| Donna Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967 (age 44–45) |
| Nationality | American |
| Website | |
| www.officialdonnasimpson.com | |
Donna Simpson (born 1967) is an American woman who in 2008 expressed a desire to become one of the world's heaviest women. She wished to attain a target weight of 1,000 pounds (450 kg). As of June 2010, Simpson weighed 602 pounds (273 kg), down from her weight of 630 pounds (290 kg) in 2008.[1] Simpson maintained a website where fans paid to watch her eat. In 2010, she won the Guinness World Records for the "Heaviest woman to give birth".[2]
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Donna Simpson grew up in Mogadore, Ohio, just outside Akron, the youngest of four children. When she was a child, her mother made big meals for her and her family. At age 9, she weighed 184 pounds (83 kg). At school, she was bullied and nicknamed "fatty four-eyes". After her mother died, her father remarried. When she was 11, her stepmother put her on a diet and took her to a doctor, who prescribed diet pills. Instead of dieting, Simpson stole food from the cupboards. She tried taking diet pills during her teenage years to lose weight. By the time she was 18, she had slimmed down to 154 pounds (70 kg). Ultimately, she decided she did not want to be thin.[3] She graduated from Springfield High School in 1986.[4][5]
When she was 19, she met Robert Simpson, a chef at a steak restaurant. They married five years later. He encouraged her to eat by bringing leftovers home from work for her; Simpson said "he liked me supersized". They had a child together and subsequently divorced. At around this time, her father was upset by her weight and encouraged her to go on a diet; she lost 70 pounds (32 kg) in six months.
In 2006, she met Phillippe Gouamba in an online chat room for overweight women.[4] Gouamba said: "I’ve always been attracted to big women, but Donna is my fantasy. The more she weighs, the sexier she is." They planned to get married in a ceremony at dawn on a mountain in Maui. They separated in 2011.[6]
In February 2007, Simpson gave birth to a baby named Jacqueline via cesarean section. Her birth required a team of 30 doctors. She became the heaviest woman ever to give birth. At the time she weighed 532 pounds (241 kg). Six months after giving birth, she decided that her target weight would be 1,000 pounds (454 kg). However, during her pregnancy, she developed diabetes and high blood pressure.[1] Gouamba said that he supports this goal: "Gaining weight makes Donna happy and seeing her happy makes me happy." He is one of her biggest supporters in her journey to reach 1,000 pounds.[7]
As of 2010, Simpson weighed 602 pounds.[3] Her BMI is 103.9.[8]
She has a son and a daughter.[7]
Simpson says her food costs US$582-750 per week. She eats 12,000 calories per day.[9] "In a typical day I’ll eat four burgers and fries, a loaf of bread with peanut butter and jam, four servings of meatloaf and mashed potato, a large pizza, a chocolate cake with ice cream and cream, 12 cupcakes, two cheesecakes and fizzy drinks."[1] Her favorite food is sushi, and she can eat 70 pieces of sushi in one sitting.[3]
To attain her goal of a 1,000 pound bodyweight, she has limited her movement.
Dr. Carla Wolper, a registered dietitian research faculty member at the New York Obesity Research Center, criticized Simpson's eating habits, saying they are self-destructive and New Jersey taxpayers will end up footing her health bills.[10]
In late 2010, Simpson ate a 30,000 calorie Christmas dinner consisting of "two 11kg (25lb) turkeys, two maple-glazed hams, 6.8kg (15lbs) of potatoes - 4.5kg (10lbs) roast, 2.3kg (5lbs) mashed, five loaves of bread, 2.3kg of herb stuffing, three litres of gravy, three litres of cranberry dressing and an astonishing 9kg (20lbs) of vegetables", and the dessert consisted of "a 'salad' made of marshmallow, cream cheese, whipped cream and cookies." The dinner reportedly took Simpson two hours to consume.[11][12][13]
In November 2007 Simpson launched a website. Subscribers can access photos of her body and videos of her eating and measuring her waistline. As of October 2008, she had 260 subscribers, who ranged in age from 20 to 68.[1] She produces YouTube videos. Many fans subscribe to her videos. She also goes to fat fetish websites and shows off her eating habits.[9] Thousands of her fans flock to her sites. Some send her food.[14]
She received a book deal and a reality TV show offer.[8]
She also receives hate mail.[7]
She is also eager to stamp out negative stereotypes regarding obese individuals. She is an advocate for the fat acceptance movement[9] and has ridiculed "people who feel guilty about eating" as "hilarious".[13]
In August 2011, after separating from Gouamba and returning to Akron, Simpson decided to go on a diet to reduce her weight to a target of 370 pounds (170 kg) in order to become more self-sufficient and to be able to do a better job of raising her children.[15]