A mother who once dreamed of becoming the world’s fattest woman has revealed how she lost nearly 200lbs to give birth to her daughter.
Monica Riley, 29, of Fort Worth, Texas, tipped the scales at 700lbs (50st) at her heaviest and consumed up to 10,000 calories a day in a bid to reach the 1,000lbs (71st) mark. Ultimately she wanted to be so large that she would be bed bound.
She was supported in her mission by her fiance, Sid, who would often feed her 3,500-calorie milkshakes through a funnel.
But Monica turned her life around when she discovered when she was pregnant in March last year, vowing to shed weight to ensure her pregnancy and labour was as safe as possible.
She lost nearly 200lbs (14st) in the lead up to the birth of her daughter, Michelle, and now wants to lose even more.
Monica Riley, 29, tipped the scales at 700lbs (50st) at her heaviest, pictured with fiance Sid, and consumed up to 10,000 calories a day in a bid to reach the 1,000lbs (71st) mark
Monica lost nearly 200lbs (14st) to give birth to her daughter safely. Pictured, at 465lbs (33st) after the birth
The new mother, pictured with Michelle, has now vowed to lose even more weight
She said: ‘The jumpstart to losing weight was falling pregnant. I knew I wanted to have a family with Sid and I knew I had to take drastic steps in order for that to happen.
‘At my heaviest I was around 700lbs, then before I had her I was 520lbs, and now I’m down to around 465lbs.’
Monica had always wanted to start a family but thought her chances were non-existent after she suffered two miscarriages and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that can cause weight gain and infertility.
Monica said: ‘When I first heard I was pregnant, I was shocked. Seeing a positive test wasn’t that big a deal as it’d happened a couple of times before, and I’d always miscarried.
‘But when I went to get a sonogram for the first time and I got to see her on the screen, it was magical.
Monica built up an online following with posts and videos of herself consuming thousands of calories
Sid fed his girlfriend 3,500-calorie milkshakes through a funnel to help her gain weight
Monica used to dream of becoming so fat that she would be rendered bed-bound
‘After the miscarriages though, I was so scared that something would go wrong and she wouldn’t make it. I was terrified to be fully happy and accept the fact that I was pregnant and had a baby in me and she was still growing.’
Through gentle exercise and overhauling her diet, Monica dropped from 700lbs (50st) to 520lbs (37st).
Despite the weight loss, Monica still suffered health complication and eventually baby Michelle was delivered through emergency C-section at 33 weeks.
The tiny 4lbs 9oz baby had difficulty breathing and was whisked away by doctors.
Monica said: ‘She came out and I didn’t hear a cry and I was terrified. I was thinking “Is she okay? Is she alive?”
Monica, pictured as a teenager, said she doesn’t regret her time spent overeating
Monica, pictured before, was aware she would have to lose weight before becoming a mother
‘They bundled her up and showed her to us for a split second, then rushed to put her on a ventilator to get her to start breathing.
‘It was a day and a half before I got to see her, that was the longest wait of my life.
‘When I first saw her, I just started crying. I sobbed uncontrollably. Sid made sure that no one aside from the doctors had held her before me.
‘Her face was all scrunched up and she looked like a little potato.
‘She was hooked up to all these wires and oxygen and I didn’t know what was wrong with her, I just knew that when I saw her little cheeks and hands, I was so happy.’
The new mother said she does not blame herself or her lifestyle for the complications.
‘I don’t feel like my weight was a factor in that at all,’ she said. ‘Babies are born premature all the time.
Monica lost weight when she found out she was pregnant to make her labour as safe as possible
Monica has vowed to make sure daughter Michelle, pictured, has a healthy, active lifestyle
The new mother was fed through a funnel by her fiance Sid, pictured together, who supported her in her mission to gain weight. Pictured, the couple with daughter Michelle at home in Texas
‘My doctor was actually planning to induce me at 37 weeks, which is not far from 33, but the pre-eclampsia meant they had to get her out earlier.’
Monica said she is determined to ensure her daughter has a far healthier lifestyle and doesn’t make the same mistakes she did.
She said: ‘We will definitely not be funnel-feeding her, that’s for sure! When she’s eating solid food, we are only going to give her healthy things.
‘Maybe at Halloween if she goes trick-or-treating then we’ll let her have a candy or two, but we want to get her hooked on fruits and veggies while she’s young.’
But while her past fast food binges caused her to swell, Monica says she does not regret her past.
Baby Michelle, pictured, was born premature at 33 weeks but is now at home with her parents
She said: ‘When I look back at eating junk food every day, I don’t regret it at all, it tastes amazing! But I know what it did to me, and I’m not about that lifestyle any more.
‘The thought of being immobile just doesn’t appeal any more, now that I’ve got a gorgeous little baby, I want to be able to keep up with her.
‘I want Sid and me to be able to walk around the park with her, go to the mall together, go shopping and take her to the playground.
‘That is just something that couldn’t have been done before.’
While motherhood and her weight loss has given Monica a new lease of life, not everyone in the SSBBW (Super-Sized Big Beautiful Woman) community has supported her changes.
She said: ‘When I started to lose weight I did lose a lot of so-called friends in the fat community. Their ultimate goal was to see me immobile and now they couldn’t fulfil their fantasy any more.’
The new parents are looking forward to giving their first child a healthy, active lifestyle
Monica is now committed to losing even more weight and has recently got a referral for gastric bypass surgery to help her shed the pounds.
She said: ‘I’m just waiting to get an appointment. I want to get down to at least 300lbs, but 250lb would be even better. I’m hoping I can get the surgery this year, so hopefully by this time next year I’ll be at least 200lb lighter.
‘The only thing that’s put me off getting surgery is that I don’t want to get too skinny, I still like being chubby. I just like feeling soft and squishy.’
And while Sid has received criticism in the past from people who said he fetishize Monica for her weight, he says he adores her regardless of her size.
‘I don’t care what size she is, I love her as a person and that’s never going to change,’ he said.
‘If she has a gastric bypass and gets down to 150lbs, I’ll still love her and we have this little baby together.
Monica added: ‘I can’t believe I’m finally a mum. Ditching funnel feeds for bottle feeds is the best thing I’ve ever done.’