I was so desperate to help my dying baby I gave £100 bribe to a nurse: Mother begged staff to transfer daughter to intensive care before she died of h

-One-year-old Hayley was 'overlooked and neglected'
-Doctors were 'arrogant and unprofessional'
-Parents were repeatedly told there was 'nothing to worry about'


By Andy Dolan


A mother driven to despair as her baby daughter lay dying in hospital bribed a nurse with a £100 gift voucher in the hope of improving her care.

Hayley Fullerton died of heart failure within a month of her first birthday after doctors ignored Paula Stevenson’s pleas to transfer the little girl to an intensive care unit.

In the weeks leading up to Hayley’s death, Miss Stevenson became so concerned about the ‘brutal’ care her daughter was receiving that she tried to bribe one nurse to stop her daughter being ‘overlooked and neglected’.

Yesterday, the 40-year-old told an inquest: ‘I was out of my mind with worry and was so upset. The doctors were arrogant and unprofessional.

‘I tried to express my concern to the nurses, I even bought a £100 gift voucher in an attempt to bribe one of them.

‘I hoped the other nurses would hear about it and look after Hayley in the hope they would get one too. But nothing worked.’

Hayley had been diagnosed with a hole in the heart before she was born, and was admitted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for corrective surgery when she was ten months old.

Miss Stevenson said that while the operation was a success, complications arose during Hayley’s recovery after doctors inserted the wrong size tube into her lung, causing it to collapse.

The inquest heard Hayley’s parents became increasingly concerned that their only child was struggling to breathe and looked ‘puffy’ – but were repeatedly told by medics that there was nothing to worry about.

When her lung collapsed for a second time, Hayley was put in an isolation ward, despite Miss Stevenson and husband Bobby Fullerton begging doctors to transfer her to intensive care.

The couple and Hayley’s grandparents, Sylvia and Edward Stevenson, kept a vigil at her bedside, but Hayley died in November 2009 – four weeks after the corrective surgery.


Hayley Fullerton was born with a hole in her heart, and had to undergo surgery aged 10-months-old to correct it

It was during the recovery from the surgery when complications arose, ultimately leading to her tragic death

A report by the hospital concluded that there had been failings in the little girl’s care and said Hayley may have survived if there had not been.

Miss Stevenson, who kept her maiden name after marrying Mr Fullerton, said that the more she complained about her daughter’s treatment, the worse it seemed to become.

She added: ‘All Hayley did was sleep. What was happening to her was destroying me.

‘Hayley’s experience at Birmingham Children’s Hospital can only be described as brutal.’

Miss Stevenson and Mr Fullerton live in Australia, but Hayley was born in Northern Ireland, where Miss Stevenson grew up, so that her family could be around her. The couple took her to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for surgery because it is a major centre of paediatric cardiac care.

The inquest continues.


Paula Stevenson told an inquest her one-year-old daughter was overlooked and neglected at the hospital


Hayley Fullerton with her grandparents, Edward and Sylvia Stevenson, both helped keep a bedside vigil for the four weeks Hayley spent in hospital before her death



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Supersize mum who dreams of becoming the world's fattest woman reveals she's marrying a CHEF

By Emily Allen


A mother bidding to become the fattest woman in the world has become engaged to marry a chef.

Susanne Eman, 33, revealed her controversial dream of reaching a target weight of over 115 stone last year - to become the biggest human ever.

Now the mother-of-two, who currently weighs more than 54 stone, plans to wed fiance Parker Clack, 35, who loves cooking for her.

Supersize diet: Susanne Eman, 33 being spoon fed by her boyfriend Parker Clack, 38 at the breakfast table

The pair met over the internet last year and hit it off following a string of emails.

Within months Parker moved in to Susanne's home in Casa Grande, Arizona, where she lives with sons Brendin, 13, and Gabriel, 17.

Unemployed Susanne said: 'We are a match made in heaven. I love eating and Parker loves cooking.

Love: Susanne and Parker share a kiss on their bed. The pair met over the internet last year and hit it off following a string of emails

Feast: Susanne enjoys her dinner at a local restaurant tucking into several dishes, including a side salad

'It's a perfect pairing. I still want to be the fattest woman in the world and Parker is fine with that.

'He loves larger women and sees how happy I am when I'm eating.

'His cooking skills were definitely part of the attraction. How could I resist a man with talents in the kitchen?

'His signature dish, spaghetti bolognese, is my favourite. I could eat it all day.
'Parker helps by doing the housework too.

'He does most of the house work, cooking, helps encourage me to go for walks, he goes swimming with me, helps me do anything I have difficulty with.'

Parker encourages Susanne to go for walks and swim to keep her mobile and helps her with anything else she has difficulty with


Keep-fit: Parker is supporting Susanne in her controversial goal of becoming the world's heaviest

Susanne says she has gained several stone since her last weigh-in last year when she registered at 54 stone

Amazingly Parker is supporting Susanne in her controversial goal of becoming the world's heaviest.

Seen here dishing up a home-cooked breakfast for her, Parker cooks mountains of bacon and scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, huge slices of toast and even salad for Susanne.

Parker said: 'I support her because it makes her happy, and I love big women.

'I do worry about her health of course, but I try to make sure she eats some healthy food like salad, and I make sure she does exercises.

'She's taken up swimming since we met and we love to swim together.

Susanne poses for a photograph with her two sons Gabriel, left, 17, Brandon, right, 13, and her fiance Parker Clack. The couple are pictured right, together. Doctors have told Susanne she is gambling with her life

'I know becoming the biggest woman ever is something she truly wants to do with all of her heart.

'She had a check up last year and the doctor said she was fine, even though he doesn't support her mission. He said she's gambling with her life.

'As long as the doctors say she's okay, I'll support her.

'I'd love Susanne whatever she looked like, but if she was a size-zero model I wouldn't have noticed her in the first place.

'We met online and exchanged photos when we were courting. I thought she was beautiful.

'I've always preferred bigger girls. To me there's nothing attractive about a skinny woman. It's more ladylike to have curves.

As Susanne, a size 10XL, continues to balloon, Parker takes her and her sons to the park on day-trips - wheeling Susanne around in her wheelchair

'Men aren't supposed to have curves, but women are, and Susanne definitely has them.'

Susanne says she has gained several stone since her last weigh-in last year when she registered at 54 stone.

She had hoped to be three stone heavier by the end of 2011.

'It's harder to gain than you might think because I'm trying to stay as healthy and active as possible,' she said.

'I've been slowly upping what I eat. It's like an athlete training but instead of training to be harder, I'm making myself softer.

'There's not been a point where I've doubted what I'm doing. It's deep desire for me to do this and I feel I can do it without endangering my health so I don't worry about my boys.'

As Susanne, a size 10XL, continues to balloon, Parker takes her and her sons to the park on day-trips - wheeling Susanne around in her wheelchair.

'My mobility is decreasing,' she said. 'But I always knew this would happen as I gained. I get out of breath more easily and Parker has to push me in my chair more often.

Susanne is served breakfast in bed by Parker who is a chef. Her favourite food is spaghetti bolognese which is his signature dish

'When we go to the store he shops for me. He helps me in and out of the car. He encourages me to do my exercises.

'My aim is to never become bed-bound. As long Parker keeps taking me out to the park for waddles, then I know I can keep moving.'

Reaching her goal would mean Susanne tops that of previous world record-holder Carol Ann Yager, who died in 1994 from kidney failure caused by morbid obesity.

But despite warnings from doctors that she is playing 'Russian Roulette' with her life, Susanne says she can avoid the fate of others who have reached over 1000lbs (71 stone).

'I do my best to eat as much healthy food as possible,' said Susanne.

'I do an exercise regime to keep me as mobile as possible and Parker helps with that. He makes sure I do my stretches and sit ups.

'I want to try and break the stigma that being fat is bad.

'And it's helped me to find love, so hat's wrong with that.'


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Father collapses after being bitten 10 times by the UK's most venomous spider after it falls into his HOOD

-False widow spider is thought to have dropped into Mr Galton's hooded top from foliage near his home
-Arachnid arrived in Devon from Canary Islands a century ago and has spread south and east

By Daily Mail Reporter


A father collapsed in a toy shop after he was bitten ten times by the UK’s most dangerous spider.

Chris Galton had been shopping at children’s store Toys R Us with wife, Zoe, and one-year-old daughter, Imogen, when he suddenly became unwell and dropped to the floor.

Bitten: Chris Galton, pictured with his daughter Imogen, received several nasty bites from a fake widow spider

The 31-year-old was rushed to hospital where doctors discovered as many as ten 50 pence-sized red welts on his neck and back.

Mr Galton, from Southampton, Hampshire, had been aware of several stings during the day and had assumed they had come from a bee.

He was horrified to discover the bites had come from the false widow spider, which is closely related to the black widow spider.

Thankfully he suffered no further reaction and was given painkillers before being released the same day.

The spider, whose body is bigger than a five pence coin, is thought to have dropped into Mr Galton’s hooded top from foliage growing close to Mr Galton’s home.

He said: 'I had been stung earlier in the day but had assumed it was a bee and took some anti-histamine pills.

'I didn’t think any more of it until I was shopping in Toys R Us for my daughter’s first birthday later and felt more stings.

'The next thing I knew I was feeling hot, queasy and light headed and collapsed on the floor.'

Mrs Galton, a nurse, kept her husband comfortable with the help of shop staff while the spider was caught and an ambulance was called.

Paramedics gave him oxygen and he was taken to Southampton General Hospital where doctors identified the spider as a false widow.

It has now been sent for formal identification.

Mr Galton said: 'I’ve been stung by wasps before. This was a like really a sharp pin prick and very painful. I’m just thankful it never jumped out and got on to my daughter.'

Only a handful of cases of bites from the false widow are confirmed each year.

It delivers enough poison to cause severe pain and inflammation.

Insect experts at the Natural History Museum said one particular variety, called the Steatoda Nobilis, arrived in Britain with a cargo of bananas from the Canary Islands more than a century ago.

A spokesman for Toys R Us confirmed the incident, which happened on
Saturday afternoon.

One store worker said: 'It was a very scary big spider. I’ve never see one like it before.'

Insect exterminators at Wessex Pest Control Southampton said increasingly mild climates were helping exotic species like the fake widow to spread and establish colonies.


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The grandma who's a mum again at 53... despite the fact she was still taking the Pill just in case

-'I love looking after my granddaughters - I never thought that I would be looking after another baby of my own'
-Odds of conceiving naturally and giving birth to healthy baby at 53 same as winning the lottery


By James Tozer and Lucy Laing


At the age of 53, Debbie Hughes imagined the only babies she would be looking after would be her granddaughters.

Instead, despite taking the contraceptive Pill, she has become one of Britain's oldest ever naturally conceiving mothers – giving birth to a healthy baby boy named Kyle.

Surprise delivery: Debbie Hughes with her new son Kyle who came despite his mother taking the pill

Miss Hughes took a pregnancy test after her family teased her about putting on weight, expecting the notion that she was having another child to be swiftly ruled out. But after putting on her reading glasses to decipher the result, the astonishing news began to sink in.

Now she is nursing the unexpected addition to her family, who is 26 years younger than his elder brother.

As fertility experts described her achievement as 'remarkable', Miss Hughes was yesterday relearning the ropes of motherhood.

'I'd already given birth to three children, and thought that those days were definitely over,' she said. 'I was on the contraceptive Pill just to make sure, but I never imagined I could ever have fallen pregnant at my age.

'I'm a grandmother and I love looking after my granddaughters – I never thought that I would be looking after another baby of my own.'

Miss Hughes, a jewellery assistant, who lives with her partner Paul Clarke, 45, a heavy goods vehicle driver, wasn't planning any additions to her family.


Debbie and her daughter, Hayley, in 1980 (above) and in 1997 (below). Hayley tragically died a week before her 18th birthday

She already has two sons Mark, 26, and Brandon, 11. Her daughter Hayley died tragically just a week before her 18th birthday. She is also grandmother to Mark's daughters – Lydia, two, and Nicole, three.

Her suspicions began last March, by which time she was already five months' pregnant.

'Mark noticed my stomach was slightly protruding and he started teasing me that I was putting on a bit of weight,' she said. 'He joked that I could be pregnant, which seemed impossible, as I was still having my periods.

'I thought I was throwing my money away doing a test as I couldn't possibly be pregnant, but when it showed positive I couldn't believe it.

'I'd had to put my reading glasses on to read the result, and I was so incredibly shocked. I went out and bought another three tests to make sure.'

A decade apart: Debbie Hughes with son Kyle today (left) and son Brandon in 2001 (right)

After informing her GP – who 'nearly fell off his chair' – she was booked to see a midwife. Despite being worried about her age, Miss Hughes, of Daventry in Northamptonshire, had a textbook pregnancy, with only a small amount of morning sickness in the first few months.

She said: 'I had been so worried because of my age about whether I was even going to be able to carry the pregnancy to full term because I knew there was a high chance of me losing the baby or giving birth prematurely. But I felt incredibly healthy all the way through.'

She went into labour last June and gave birth naturally to Kyle at Northampton General Hospital, weighing 7lb 11lb.

Pictured with her partner, Paul Clarke, she said her GP 'nearly fell of his chair' when he found out she was pregnant

Despite more than a decade's gap, the magic of motherhood didn't take long to rediscover. She said: 'It was amazing to hold him in my arms afterwards, and I felt the same rush of love that I had felt with my other children.

'I do get more tired than I did before, especially getting up to do the night feeds. But I do love being a mum again.'

Dawn Brooke, from Guernsey, became the world's oldest mother through natural conception at the age of 59, in 1997.

Mark Sedler, a consultant gynaecologist at CARE Fertility, said: 'Falling pregnant at this age without any form of fertility treatment and for the baby to be born healthy and well is remarkable.

'The odds are about the same as winning the lottery.'



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The monster mice helping man in the fight against obesity

By Chris Slack


Creating a monster: The obese mouse, right, weighs 52g while the normal mouse, left, weighs just 20g. The pair are being used by scientists in attempts to create an anti-obesity pill

Being placed into a machine for another experiment, these mice are playing a big part in the continuing fight against obesity.

A team from the the Integrated Research and Treatment Centre for Adipositas at Leipzig University are using the animals to test a number of developments they hope will lead to an obesity pill.

The team, of whom Eva Boege, pictured below, is a member are analysing tissue samples of both obese people and animals.

Little and large: The pair in a laboratory at the tissue bank of the Integrated Research and Treatment Center for Adipositas at Leipzig University in Germany

They are 800 samples currently stored there, with an expansion in the pipeline.

Scientists at the university are looking at ways that hunger and satisfy appetite can lead to university.

They are focusing on parts of the brain that are involved in the regulation of hunger in the hope of developing a treatment.

Their project also hopes to replicate a number of hormones which could lead to the development of a treatment strategy for humans.

Scientists have long hope to create the elusive 'obesity pill.'

A previous study, published last year found that overeating mice don't gain weight when a specific protein is removed from the food.


Research: Animal keeper Eva Boege places the mice into a metabolic chamber at the Integrated Research and Treatment Centre at Leipzig University as researchers attempts to develop an obesity pill without side effects


Breakthrough: The studies being undertaken at Leipzig University could lead to a treatment to combat obesity

The protein known as klotho, which regulates the body's sensitivity of insulin, could turn obese ice into slim mice when regulated.

Dr. Shawkat Razzaque, a researcher at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and one of the study’s authors told the Toronto Star at the time : 'We’re suggesting that if we can find a way to target klotho in humans, we may be able to reduce obesity.

But if we want to have a magic pill that targets klotho, we have to figure out how to be selective in terms of taking away only its harmful effects and not preventing it from performing its essential functions.'


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New mother left in bloodied sheets for three days and given no food for 24 hours as hospital staff 'just could not cope'

-Caesarean birth of first child 'turned into a nightmare'
-Elspeth Kirk asked repeatedly for food but in the end 'just gave up'
-Two other new mothers so disgusted they discharged themselves


By Claire Bates


Elspeth Kirk with her baby Ava and husband Dean: She said her experience following her caesarean had been awful due to maternity staff shortages


A new mother says she was left in blood-stained sheets for three days and given no food for 24 hours after having a caesarean section.

Elspeth Kirk, 29, said the birth of her first child Ava turned into a nightmare as desperately overstretched hospital staff struggled to cope.

Mrs Kirk, a teacher from Westcliff, Essex, was admitted to Southend Hospital in Essex on Wednesday, December 7 and had a caesarean section the following morning.

She was moved to a recovery ward for two and a half hours before being moved again to a post-natal ward where her troubles began.


She said: 'I couldn't move because of the epidural anaesthetic I had so they came to give me a bedbath but then just gave me a cloth and told me to wipe under my arms then took the bowl away.'

Mrs Kirk was keen to have a meal as she hadn't eaten since having lunch on Tuesday just before her labour started.

She said: 'Someone brought around the tea trolley. I asked if I could have something to eat and the woman said she would get back to me. She never came back.

'I kept asking people if I could eat but they were all so busy. They all said they would go and find out but they never did.

'I just gave up in the end - I had gone past the point of hunger.'

Mrs Kirk was eventually given a cup of tea and two slices of bread and jam at 10.30am on Thursday.

'The nurse who listened to my bowels said I should really have had food the previous night,' the new mother said.

She added that she struggled to breastfeed her daughter as there was no-one available to guide her.

When she was finally allowed out of bed, three days after the caesarean section, the sheets were covered in dried blood.

'The nurse looked quite horrified,' Mrs Kirk said.

Her husband, Dean, 32, said two other new mothers were so disgusted that they discharged themselves from the ward.

Mrs Kirk, who works at a special school in Leigh, Essex, said her bloodied sheets were not changed for three days, while the DVT tights she was given to wear to prevent thrombosis turned black because the floor was so filthy.

Despite their ordeal, the couple have nothing but praise for the medical staff who they say were desperately overstretched.

Elspeth Kirk had a caesarean section at Southend Hospital. She said that instead of a bedbath she was just given a wet cloth to clean herself


Mrs Kirk said: 'They were fantastic but they were so short-staffed. At the weekend there were just three people on duty. They just could not cope.

'They were so busy you didn't want to hassle them.

'We had to be seen by a paediatrician but there was only one on duty and he didn't have time to see us.

'Two women were so upset at the thought of having to stay another two nights they discharged themselves even though one had high blood pressure.

'The whole thing was awful at what should have been a very happy time.'

Liz Glenister, head of midwifery services at the hospital, said: 'I am sorry to hear of Mrs Kirk's experience at the hospital and would welcome the opportunity to discuss the points she has raised in person.

'I would ask Mrs Kirk to make contact with our patient advice and liaison service so we can fully investigate her concerns.'


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Brave schoolgirl, 13, who begged doctors to stop painful life-prolonging treatment, dies after 11-year cancer battle

-Doctors discovered 5lb tumour when Leah was just two
-Decided to stop treatment aged eight because of painful side effects
-'She had no fear and lived to the full', family friend tells funeral party


By Sadie Whitelocks


A brave schoolgirl has died five years after she begged doctors to stop giving her life-lengthening treatment for cancer.

For more than a decade Leah Beth Richards, 13, battled with her illness but last week she passed away at the family home in Pontypridd, South Wales.

She was just two when doctors diagnosed her with Wilms' tumour - a rare condition which affects 70 children a year in the UK- after discovering a 5lb mass on her kidney.

The disease usually has a high cure rate but after enduring a third recurrence medics told Leah the condition was terminal, but medical intervention would prolong her life.

She underwent painful radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions but decided she wanted to stop treatment when she turned eight.

Despite hospital officials threatening legal action, Leah's wish was granted and she made a pact with her parents Kathryn and Mark that she would live the rest of her life to the full.

Over the years she took the opportunity to meet some of her favourite stars including footballer Frank Lampard and actress Catherine Zeta Jones.

The teenager lost her battle for life nine days ago and hundreds gathered to attend her funeral today, which featured a pink cotton.

In homage to the young rugby and football fanatic, the pallbearers dressed in bright pink Cardiff Blues away shirts as they entered the crematorium.

A family spokesperson said: 'We are devastated - Kathryn can't find the words to say how painful it is to lose her.'

When Leah stopped treatment five years ago, her mother Kathryn, 41, whole-heartedly backed her decision.

'She can't even walk downstairs without getting out of breath - what kind of life is that?,' she asked at the time.

'She has said she doesn't want any more treatment and I just can't put her through it again. We are thinking of her quality of life not quantity.'

Inspiration: Leah with Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas in 2006

Father Mark added: 'When people argue that acutely ill children should have medical treatment against their wishes it makes me incredibly angry.

'Clearly, they have never known the hell of chemotherapy. For eight years I have witnessed its harrowing effects on my daughter.'

Leah’s last course of chemotherapy was the highest dose possible. Nicknamed the ‘nuclear bomb’, it kills almost every cell in the body without causing death.

But she pleaded with doctors to stop sessions after it caused her to lose her hair, experience constant headaches, continually vomit blood and urinate and defecate uncontrollably.

She told her mother: ‘I don’t want to go through any more. Please don’t let them do any more to me.’

One of her proudest moments was meeting her Chelsea heroes Frank Lampard and John Terry at the club's Stamford Bridge stadium.

She also met Hollywood couple Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas while she was being treated at the Children's Hospital for Wales in Cardiff.

Meanwhile the local community offered continued support and locals carried out a sponsored bed push to raise money to send her on a Christmas trip to Lapland.

A family friend said during the funeral service: 'Leah Beth was a very strong and positive lady whose life was turned upside down by illness.

'She was an old head on young shoulders with a wicked sense of humour.

'She had no fear and lived to the full - she was loved by all who knew her.

'Mark and Kathryn could not have had a more wonderful daughter. She had an infectious personality and she touched everyone she met.'

A poem read as a tribute was met with a resounding applause and following Leah's request dozens of red balloons were released into the sky.


Leah made a pact to live life to the full and met with some of her favourite stars including Frank Lampard


Leah was a keen sporting fan and one of her fondest memories was visiting Chelsea football club in 2007





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Schoolgirl who became Britain's youngest gastric bypass patient loses TEN STONE in just one year

-Teenager weighed 23 stone and was so depressed she contemplated suicide
-17-year-old now in love with college friend after dramatic weight loss


By ANTHONY BOND


At the tender age of 16, Jeniffer Hogarth was told she was eating herself to death.

Weighing an enormous 23 stone, she was so depressed by her size that she even contemplated suicide.

But just a year later, the teenager's life has been completely transformed.

Transformation: Jeniffer Hogarth used to weigh an enormous 23 stone but since having a gastric bypass operation she has lost an astonishing 10 stone in one year

After becoming the youngest person in Britain to have a gastric bypass operation, the plucky teen has lost an astonishing 10 stone and has even found love.

Jeniffer, now 17, said she dreads to think how big she would be if she hadn't had the operation.

'I couldn’t even think of pretty Christmas party outfits as I was the size of a house,' she told The Sunday Mirror.

'Now I can’t wait to go to shops like TopShop and New Look like all my friends.

'I’ve even found a gorgeous boyfriend. It’s almost like I’ve been reborn. I feel amazing.'

The youngster, from Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, took the drastic decision to have the gastric bypass operation after doctors warned her that she would not live to see 21.

She was putting on a stone every three months and was a size 30.

Her weight problems began at the age of nine after she comfort ate to cope with school bullies.

She would start her day by eating chips for breakfast and would eat 10 bags of crisps a day.

Her weight gain became so severe that by the age of 15 she needed a respirator to breathe at night

She was also diagnosed with the early symptoms of diabetes.

Her mother Tracey, 38, admitted to The Sunday Mirror: 'I tried everything, but if I put a plate of vegetables and fruit in front of her she would gag and refuse to eat it.'

She was initially refused a request for a gastric bypass by local health chiefs because of her age.

But her determined mum found a surgeon in Sheffield who agreed to perform the operation - which cost £12,0000 - on the NHS.

Her stomach was dramatically reduced to the size of a golf ball which leaves her feeling full after eating just a tiny portion.

She now eats fresh food, regularly exercises and has found love with 17-year-old college friend Craig Binns.

Now confident and self-assured, Jennifer feels like anything is possible and is hoping to enroll on a performing arts course.


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British women are the fattest in Europe with a QUARTER so overweight their health's at risk

-Obesity levels far worse than Germany, Italy and France
-More than one in five British men classed as obese

By Claire Bates and Jenny Hope


British women are officially the most overweight in Europe.

A quarter are obese – so fat it threatens their health – according to alarming figures.

This is a far higher proportion than in the other countries of Western Europe.

Obesity levels in the UK are far worse than Germany, Italy and France


British men are doing almost as badly, with more than one in five classed as obese, according to the authoritative figures.

Experts are especially concerned by the young age at which so many women here are developing serious weight problems.

A disturbing 16 per cent of young women aged 18 to 24 are obese – up to 16 times higher than many other European countries where the rate is between 1 per cent and 3 per cent.

Young men are doing better, around 6 per cent are obese, but a worrying one third of men aged 45-64 are obese in the UK.

The deeply troubling figures are contained in a report from Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, which compares obesity levels in 19 countries from 2008/2009.

Only the U.S. and Ireland, which are not included in the league table, have higher obesity rates in the developed world.

The latest table shows that only the former Soviet states of Latvia and Estonia – where one in five women is obese – approach the UK’s unenviable league-topping figure of 23.9 per cent. Women in Malta are catching up fast with rates of 22 per cent.

Fifteen per cent of women in Germany are obese, while they are slimmer still in France (12.7 per cent) and Italy (9.3 per cent).

The report says it is ‘particularly significant’ that a third of men in the UK are obese between the ages of 45 and 64. Overall, 22 per cent of British men are obese – and twice as many are overweight, say experts.

Neville Rigby, director of policy and public affairs at the International Obesity Forum, said the British led the field in obesity – but in almost all developed countries two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.

‘Levels of fatness are increasing all the time,’ he said. ‘They go from overweight to obesity and affect more than 60 per cent of adults in most countries.



‘The recession is likely to make things worse, as people find they cannot afford the expense of buying healthier foods and fill up on fatty and sugary junk foods.’

The National Audit Office estimates that obesity causes at least 30,000 deaths a year in the UK, through conditions such as cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

It is shown to shorten lifespan, with individuals carrying 4st extra in weight at risk of losing three years in life expectancy.

The Body Mass Index measurement is used to calculate whether an individual is a healthy weight or not. This is calculated by dividing weight (in kilos) by the square of his or her height (in metres).

Under 18.5 is underweight, 18.5-25 is a healthy weight, 25-29.5 is overweight, 30-35 is obese and over 35 is very obese. It means, for instance, a 5ft 6in woman weighing 14st would have a BMI of 30 and would be seen as obese. A 6ft man weighing 16st also has a BMI of 30.

The formula has been criticised because it may penalise those who have a lot of muscle, said Mr Rigby, but he added: ‘Everyone knows when it’s fat.’

The report follows estimates made earlier this year in The Lancet medical journal which found that if current trends continue, the size of the obese population in the UK will increase by 11million over the next two decades – up from 15million at present.

By 2030 the problem will trigger a startling number of illnesses.

There will be almost half a million more cases of heart disease and there will be around 700,000 extra cases of diabetes, with 130,000 more developing cancer as a consequence of their weight.

Experts blame abundant energy-dense food, too little exercise and lack of will by policymakers to curb over-consumption. The Eurostat report links obesity with levels of education, saying that the better educated tend to be slimmer.


Experts have been calling for ‘fat’ taxes on unhealthy food and a ban on advertisements aimed at children.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum campaign group, said education was key to fighting obesity.

‘Until the UK puts domestic science properly back into the school curriculum, many women will continue to rely on cheap, ready meals and fast, processed foods for their families and themselves,’ he added.


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'I feel beautiful': How teenage girl beat addiction to food and lost 85lb in just 110 days

By Daisy Dumas


Transformation: Family and friends are invited to meet the new, slender, happy Maddy, star of MTV's latest episode of I Used to be Fat. Unrecognisable, she looks like a different woman to that at the beginning of training


Like many, Maddy found solace in food.

Battling with drug and alcohol addiction, eating seemed a benign distraction, helping her to overcome her dependent grip. But as drugs and alcohol receded from her life, food took over.

The latest star of MTV's I Used to be Fat, Maddy, 18, has amazed her closest friends and family by losing an impressive 85lb in 110 days - and by gaining a much-needed confidence boost in the process.

Show stopper: Months of hard work pay off for Maddy as she shows off her new svelte figure. Having gone from saying 'I can't do it,' the teen now says she will never stop trying to be healthy


The student at Fresno City College, CA, weighed over 265lbs at the beginning of the summer and aimed to overhaul her lifestyle and body image completely before starting her new college honours course.

At the beginning of the programme, viewers meet a broken woman - low self-esteem and self-hatred were a part of her daily life.

Her step-mother explains: 'For her, food is like an addiction. She medicates herself with food, it's a comfort.'

The teenager is shown visiting drive-though restaurants, eating when she is not hungry and describing her love of food - though she knows she has a problem.

'I hate myself': Maddy is seen berating herself, ashamed of her reflection and absolutely set on changing her lifestyle for the better at the beginning of the show. She vows to never see her weight hit 265lbs again


'I've put my weight and my health very, very low on my list of priorities. Because food is my drug. Food is my drug and I abuse it horribly,' she admits.

Staring at her reflection, the teenager is appalled by her image.

'I hate myself,' she candidly shares with the cameras. 'When I look at myself in the mirror like this and I see my body, I hate what I am and it makes me want to just go and ruin it even more because it's like it doesn't matter any more.'

Her initial weigh-in at the beginning of the summer revealed a weight of 265.2lbs.

She begins a strict regimen of running, walking, weights, rope work, boxing and cardio exercises, that see her at the gym three times a day.


Before and after: Maddy, 18, is unhappy with her 265lb frame, left, before her strict lifestyle change comes about. After 110 days of working out and eating a balance diet, right, the teenager has shed 85lbs

Work it: Maddy struggles to exercise at the outset, left, her obese body making even short cardio exercises difficult. Slimmer and healthier, right, the student finds boxing a breeze after her weight loss programme

Her eating habits are reshaped to focus solely on simple, low-calorie, nutritious and balanced foods, giving the youngster a break from cheese and mayonnaise, her old favourites.

At the outset, it takes her over 18 minutes to walk a mile. But after just two weeks, her weight was down to 254lbs.

'I cry almost every day,' she says, her family of six siblings and parents helping her stay positive throughout the challenge.

After 110 days of a strictly controlled nutritional plan, three daily workouts with her trainer and confronting some uncomfortable truths, the hard work pays off for the eldest sibling.

Their looks say it all: Astonished at her impressive progression, Maddy's nearest and dearest react in the best way possible to her transformation. She says she finally 'feels beautiful'


Tipping the scales at 190lbs, Maddy has lost 85lbs and looks like a different person.

'I feel fantastic, I feel great, I feel beautiful,' she is finally able to say.

A family party weeks later sees a host of close friends aghast as the transformed, glamorous and beautiful new Maddy enters the room. Their reaction is all she needs to know.

Her plan now is to continue to focus on her new lifestyle. 'It never ends' she says of her new mission to stay healthy.

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I Used To Be Fat, Full Episodes

source:dailymail

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How personal trainer made himself obese... to understand what being fat feels like

By DAISY DUMAS

Before and after: Drew Manning has gone from 193lbs in May, left, to 263.6lbs this week, right, to understand what being fat and subsequently losing weight feels like

His round, wobbling stomach signals morbid obesity - but just six months ago, part-time personal trainer Drew Manning's body was rippled, honed and toned to impressively fit proportions.

The fitness fanatic-turned-flabby father has taken on the challenge of gaining around 80lbs over six months with the express intention of losing the weight over the following six months.


Week 8: By eating badly, relaxing and not following his usual active routine, Mr Manning has piled on the pounds - and has grown increasingly bad-tempered, depressed, high blood-pressured and self-conscious to boot

With just two and a half weeks to go until his weight loss phase begins, Mr Manning has ballooned from 193lbs to 263.3lbs - requiring a whole new wardrobe, reserves of mental strength and the support of a very long-suffering wife.


Week 12: The father of two has been monitored by doctors throughout - his blood pressure has gone through the roof while his testosterone levels have plummeted

Part of his weekly pound-piling regimen is to complete a food challenge as voted for by the public.

The current online poll asks: 'Which old food challenge should I revisit this week?'
Votes so far place the stomach-churning 'Fuddrucker's Challenge (1lb burger, 1lb of cheese fries, and a large brownie sundae)' in first place, with 67 per cent of the 443 votes. It streaks ahead of 'Pancakes of Love (As many pancakes as I can eat)' and 'Corndog chowdown (As many corndogs as I can eat).'


Week 16: Mr Manning's wife Lynn has seen the hardest sides of his transformation and has been shocked by the emotional toll. She is counting down the days until his weight loss phase begins on November 5

It's all a far cry from the trainer and surgical technician's usual routine of healthy eating and five one hour workouts each week.

Rather than an addiction to the gym, Mr Manning's wife Lynn told MailOnline that her husband enjoys making the most of the outdoors where they live, hiking, skiing and mountain biking. He also eats a low-fat, balanced diet - which he believes is the biggest part of staying fit and healthy.


Week 20: Front and side shots of Mr Manning show his extreme weight gain. He will begin a strict exercise and diet regime in November and had admitted he is scared of fighting his new food addictions

On November 5, the focus shifts to losing weight - and Mr Manning will begin the hard task of shedding the weight. He will publish a healthy eating plan and exercise routine with the aim of encouraging thousands of Americans to join him in the challenge.

'He feels everyone can become more medically healthy if they follow his plan,' Mrs Manning, who is counting down the days until the old Drew is back, said.

'Everything he does will be doable for the average American if they want to be healthy.'


Tipping scales: After just a week, the fitness freak had started to pile on pounds


source: dailymail

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