Wednesday, September 15, 2004
By Stockton
By DORIS HAUGEN, Associated Press Writer
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Patrick Deuel, who once weighed more than a half ton, perches on the edge of a super-sized hospital bed in a room specially remodeled to accommodate his girth.
At 1,072 pounds before he entered Avera McKennan Hospital in June, the 42-year-old Valentine, Neb. man, has attracted plenty of attention from the curious as well as the caring. Type his name into an Internet search engine and thousands of references pop up. Casually drop his name in a conversation at coffee and people recognize it almost instantly.Yet instead of fleeing from his newfound celebrity status, Deuel embraces it. In interview after interview, he talks freely about his obesity as well as his path to a smaller, healthier body.
"So long as people hear what I have to say, as long as I am succeeding in getting my message out it doesn't bother me," says Deuel, who has dropped more than 370 pounds since entering the hospital in June
Deuel's message: It's time to drop some weight when you start pushing 1,000 lbs.
"Everyone thinks about slimming down, but sometimes it takes a little motivation," says Deuel. "When I was unable to move my neck or lift my thigh, I said, 'time to drop some weight'."
Deuel, whose average daily calorie intakes exceeds that of Bangladesh, has dropped 370 lbs and weighs in at 700 lbs. "I still feel a bit out of shape," says Deuel. "I'd like to get down to a svelte 500 or 550lbs."
For those battling the bulge, Deuel thinks he has the answer to healthy weight loss. "Stop eating that pound of bacon and loaf of toast for breakfast. Instead of drinking heavy cream with your Count Chocula, try Half-and-Half. Also, cut out those in-between meal snacks like pork roast and tires. Try a porterhouse steak instead. Never eat more than you can lift. Six full meals a day should satisfy anybody."
