It's fairly well known that William Howard Taft was America's heaviest president. Weighing in at over 300 lbs at the beginning of his term in 1909, he famously became stuck in the White House bathtub and had to have a larger one installed. It was 7 feet long, nearly 3.5 feet wide and could fit four "average" sized men:
While he was a fellow of "generous proportions" since his youth, his bad habits contributed to his size -- he loved food -- and life in the White House wasn't exactly conducive to a strict dietary regimen. While his wife and aides encouraged him to refrain from eating between meals, he was prone to slip. A former White House official recalled a trip by rail: upon hearing that no dining car accompanied the train, he blurted, "I am President of the United States, and I want a diner attached to this train at Harrisburg. I want it well stocked with with food, including filet mignon." It's no surprise that Taft steadily gained weight over the duration of his term, reaching about 340 by the end of his presidency in 1913, a fact that made him the object of mockery. For instance, Supreme Court Justice Brewer one joked, "Taft is the politest man in Washington; the other day he gave up his seat in a street-car to three ladies." However, the good natured Taft often responded with humor :
One day I was in the President's private room ... when [good-natured Senator] Chauncey Depew came in. ... After we had talked serious matters for a few minutes and were about to depart, Mr. Depew stepped up to Taft and, taking liberties that I never would have thought of taking with a president, said to him, putting his hand on Mr. Taft's big frontal development: "What are you going to call it when it comes, Mr. President?" It was just about that time when Mr. Taft was beginning to have some difficulty with Theodore Roosevelt, and he quickly responded: "Well, if it's a boy, I'll call it William; if it's a girl, I'll call it Theodora; but if it turns out to be just wind, I'll call it Chauncey." (Ross, Ishbel. An American Family: The Tafts 1678 to 1964. Cleveland, OH: World Publishing Co., 1964.)
Since obesity has become a nationwide epidemic and obesity-related illness now rivals smoking as the leading cause of death, it's a wonder that few focus on Taft's remarkable weightloss in the years following his exit from the White House -- in fact, it made headlines at the time: between March and December of 1913 and he lost 70 pounds from dieting. Afterwards, he remarked, "I can truthfully say I never felt any younger in all my life. Too much flesh is bad for any man. It affects a man both physically and mentally."
The trick? He stopped consuming bread, potatoes, meat, some fish, wine and liquor. In fact, this 100-year old low-carb strategy resembles the more modern dietary regimens like Atkins and South Beach. His discipline would certainly have made Michelle Obama proud, considering her weight loss advocacy -- maybe former President Taft should be used as a mascot in the first lady's campaign?
