From “World’s Fattest Woman” Dream to Motherhood: Texas Woman’s Life Transformed After Baby’s Arrival
A Texas woman who once consumed up to 10,000 calories a day in an attempt to become the “world’s fattest woman” says the birth of her daughter completely changed the course of her life.
Monica Riley, from Fort Worth, had pushed her body to extreme limits, reaching 50 stone while deliberately trying to become immobile. At the height of her controversial lifestyle, she regularly drank milkshakes packed with around 3,500 calories and relied on her fiancé, Sid, to funnel-feed her as she pursued the unusual goal of becoming permanently bed-bound.
Yet away from the attention surrounding her eating habits, Monica held a deeply personal dream — she longed to become a mother.

Her path to pregnancy was far from easy. Monica was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can cause both infertility and significant weight gain. The couple endured the heartbreak of two miscarriages, but her hope of starting a family never disappeared.
Everything changed in March 2017 when Monica discovered she was pregnant again.
At first, the news brought more fear than celebration. After the pain of her earlier losses, she worried the pregnancy might end the same way. But the moment she saw her baby during an ultrasound appointment became a turning point.

Seeing the tiny life on the screen convinced her that it was time to change.
Determined to give her child the healthiest start possible, Monica dramatically altered her lifestyle. She reworked her diet, began gentle exercise and focused on improving her health. During the pregnancy alone she lost 12 stone, and after giving birth she shed another four stone, bringing her weight down to 33 stone.
The pregnancy itself was medically challenging. Monica developed gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia, conditions that required high doses of blood pressure medication. Severe swelling eventually forced doctors to perform an emergency cesarean section at 33 weeks.

Her daughter, Michelle, arrived prematurely weighing 4 pounds 9 ounces. Initially the newborn struggled to breathe and doctors also discovered four small holes in her heart. Within hours, however, Michelle began breathing independently. Over time three of the holes closed naturally, and the remaining one has since shrunk to about the size of a pinhead.
After six weeks of hospital monitoring, Michelle was finally strong enough to go home.
Monica faced her own struggles after birth, including difficulties producing breast milk. Although she had hoped to breastfeed, Michelle was ultimately placed on a specialized formula.
Today, Monica says the life she once pursued feels like a distant memory.
The idea of being bed-bound no longer appeals to her. Instead, she dreams of walking through the park with her daughter, taking her shopping, visiting playgrounds and keeping up with her as she grows.

She is also determined to raise Michelle with healthier habits and has firmly ruled out repeating the extreme behaviors that once defined her life.
Continuing her weight-loss journey, Monica hopes to reduce her weight even further — possibly to 21 stone or even 17 — and is considering weight-loss surgery in the future.
Looking back, she says the greatest transformation has not been the number on the scale, but the shift in her priorities.
Trading funnel feeds for baby bottles, she says, is the best decision she has ever made.