UK man in Homer Simpson-style plan to gain weight

A British man who weighs 20 stone said today that he intends to put on weight because he is not overweight enough to qualify for weight-loss surgery.

Darin McCloud was told he did not qualify for a gastric bypass because he did not meet the criteria for the operation.

The 45-year-old, from Portsmouth, now plans to go on a get-fat-quick diet to tip the scales at more than 21 stone - the weight deemed necessary by his local NHS primary care trust.

He says he is eating three-quarters of a loaf of bread, four packets of crisps and bacon rolls each day to put on the weight.

The plan resembles the plot an episode of popular animated comedy series 'The Simpsons'.

In the 1995 episode, named 'King-Size Homer', father Homer Simpson successfully gains weight by deliberately adopting an unhealthy diet, in order to qualify as disabled and work at home.

Mr McCloud, who suffers from diabetes, said he wanted the operation as he believed it would mean he could come off the insulin treatment for the condition.

He told the Portsmouth News: "I have had diabetes for the best part of 15 years and I'm absolutely scared of being a burden on my family in the future - but I still eat, and that I can't get my head around.

"There is a switch somewhere but I can't turn it off. That is the crux of the matter and why I need help."

Mr McCloud first applied for the operation, which is similar to having a gastric band fitted, in September 2009.

He says he has put on about a stone and a half since then and his current body mass index (BMI) is 43.5.

NHS Portsmouth requires a BMI of 45 before it will consider a patient for the surgery.

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, NHS Portsmouth's director of public health and primary care, said: "Somebody trying to put on weight in order to qualify for an operation is obviously something wrong to do.

"This guy is putting his health at risk, he has got diabetes and he is putting his health at further risk by attempting to put on weight.

"The best way to combat the issues he has got is a healthy diet.

"We have very clear criteria which are based on evidence and under our criteria we wouldn't consider somebody for an operation until they have a BMI of 45 or more.

"But just becoming BMI 45 doesn't mean he will have the operation - that is the point, if his GP considered him to be suitable, that he could be referred.

"It is no way certain he would referred, it would be based on his overall health at that time."

Cathy Moulton, clinical adviser at the Diabetes UK charity, said: "In no way would Diabetes UK recommend for anyone to actively put on weight in order to qualify for bariatric surgery and it would be wrong for people to view bariatric surgery as an easy option for the treatment of their condition.

"Any surgery carries serious risks and bariatric surgery should only be considered if the person is obese and their attempts to lose weight through diet and lifestyle changes have been unsuccessful.

"Candidates for bariatric surgery also need a lot of support and long-term follow-up.

"Being overweight or obese can have an incredibly detrimental effect on how people with diabetes manage their blood glucose levels, putting them at greater risk of developing short and long-term complications of diabetes such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.

"For someone who is overweight, we would always recommend trying to lose weight through diet and physical activity first and would not recommend that anyone with diabetes who is already overweight should actively try to put on weight."