Video: Man loses 430 lbs., lives to regret it
posted at 5:55 pm on July 24, 2008 by Allahpundit
You’ll see why. Suffice it to say, I saved this clip for the dinner hour on the east coast for a very particular reason. If you’re reading this while you’re eating: You’re welcome.
The worst part? This dude was sitting on a scientific gold mine and he didn’t even know it. Click the image to watch.
Blowback
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I have lost 117 so far.
pseudonominus on July 24, 2008 at 5:59 PM
58 to go.
pseudonominus on July 24, 2008 at 6:01 PM
Hope he gets the surgery. It’s gotta be tough lugging all that excess skin around.
john1schn on July 24, 2008 at 6:01 PM
Congratulations! Keep up the great work.
As for the young man in the video, I hope he’s able to have the surgery. It must be extremely disheartening to lose all that weight and still have to deal with such a deformity and all the problems and shame that come with it. I know he’s sorry at the moment that he lost the weight, but I’m happy for him that he did. I wish my mom had had weight loss surgery. I think she died younger than she would have if she hadn’t spent most of her adult life at over 300 lbs on a 5-ft frame.
aero on July 24, 2008 at 6:02 PM
No health care huh? I suppose it’s up to we taxpayers to rescue this former fattie from himself. THAT is a major reason I oppose nationalized health care, ZERO responsibility for your own actions.
I had a woman who worked for me once who weighed over 350 pounds. Of course we paid the same exact medical premiums. She went to the doctor at least once a month for weight related issues. I maybe go to the doctor once every couple years. And I’m 10 years older than her.
If anything is “unfair” about health care it’s that the healthy have to subsidize the self-made unhealthy (smokers, overweight, lazy), as opposed to those with unavoidable conditions.
DerKrieger on July 24, 2008 at 6:03 PM
It’s impressive for him to lose the weight. I hope he can get the money for the skin removal surgery.
Congrats pseudonominus!
4shoes on July 24, 2008 at 6:03 PM
I feel for him. My stomach is a (much) smaller version of that… my skin never shrank back after I had my twins. Is he saving up for plastic surgery (I had to watch sans sound)? I know I am.
Anna on July 24, 2008 at 6:05 PM
I take it from the comments he’s not saving then. Shame on him. Does he expect us to pay for it?
Anna on July 24, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Poor guy … I saw a woman on Discovery Health once who had this problem, but after the followup surgery she was fine.
What a great friend he’s got, to have a fundraiser for him!
Congrats on your weight loss, pseudonominus!! You must be feeling great. :)
Rosmerta on July 24, 2008 at 6:06 PM
He’s saving, and his friend –the pretty young lady at the end — is holding a fundraiser at her bar for him to try to raise the rest for him.
aero on July 24, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Please let this guy get the surgery he needs. Thats got to suck grapes.
Sammy316 on July 24, 2008 at 6:07 PM
I agree. This is one of the reasons why I think Richard Simmons ought to be taken seriously in his petition on the hill. Far too many kids are becoming obese.
4shoes on July 24, 2008 at 6:08 PM
Thank you for clearing that up. I hate not having sound, but it appears my kids were messing with the wires again. Ugh.
Anna on July 24, 2008 at 6:08 PM
It would seem that medbanks would need skin for skin grafts. Hope he gets some assistance.
pseudo……HOOT! That is great!
Limerick on July 24, 2008 at 6:09 PM
ehh.. could have done without watching this one.. :\
Chakra Hammer on July 24, 2008 at 6:09 PM
I don’t think HE said that but the reporter made a point out of the fact that he didn’t have health care and that without coverage he’d be stuck with his excess skin. The implication was clear.
DerKrieger on July 24, 2008 at 6:11 PM
In a world where we have doctors traveling overseas to help little kids with cleft palate issues for free in third world countries, one would think a similar team would get together for this particular procedure. Makes you go Hmmmmm….
MNDavenotPC on July 24, 2008 at 6:11 PM
He did take responsibility for it by getting the first surgery. Now, he’s got a side effect in the form of 100 lbs. of extra skin and its underlying tissue. The second surgery, if he gets it, will probably be cheaper, in the long run, than treating any back conditions infections, or other health that occur due to his current state. Don’t think of it as cosmetic surgery so much as preventive medicine.
Big S on July 24, 2008 at 6:12 PM
Was I the only one expecting “I got a divorce” to follow, or some such payoff?
Chuck Schick on July 24, 2008 at 6:14 PM
That’s a cool friend to try to raise the money for his surgery. That’s very cool. Good luck, dude.
Spirit of 1776 on July 24, 2008 at 6:16 PM
This is a hard one. I hate the idea of socialized medicine, but this is clearly a case where if this man could get the surgery he could get to work, a good productive job. I have no problem helping people who are putting forth an effort to better themselves.
Its a difficult call. I work with dead beats all day who us the ambulance as their personal taxi and the ER as their primary care physician, but then you come across the real cases that really cause you to think that socialized medicine would be a nice thing if it didn’t encourage dead beats to procreate.
RobertInAustin on July 24, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Actually, sitting here I am inspired by his friend to help him with her own business. I am gonna research and find out where the business is located and donate $20.
RobertInAustin on July 24, 2008 at 6:20 PM
Isn’t the guy still sitting on a silver mine of skin for grafting? Ain’t that worth something?
Dusty on July 24, 2008 at 6:29 PM
I am sure his surgeon is on top of it. I would think that if it could be done it would have been done. He may some underlying medical condition that may prevent him from being a skin donor.
RobertInAustin on July 24, 2008 at 6:31 PM
My father will need that surgery. He is working on losing weight at 350 and 130 to go.
One good thing is that he has made me determined to never gain weight. I am in great shape and will stay that way.
Tim Burton on July 24, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Allah, thanks for finally letting us see your face… it’s just too bad it has to be under these circumstances. Perhaps you can hock your iPhone on eBay for the surgery.
.
.
(that’ll teach you to post this kinda stuff at dinner time)
Texas Rainmaker on July 24, 2008 at 6:44 PM
[RobertInAustin on July 24, 2008 at 6:31 PM]
I was kind of kidding. I suspect he can’t sell it anymore than he could sell a kidney, legally, I mean.
I hadn’t thought of medical condition, though, the first thing that came to my mind was someone with scars from burns over 50% of their body might be thinking while they watched it.
Anyway, no doubt there are lots of complexities to grafting, one being the differences in how much is done at one time for the donor vs the recipient, not to mention compatibility issues.
Dusty on July 24, 2008 at 6:44 PM
I saw a lady at the hot springs pool with leg skin like that. She didn’t seem to care, neither did we. But yeah, that’s tough. I think I’ll go ride my bike now…
kirkill on July 24, 2008 at 6:49 PM
As his friend shows, the government couldn’t do it better than she could.
Tim Burton on July 24, 2008 at 6:50 PM
Would be nice to have market-driven medical care that would legally allow Dr. Katz, the surgeon that performed this gastric bypass, to partner with another surgeon that can remove his patient’s excess skin and bundle these procedures for customers at a reduced rate.
ScottMcC on July 24, 2008 at 7:06 PM
So his wife really made him pay in divorce court, huh?
MB4 on July 24, 2008 at 7:06 PM
Isn’t skin flexible and adaptable? If you lose a lot of weight, wouldn’t it adjust? Perhaps he lost the weight too quickly.
gmoonster on July 24, 2008 at 7:21 PM
That is so freaking AWESOME! I have such admiration for you. Way to go! I am rooting for you.
Glynn on July 24, 2008 at 7:22 PM
I didn’t hear anyone say in the video that he expected anyone to pay for it. That great of a weight loss, that heroic and monumental task, well, I can only say it was herculean. It seems his friend is having a benefit for him to raise the money.
Glynn on July 24, 2008 at 7:25 PM
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and it’s amendments requires each State in the United States to provide vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities that are causing impediments to employment. If this gentleman’s ability to work is being hindered due to all of the excess skin then there is a distinct possibility that his State Vocational Rehabilitation agency can pay for the surgery. I would suggest he contact his local Health and Human Services office and request an application be taken based upon the disabling condition of obesity and back pain. If they deny his application then he has a right to appeal their decision.
Larry L. Sharp on July 24, 2008 at 7:26 PM
There was a warning.
Glynn on July 24, 2008 at 7:26 PM
It wasn’t clear to me.
Glynn on July 24, 2008 at 7:29 PM
Save up for the surgery bro. Charity is fine too, if people want to help out.
Dash on July 24, 2008 at 7:36 PM
The doctor gave him six months to live. How much more slowly should he have lost it?
Tanya on July 24, 2008 at 7:44 PM
True friends are indeed a Blessing. Good Luck to him and God Bless his friend.
Zorro on July 24, 2008 at 8:18 PM
no Austin Powers/Fat Bastard joke? no.. okay..
they guys face and neck look okay.. I’m guessing it was the 100 plus of extra skin pulling the excess down to make the him look normal from the neck up..
I’m down from 301 to 299 today..
DaveC on July 24, 2008 at 8:22 PM
I can attest that when one loses weight rapidly, the skin doesn’t always have time to adapt. Couple that with the fact that some people have more elastic skin than others and viola! You’ve got saggy skin.
Although, I did have a doctor tell me if I drank enough water, my skin would regain elasticity and shrink back, but I’ve yet to verify this. I live with my saggy pouch, surgery would be a luxery. With this guy, though, surgery is his only option.
And I’ve got sound back, so now I fully know what’s going on in the clip. Good on his friend for helping out.
Anna on July 24, 2008 at 8:25 PM
Great point.
Glynn on July 24, 2008 at 8:29 PM
Depends. You see that when the skin has detached from the muscle. (From the video, you can tell where things are still “attached” – the belly button is much higher than the surrounding skin, giving that wraparound water-wings look.)
When the excess skin is removed, the doctor can attach the skin to the muscle. If that doesn’t happen, gravity will continue to take a toll, even if he keeps the weight off.
sulla on July 24, 2008 at 8:32 PM
I dropped 50 over the last 3 years… and got a divorce so add another 180 on top of that.
Currently a svelte 189. Would like to drop a handful more and then work on getting stronger. My only issue is I now have to buy pants that fit.
AndrewsDad on July 24, 2008 at 8:33 PM
My weight-loss plans stop where stretchy pants ceases to be an option.
Give me Sansabelt or give me death!
sulla on July 24, 2008 at 8:55 PM
What a sad story. I really feel bad for the guy, losing all that weight and then having all that extra skin. I think I’ll go to that website they mentioned and donate some money. If I was in his shoes, I’d want that surgery as soon as possible.
nazo311 on July 24, 2008 at 8:57 PM
What part of “health insurance won’t cover the skin surgery” don’t you understand?
He did the right thing by losing the weight: he just added years to his life.
newton on July 24, 2008 at 9:05 PM
I knew a dude that this happened too. He made a deal with a hospital, they gave him a free surgery and the hospital kept the skin for grafts.
- The Cat
MirCat on July 24, 2008 at 9:09 PM
He gets no play from the ladies.
Alden Pyle on July 24, 2008 at 10:19 PM
I agree. More power to these folks who have the fortitude to do what it takes.
MsUnderestimated on July 25, 2008 at 2:09 AM
He’s not the only person who has lost weight and has had this problem. I’m sorry that he is unable to afford plastic surgery but many people can’t.
Blake on July 25, 2008 at 6:35 AM
Gastric Bypass does make you loose weight very fast – you can only eat one ounce of food in a sitting; think about that, it’s not alot. If you don’t exercise enough your skin will sag (that’s true with any weight loss, bue especially true with Bypass). But with this guy’s kind of weight loss – no amount of exercise would have been enough.
In fact, most Bypass patients end up need surgery for the excess skin. I’ve known 3 people who did the Bypass surgery and within 2 years had the additional skin surgery.
Personally, I’ve lost 40 pounds in the past year with another 10 to go this year and another 30 after that. My skin has re-tightened, for the most part. I still need to do some ab exercises for the rest of it. I’m very lucky.
KrisinNE on July 25, 2008 at 9:54 AM
Forgot to say: Fan-damn-tastic Pseudo!!! Just amazing, congratulations.
KrisinNE on July 25, 2008 at 9:58 AM
I commend anyone who finds the will to work their way into health. GO! GO! GO!
***
I know we’ve all heard a slew of recommended weight-loss methods. So I will try not to sound preachy.
IF you are able to exercise, even lightly, I recommend starting out slowly with brisk walks. Make sure to use a vigorous swing and try to get full extension of your calves.
After you are comfortable working up a sweat or if you’ve been cleared for strenuous exercise by your physician, start strength training. Start out slow with squats, lunges, pushups and other standard strength builders.
That’s all old news.
Plan on working towards high-intensity training. It is a blend of full body resistance and cardio. A Kettlebell is perhaps the best single piece of equipment with which I have ever trained for burning fat and building muscle.
***
I know that’s a mouthful of fairly unoriginal yadayada. But I tore my ACL a few years back and actually started to gain weight due to my downtime. This was very humbling for an extreme athletic competitor. I had to bust my ass to get back to fighting form.
It’s going to be hard. But you will be happier for your efforts.
***
Seriously, God Bless this guy
The Race Card on July 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Kick ass. Take names.
The Race Card on July 25, 2008 at 12:13 PM