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NJ Lady With 1,000 Pound Dream Has A Manager Now
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 18, 2010
Modified Mar 18, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 18, 2010
Modified Mar 18, 2010
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Donna Simpson, the 604-pound NJ woman whose "fantasy" to be 1,000 pounds, is now the toast of the town. According to the Star-Ledger, "Two days after the 42-year-old Simpson announced she intended to eat her way into the record books, 'Entertainment Tonight' was at her door. Her manager was fielding phone calls from 'Oprah,' 'Dr. Phil,' and 'Inside Edition.' And she’s been offered a reality show and book deal."
She's also become sort of a diva: "Simpson, dressed in a white tank top and black stretch pants, sat in a chair in her living room. She was on her phone and laptop. 'You have to leave now,' she said, referring all inquiries to 'her representative.' Simpson declined requests from The Star-Ledger to be interviewed and photographed."
So the Star-Ledger decided to look at whether she'll hit the 1,000 pound mark. One dietician thinks she will this year, if she keeps up her reported 12,000 calorie diet (which is like "11 Big Macs, six large orders of French fries, and 10 large sodas from McDonalds") because that will allow her to gain two pounds a day.
Simpson did appear on WCBS 2, "I like being overweight. I like being fat and I like the aspect of gaining... I never had anybody say, 'that's weird.'" As for people who are alarmed for her well-being, Simpson doesn't care, "My grandmother was 120 pounds and she was diabetic; my brother is 200 pounds and is diabetic, so are the chances of me getting diabetes because I'm fat or because it runs in the family?" Um, both?
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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