Joe Wexler: Diet Plan For Obese 770-Pound Man Included 10,000 Daily Calories, Fails
A Tennessee man, called morbidly obese by his doctor, has been chronically confused over his eating habits and massive weight gain. Joe Wexler, who tipped the scales at between 770 and 777 pounds, said his diet plan — which included a “healthy” 10,000 daily calories — wasn’t working. After a startling wake up call, Wexler underwent weight-loss surgery, has slimmed down a bit and has a new lease on life, according to an In Touch Weekly news report.
Wexler, 31, whose story of his weight struggles was featured on the TLC show called My 600-lb. Life, recently said he was totally confused for a while as to why he put on weight despite eating — what he believed at the time — was a healthy diet. After all, he only ate two full meals daily, along with snacks.
This man ate 10,000 calories a day but was still *incredibly* confused about why he was obese http://t.co/7HGOfuay9r pic.twitter.com/1hAbp1RsKy
— Daily Mail Femail (@Femail) April 30, 2015
My 600lb Life’s Joe Wexler shocked as his ‘healthy diet’ is actually 10,000 calories a day http://t.co/DuyDDPEx5A
— Daily Mail Health (@DMAILhealth) April 30, 2015
The trouble was, his foods of choice were ice cream, ranch dressing, and other fatty eats. To him, that was the perfect diet. Soon, Joe Wexler began suffering from joint pain as his body put on mass. As a consequence, even walking and caring for himself was becoming laborious. And when he became confined to his own home, was denied bypass surgery and warned by a doctor that he could “die” at any moment, Wexler realized his self-prescribed diet was failing. The baffled man got the shock of his life.
“Just about everything I eat is bad for me. I had no idea. I’ve been in and out of the hospital 10 times in the last nine months. I can’t go up and down the stairs. I can’t even get behind the steering wheel of a car anymore. I’ve been homebound and it’s very lonely.”
“I feel like a prisoner inside this body. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. I am living the nightmare. One that I wish very much I could wake up from.”
According to a previous report on this story by Inquisitr, doctors and researchers discovered a paradox about obesity sufferers like Joe Wexler. Studies show that the “super-obese” who undergo bariatric surgery to assist with weight loss encounter success rates that are likened to flipping a coin.
Wexler attributes his massive weight gain on his parents’ split years ago. He said the divorce was so traumatic that it led to emotional eating, and the amount of his food intake got carried away as he tried to cope.
“Growing up, I could never have imagined that I’d end up like this. I’ve always had problems with my weight ever since I was little. Bad habits got picked up early. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, including choosing what to eat.”
He also blames his eating habits on his “strained” relationship with his father. Wexler says this was by far had the greatest impact on his health. Food then became not just a matter of nutrition and survival; it provided comfort and an emotional outlet.
“The relationship between me and my dad was strained. I think buying those things [treats] was his way of dealing with me. I think I would have given up anything I had if he had paid me some attention and I felt like life was punishing me for some sin I didn’t commit. I ate to deal with my feelings and I never stopped.”
Joe Wexler soon turned his life around after realizing the course he was on was a probable fatal one if he didn’t make dramatic lifestyle changes. Today, he’s on a more practical diet that supports proper nutrition. He’s gone to the gym recently — for the first time. Imagine that? And with his approved gastric bypass surgery, Wexler’s weight is down to 652 pounds.
“Words can’t describe how I feel. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have hope.”
[Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]
