Barbieri’s remarkable journey shattered all existing records and expectations, pushed physical and mental boundaries, defied conventional beliefs and stupefied scientists, as well as the public.
But how did Angus actually reshape his destiny – and did his body and mind manage to remain intact by the end of the unbelievable process?
Life before losing weight
Very little information exists about Barbieri’s days before his weight loss. He was born in Tayport, Scotland, in 1939 and appeared to have lived a fairly normal life.
As a young adult, before he began fasting, Barbieri was working at his father’s fish-and-chips shop.
But by 27 years old, Barbieri’s problems with weight became apparent, as he weighed 456 pounds.
In June 1965, he voluntarily admitted himself to the Royal Infirmary of Dundee in Scotland to under go a short fast in a bid to lose weight.
It was during that time that Barbieri would then continue to fast his way to health for an extraordinary 382 days.
Barbieri’s fast
The consumption of solid food was not permitted during Barbieri’s specific fasting plan.
He was only allowed to ingest electrolytes, vitamins, some yeast for important amino acids, and finally, particular liquids such as black coffee, tea, and sparkling water.
Barbieri’s calorie intake remained close to zero for the entire duration of the prolonged fast – essentially a ‘starvation diet’ intertwined with intermittent fasting.
During his fast, Barbieri was losing weight rapidly – shedding almost a pound a day on average. Every month, he was losing around 22 pounds.
Months on, Barbieri remained committed to the fast and the digits on the scale continued to decrease.
He was surprisingly permitted to come and go as he pleased from the Maryfield Hospital he was receiving treatment at, but Barbieri’s doctors had to accompany him to monitor his diet.
But the success of his fast wasn’t without its downfalls. Barbieri had to quit his job at his father’s fish and chip shop on Nelson Street to avoid breaking his strict diet.
Breaking the fast
Barbieri’s ultimate goal was to reach 180 pounds at which point he would plan to end his weight loss journey.
And, after a painstakingly extraordinary 382 days, on July 11 in 1966, he finally reached his target after losing a whopping 276 pounds.
Barbieri ended his fast that July morning with some bread and butter and a plain boiled egg.
He told the crowd of press in the room: ‘It went down okay. I feel a bit full, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.’
Barbieri’s transformation made it difficult to recognise who he was from looking at his earlier pictures. Remarkably, he was reportedly able to fit two people alongside him in his old pair of trousers.
His story quickly became a global conversation, with newspapers as far away as the United States reporting on his incredible journey.
The University of Dundee was so intrigued by Barbieri’s weight loss that they conducted a study on him to examine the effects of long-term fasting on the body.
His doctors documented the entirety of his treatment in a case report describing the experience that was published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal in 1973.
In 1965, a 27-year-old Irish man named Angus Barbieri who suffered from severe obesity did it for 382 days.
He survived more than a year exclusively thanks to his body fats, in addition of course to water, other liquids and supplements, going to the bathroom approximately once every 40/50 days.
The sensational fast had been prescribed to him by Dr. William Kinnear Stewart and occurred under controlled conditions, with frequent blood tests and hospital checks.
In the initial intentions the treatment should have lasted only 40 days but Angus found himself unexpectedly at ease stating that his body was getting used well to the absence of food and, thanks to his great desire to achieve the goal, he decided to continue to the bitter end.
In the end, starting from an initial weight of 207kg, he managed to lose 125kg, thus reaching his ideal weight of 82kg.
He broke his fast on the morning of 11 July 1966, eating a hard-boiled egg, a slice of bread and butter and a cup of coffee, stating in a later interview that he enjoyed the meal very much but it immediately made him feel full.
The following months and years he continued to be monitored by doctors and the last check-up, 5 years later, showed that his weight had remained under 90 kg, a value that he maintained for the rest of his life.