# what is the fattest a human could possibly be ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-fattest-a-human-could-possibly-be/234701 "2004-03-16T21:11:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-fattest-a-human-could-possibly-be/234701/1 "2004-03-16T21:11:18Z")
Just how fat could a human possibly be before the fat would kill them. Lets say you take a man or woman of average size, and have them can as much weight as possible. Would they survive 1000 pounds ? 2000 pounds ? How fat could they get , and what would probably kill them first ? ---
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-fattest-a-human-could-possibly-be/234701/2 "2004-03-16T21:17:43Z")
correction- have them GAIN as much weight as possible ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-fattest-a-human-could-possibly-be/234701/3 "2004-03-16T22:02:17Z")
_Guinness Book of Records_: > [@](#): > > The heavist human in medical history was Jon Brower Minnoch (b. 29 Sep 1941) of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who had suffered from obesity since childhood. The 6-ft-1-in-tall (1.83 m) former taxi driver was 392 lb (178 kg) in 1963, 700 lb (318 kg) in 1966, and 975 lb (442 kg) in September 1976. > > In March 1978, Minnoch was rushed to University Hospital, Seattle, saturated with fluid and suffering from heart and respiratory failure. . . By extrapolating his intake and elimination rates, consultant endocrinologist Dr Robert Schwartz calculated that Minnoch must have weighed more than 1,387 lb (629 kg) when he was admitted. A great deal of this was water accumulation due to his congestive heart failure. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-fattest-a-human-could-possibly-be/234701/4 "2004-03-16T23:14:40Z")
> [@simple homer](#): > > Just how fat could a human possibly be before the fat would kill them. [http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heaviest.htm](http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heaviest.htm) > [@](#): > > Carol Yager (1960 - 1994) of Flint, MI; 5 ft 7 in, estimated to have weighed more than 1600 lbs at her peak. [The picture of Francis John Lang](http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/swalker.jpg) – and it isn’t Photoshopped – shows just a blob of flesh covering a queen-sized bed, with arms and a head sticking out at one end. [Here’s another woman that literally covers a bed](http://www.cyburbia.org/tmp/carmen_bowen.jpg). I don’t know how they can live, even at that weight. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-fattest-a-human-could-possibly-be/234701/5 "2004-03-16T23:46:52Z")
You know what gets me about these outrageously fat people (outrageously meaning in excess of 400 pounds, say)? If there’s an accompanying story, they always say things like “Mrs. X has been bed-ridden for six years” or “Mr. Y has been unable to leave his apartment for the past decade.” Which means they AREN’T: - going to the grocery store - pushing a cart around the premises loading it with Mallomars - hauling the purchases home - getting it into the house and put away - cooking it - serving it - cleaning up afterwards… repeat, repeat, repeat. So in each case, one or more people ARE doing these things, and clearly providing food vastly in excess of normal amounts. If this level of obesity kills, and it does, why aren’t those who are supply the dozen-egg omelets for breakfasts and the eight quarter pounder lunches or whatever considered to be doing something criminal? Aiding at suicide, something like that?