris said Deuel's care could cost millions of dollars, much of which the hospital may have to cover. Officials found a special ambulance, and hospital workers joined two beds to accommodate Deuel.

One of Deuel's goals is to walk out of the hospital. He also wants to go to a Nebraska Cornhuskers football game, and just take a walk with his wife.

"Even though he's faced negativity all these years, he's not a negative person," Edith Deuel said. "He's almost always been able to stay bubbly and make jokes and be happy."


Source

Good for him!

Genetics my ass.
Hey buddy, you got fat cause you ate to many cheeseburgers.

Well, at least he's making an effort.

I hope all goes well for him.

I can only imagine that he has really harmed his body beyond repair at this point, but I hope he is able to lose the weight and get his health in order.

The idea that he has lost much more than I even weigh and still weighs 800 pounds is just wild. I guess you would no longer be able to take a walk, or shower or even use a regular toilet. The guy needed help to just roll over in bed...

Being that he was bedridden for over a year I would guess that his family didn't help him out by limiting what they brought to him to eat, it isn't like he can hop up and drive to Burger King...

I wonder how many calories per day one would have to consume to maintain a half a ton of bodyfat?

Maybe he ate a few of those burgers Dot showed us in one of the other threads...

Actually, genetics do play a large role in weight gain. A very large role, in fact. I do not blame him fully, but it is partly his fault.

1200 calories a day, as the article says.

So yep, his wife must have been quite happy with his humungous bulk considering she went out and brought him the eqivalent of 5 large cheese and pepperoni pizzas a DAY.

There are several things people don't know about over weightness. Alot just chalk it up to over eating.

I'll tell you right now, it's not always he case.

With me.. it's I don't eat hardly at all. I hate eating. But because I've messed up my metabolism so bad by going days with very little food... I gain weight when I'm forced to eat. Your body goes into servival mode and holds on to everything you eat. >.< Yes I know, I'm an idiot... but.. my reasons are my own...

Dear lord! How somebody get that big?

In the end it was his fault, but at least hes making an effort to lose the weight and live arelatively normal life again. But The damage has already been done to his body!!!

Considering he USED to be a manager and was able to walk around and stuff, genetics is NOT to blame, over eating is.

And i agree with Talon, it's a shame that WE have to pay so that he can lose weight.

I would also like to know how someone could possibly eat to get that big. But I am glad its coming off..it must be quite a shock to go down to 1200 calories a day. that isnt a lot.

You know your in trouble when to lose weight you need to use three treadmills at the one time.......

i dont understand how ppl can get so grossly huge, then one day it dawns upon them.... 'oh dear, i seem to have put on a few kilo's' i mean really, what are they thinking? i understand that sometimes it can be a mental health thing, where they are unhappy and they eat to help the depression, which leads them to put on weight, and add th the depression.. but that is just plain and simple gluttony.. why the wife didnt kick him in the arse and tell him to eat an apple or something to that effect is beyond me

I take it that you guys that are saying about overweight people being over eaters and that it is all their fault that they put the weight on in the first place,have never had problems with your weight.




I have Polycystic Overies Syndrome,one of the ways this shows itself is by weight gain(I never got to the state of the guy in the artical)

The only way I could get my weight down was by going on medication from the doctors.


I have never overeaten in my life,Im always the one with food left on my plate.

I have had people making assumptions that I eat and eat,and that hurts.


All Im asking is for you guys to think before you post,as most of you in this thread I have made friends with.You would not have known unless I pointed it out that your words can hurt.


I hope I have not upset anyone or made anyone angry,you guys in this thread that I know I still want to know.


Sorry for ranting on.

Alice- My Sister has weight problems that aren't completely due to over eating (she's a notorious snacker like me). She has also been simply pre-disposed towards weight gain.

Those people that gain weight ONLY because they overeat do need to find out the root causes of their over eating however, and deal with them- that I agree with.

Those who gain weight due to medical reasons, also should find out what can be done to help them maintain a healthy weight- if they don't attempt to, then they are resposible, right?

Regardless of what causes the weight gain- unless a person is beyond the ability to think coherently about it, they should take what steps they can to control their weight.

There is only one cause of fatness: eating.

Mass doesn't MAGICALLY appear out of thin air. I don't care if you got a problem, if you're fat do something about it, like, stop eating sh**, and go for a jog.

It is very easy for people to make hurtful assumptions. I know that from first hand experience myself. You don't know my circumstances and I am not going to explain it to you.

Why is it acceptable to make fun of fat people? Or to be so judgemental? Does it fulfill something that is lacking in your life?

So if it makes you feel better, take a shot at me. I have strong shoulders.

Dot/ Stella

So, it magically appears out of nowhere then?
Just grows?

It comes from food and lack of excercise. It doesn't just appear. That's my opinion. You can't justify it by saying it just appears. It comes from somewhere, and it isn't a chemical imbalance in your mind.

Sorry to point out how wrong you are. It isn't beamed into your body, it isn't surgically placed there, you can't think it into being.

Burnside. I do not overeat. I probably eat less than most. I walk for at least 40 minutes a day at a fast clip. Genetics probably account for part of it but no not all. But still I ask why is it acceptable for you to be so judgemental.

Also please believe me when I say my comments were not aimed at anyone in particular. Making fun of fat people is quite prevalent in our society. Why do you think some many people especially young girls end up with terrible body image issues?

Dot

Alice, I'm not sure what your disorder consists of, but it's awesome that you're helping yourself and leading an active lifestyle.

I think the point that most people are trying to make is that when you reach a certain amount of weight, you've got to realize something is wrong. Like I'm assuming you did.

This guy in the article went over half a ton before he got any help. Don't you think that's a little extreme?

yeah...making fun is uncool...and, as dot said, there may be circumstances that we do not know...i do make fun of ppl...all ppl...lol, just not for stuff like that...i dont make fun of ppl for bein too fat, or being retarded...i do make fat jokes, and 'retard' jokes, but only for the joke factor, and dont aim them at anybody, nor do i use them to offend, or if n e one who would be offended is present. and, tho, there is some truth to "it just doesnt appear", there are other things to consider.

Recommended Calorie for an average daily intake.

Men: 2500
Women: 2000

That guy is just pure gluttony and lack of exercise. I can't feel sorry for him at all. A large pizza is probably at least 2500. You can times that by 5, and your still not close most likely.

I mean, ONE packet of crisp/chips can be 180 calories!

You must know a problem when you have so many illnesses. There's no excuse. I know someone who is 23st, has diabetes and he still drinks at least 2 litres of Milk a day.

Milk is high in protein, and bulks you up. He will not exercise at all. He is 61, but he could have done a lot more before all that to help his weight.

When i was 14, i used to eat god knows how much too.

And i was still 8 stone then, and could run the 100m in 12 seconds, with a standing start. Thats what 8 hrs of PE a week does. And thats without the Rugby training and a game too!

Now, i'm 12 stone and losing about a pound every 2 months, and i'm 22 years old. and get regular exercise, but am nowhere near as fit, partly due to my long work hours. I do have a poor balanced diet, but i seem to still do well weight-wise.

But in a year and 5 months, i have lost 1.5 stones. And that's not eating that many vegetables, but lots of fruit and water. And i still eat a lot of processed junk too!

I got to a stage where i was not exercising, and put on weight. I was in a sort of downward spiral in a job that i really hated at the time.

As long as you burn more calories than you put in, you will lose weight.

That is all there is to losing weight for most people.

Proper food, and regular exercise.

Good for him. The saying: never to late, comes to mind. I hope all goes well for him. If not, oh well, he obviously has a wife who loves him, so he's halfway there already!

gods... I have the problem I can eat all day and my metabolism actually makes me lose weight.

I gain weight by not eating. Though I really don't eat a lot to begin with. I snack yes, If I counted the calories I'm probably at about 800 calories a day if even. And that's days that I do eat.

I know it's not good for me, but it's just how I am.

And yeah I'm one of those skinny assed girls (American size five jeans) But in high school I was close to 190 pounds. Now I shift between 100 and 150 lbs.

And I don't even try. I just eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm not hungry. I've never been to the doctor about it, I probably should.

But I know how it is to be the fat girl in school and picked on for it. I also know what it's like to be the twig.

The guy in the article let's face it, he has problems. it's going to take a lot of money, and a lot of plastic surgery to get him back into shape, and his body's already messed up. With luck he can have a somewhat normal life, but I doubt it. That was a bit too much.

The fluxuation's not that bad. It takes about two years for the cycle. Most of the time I'm closer to 125.

But yeah, I know when I can I'm going to go get some blood work done. There's a few other medical conditions I have that kinda scare me so I'm going to have them checked out.

I just hate doctors. That's kinda why I've been avoiding it. Though the Hubs wants me to go in ASAP. I think I sort of scared him yesterday with one of my migranes, because my eyes were totally bloodshot

Don't fool around with your health get to a doctor, and get checked out.

Dot

HAHAHAAHHHAH!!!!

Hey Tubby, you've been supersized! Cause you deserved it. Your just a human body! Treat it wrong and it will treat you wrong.

Ahhh, such sensitivity

Well said Fluffy...as usual

Im a married mother of 3 kids and Im 38yrs old and roughly 205lbs. I have been + sized all my life. My top weight at one time was about 300lbs. It took me nearly 10yrs to get down to whare I am now.

I know my eating habbits arnt the best(I love fried foods) but even when I was on a 1200 calorie a day diet, I couldnt get to and maintane a weight below 200lbs.

A lot of my family is + sized, like me. So I know genetics has some part to blame. I also had asthma as a child, and was given steroid treatments. I know what steroids can do to a body. It can make you larger. I believe that the steroids I was given as a child is partly to blame for my not being able to get below 200lbs.

I have a cousin that was given steroids every time he was sick, he'll be 12 in December and hes just over 5ft tall and over 150lbs. My son will be 13 in January, hes 4ft 11in and 80lbs. Hes almost an exact year older than his second cousin and much smaller. My son was never given steroids. I wouldnt allow it.

Blaming people for overeating as an cause for being overweight isnt fair. There may be other problems you or they may not be aware of. People shouldnt assume things.

Wow. I only weigh roughly 111 lbs. I was just under 8 stone when i last weighed myself. Although I am only 5'5 and 17.