The heaviest human ever recorded was the American Jon Minnoch, who died in 1983 at the age of 42. Within 200 pounds, what was his maximum weight?

The incredible weight of Jon Minnoch of Bainbridge Island, Washington, had to be estimated by doctors when he was hospitalized in 1978. At his peak, he was too large and gravely ill to be placed on a scale, so physicians calculated his mass to be approximately 1,400 pounds (635 kg), making him the heaviest person ever documented. This expert estimation is why 1400 lbs is considered the correct figure.

A significant portion of this immense weight was not fat but a condition called massive generalized edema. His body was retaining an enormous amount of excess fluid as a result of congestive heart failure. The situation was so extreme that it required a team of over a dozen firefighters and a specially modified stretcher just to transport him to the hospital.

Under strict medical supervision on a 1,200-calorie-per-day diet, Minnoch achieved another, more positive world record: the largest weight loss ever documented. Over the next 16 months, he shed an astonishing 924 pounds, dropping his weight to 476 pounds. Sadly, his health problems persisted, and he passed away a few years later in 1983.