Angus Barbieri's fast
Angus Barbieri was a Scottish man who fasted for 382 days, from 14 June 1965 to 30 June 1966. He subsisted on tea, coffee, sparkling water, vitamins and yeast extract while living at home in Tayport, Scotland, frequently visiting Maryfield Hospital for medical evaluation. Barbieri went from to, losing and setting a record for the length of a fast.
Early life
Agostino “Angus” Barbieri was born in Tayport, Scotland to Italian parents who ran a fish and chip shop. Due to his weight, he often required assistance with ordinary tasks. When Barbieri travelled to the 1960–61 British Home Championship at Wembley Stadium in April 1961, he needed a group of people to push and pull him through the door of the bus. Unable to fit through a turnstile at the stadium, Barbieri was escorted through a gate by a police guard, and many other fans without tickets reportedly hopped the police lines to enter the stadium while the police were occupied.Fast
In 1965, at the age of 27, Barbieri checked into the Maryfield Hospital in Dundee. Initially only a short fast was planned, as the doctors believed short fasts were preferable to longer ones. Barbieri insisted on continuing because "he adapted so well and was eager to reach his 'ideal' weight". To avoid temptation, he quit working at his father's fish and chips shop, which closed down during the fast. As the fast progressed, he lost all desire for food. For 382 days, from 14 June 1965 through 30 June 1966, he consumed only vitamins, electrolytes, an unspecified amount of yeast and zero-calorie beverages such as tea, coffee, and sparkling water, although he occasionally added milk and/or sugar to the beverages, especially during the final weeks of the fast.Barbieri began his treatment in the hospital but for most of the 382 days lived at home, visiting the hospital for outpatient checkups, including blood and urine samples. Stool samples were not taken but he reportedly went up to 48 days between stools. His starting weight was recorded at and the fast officially stopped on 1 July 1966 when Barbieri had reached his goal weight of. For the next ten days, the doctors placed him on a diet of salt and then sugar in preparation for solid food. Thus, some sources record the fast as being 392 days instead of 382.