Dying For a Perfect Wedding
I thought this was hilarious…
Nonetheless, it’s also pretty deadly – she’s got the “wedding culture” nailed. It’s pervasive: everytime I’m in the grocery store, for example, I silently gag at the sight of those ubiquitous ”Bride” mags lining the checkout aisles. Naturally, there are no “Groom” mags… as the vid illustrates, weddings are pageants focused on the BRIDE. Thus, with all the pressure to be perfect on that One Special Day, it’s no surprise to see brides-to-be lose their perspectives.
Unfortunately, they may also lose their lives…
An obese woman died after losing more than three stone on a crash diet to get in shape for her wedding.
Samantha Clowe, 34, collapsed at home from heart failure after following the strict low calorie LighterLife diet for 11 weeks.
She weighed 17 stone 6 lbs when she started the diet and was determined to see it through so she was not a ‘fat bride.’
…Home Office pathologist Dr Alfredo Walker said a post-mortem examination failed to establish a cause of death, adding: ‘But it may be related to her low calorie diet and weight loss.’
West Yorkshire Coroner David Hinchliff said it was ‘highly likely’ Miss Clowe died from cardiac arrhythmia – a potentially fatal condition involving an irregular heart beat.
My jaw dropped when I read about the diet she was on. The LighterLife program consists of shakes - which provide a meager, starvation-level 530 calories a day!
Samantha isn’t the first woman who – desperate to get thin in a hurry – developed problems, or even died, as a result of living on severely restricted calories for a prolonged period of time.
Two years ago, 25-year-old Matilda Callaghan died from heart arrhythmia after spending six months on LighterLife.
The coroner recorded an open verdict, as to what caused the fatal arrhythmic heartbeat, recognising that while – as the company argued – being obese can kill, so too can losing weight quickly.
But leading obesity expert Professor John Garrow was unequivocal: he blamed Matilda’s death on her rapid ten-stone weight loss which, he said, reduced the lean tissue in her heart.
Professor Garrow says: ‘Studies show semi-starvation diets deplete the protein and muscle of internal organs, resulting in an increase of heart arrhythmias among obese people following them.’
Sadly for Sarah, such health warnings are too late. ‘The double vision suddenly became worse. My doctor referred me to a neurologist. I was devastated – I couldn’t stop crying. ‘When I explained the programme to my neurologist he was shocked that it was legal. He explained that anything under 800 calories a day may cause damage to both the peripheral and central nervous system – that is the brain and the spinal cord. I was horrified: I had been on 500 calories a day for nine months.’
Like the “Bulging Brides” in the vid, Samantha succumbed to the pressure to be thin and “beautiful” on her wedding day. But in my not-so-humble opinion, there’s NO occasion important enough to risk one’s health or life. Better to take the slow – but tried and true – path. It’s healthier and waaaay safer. Better to be a ‘fat bride’ than a dead one.
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Makster on 13 Nov 2009 at 10:52 am #
That video is a hoot. My wife has watched Bridezilla’s before. It’s hard to beleive people act that way.
I think you are right. Brides seem to put a lot of effort into what they look like on their weddding day. I guess that’s alright, as long as it’s done safely.
IMHO I think to much time, effort and money are put into weddings. Many times the money spent would make a nice down payment on a first home, or pay a lot of everyday bills.
I definately agree with you about the fact there is ” NO occasion important enough to risk one’s health or life”.
Elissa on 13 Nov 2009 at 5:42 pm #
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best on a special day. But IMHO, obsessively trying to remake yourself into the image of a fairy-tale princess is ludicrous. The point of getting married is the marriage – not the wedding – which is one day out of many.
The divorce rate is de facto proof that fairy tale weddings do not lead to fairy tale (”…and they lived happily ever after”) endings. In fact, I’d go so far as to say: if you’re the type to overplan, obsess over minute details and ultimately lose your s**t over the self-imposed stress – then perhaps you’re not a good candidate for marriage!
When John and I got married, we were among the working poor, living paycheck-to-paycheck. Even if we had wanted one (and we didn’t), a wedding would have been out of the question. His parents wanted us to have one badly enough to offer to pay for it – but we vetoed it (with extreme prejudice) for precisely the reasons you mentioned… we would have preferred to spend money on practical things. In the end, we simply went to the courthouse and signed the papers – total cost: $15.00. If I had the chance to do it over, I’d do the exact same thing.
Makster on 14 Nov 2009 at 9:59 am #
My wife and I had a very modest wedding. We paid for evrything and had very little money. I wore the only suit I owned, and my wife wore her mothers wedding dress. Small reception at a hall. Cold cut sandwiches and stereo music.
Simple, inexpensive, and perfect!!!!