Walter Hudson

Walter Hudson (June 5, 1944 – December 24, 1991) was an American man and the holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest waist circumference, at 302 cm around. At his heaviest in September 1987, he weighed 1197 lb, making him the heaviest person alive at the time, and the sixth heaviest person in medical history.

Early Life
Hudson was born in 1945 in Brooklyn, New York City. His father left the family when he was a baby. He was a compulsive eater growing up, and he weighed 125 lb by the time he was 6 years old. He would often leave home early on the way to school just to eat extra food, collect recyclables for change to buy snacks, and routinely eat late at night. He dropped out of school in the 7th grade after breaking his leg, eventually earning his high school diploma via a tutor. Around age 15, weighing 350 lb, he became permanently homebound. Hudson and his family moved from Brooklyn to Hempstead, New York on Long Island when he was 25.

Obesity
While living in Hempstead, Hudson shared a house with his mother until her death in 1984, his brother George, his sister Barbara, and her children. He never went outside his home, both due to strong agoraphobia and the difficulty caused by his weight. He stayed in a queen-sized bed all day, only leaving to go to the bathroom, ate food prepared and served to him by his family members, and kept himself occupied by reading the Bible daily. In September 1987, he fell and became stuck in the doorway to his bedroom. His family were unable to remove him, and the Hempstead Fire Department worked for four hours to cut the doorframe and extricate him. Afterwards, Hudson decided to go on a diet with the assistance of comedian-turned-health activist Dick Gregory. When Gregory's professionals attempted to weigh Hudson, a team of weightlifters had to carry him onto the scale; he overloaded the scale's 1000 lb limit, and his weight was estimated at 1200 lb. The Guinness Book of World Records officially recorded his peak weight at 1197 lb, with a waist circumference of 119 in, the largest ever recorded; this also made him the heaviest person alive since the death of Jon Brower Minnoch and the second-heaviest person of all time.

After a year of dieting under Gregory's supervision Hudson weighed 520 lb in September 1988, indicating a weight loss of nearly 680 lb. He also left his home under his own power for the first time in 18 years. Gregory discontinued his assistance shortly after, citing Hudson's fear of leaving his home as a major impediment in further treatment; other reports suggest it was due to tension between Hudson's family and Gregory's team of live-in care professionals staying in their home. In 1989, a bronchial infection disrupted Hudson's diet and exercise routine, causing him to relapse and regain nearly 200 lb.

Inspired by his difficulty finding clothes that fit him, Hudson started a mail order plus-sized clothing company named Walter Hudson Ventures in 1989 in partnership with a woman named Alexis Blass. It included a women's fashion line named "Invitation to the Dance," which Hudson described as aimed at women "from 200 to 1,000 pounds"; he also had plans to start a plus-sized men's clothing line. Hudson established a relationship with Sunday Cruz, one of his customers, and the two had become engaged by 1991.

Daily diet
Hudson described his typical daily diet as consisting of two boxes of sausages, 1 lb of bacon, one dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread for breakfast; four Big Macs, four double cheeseburgers, and eight large portions of French fries for lunch; and three large ham steaks or two chickens, four baked potatoes, four sweet potatoes, four heads of broccoli, and most of a large cake for dinner. Each meal would be accompanied by 6 USqt of soda and "the better part of a large cake" for dessert, plus snacks throughout the day.

After enlisting Dick Gregory's help, Hudson was put on a strict 1,200 calorie vegetarian diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, Gregory's commercial powdered diet mix, orange juice, and 6 USqt of water.

Death
Walter Hudson died of a heart attack at his home on December 24, 1991, at age 47. At the time of his death, he had regained much of the weight he lost, and weighed 1025 lb. Emergency rescuers from the Hempstead Fire Department cut a 4 by hole in the bedroom wall to remove his body from the premises.

Hudson's funeral was held on January 2, 1992, which was attended by hundreds, including his former nutritional advisor Dick Gregory. He was interred in Greenfield Cemetery in a custom-built coffin that was 54 in wide, weighed more than 800 lb, and required eight pallbearers to carry.