The Circus Star Who Lost 400 Lbs on Baby Food

In the 1950s, a woman known as Dolly Dimples pulled off one of the most dramatic weight transformations in American history—and she did it by raiding the baby food aisle.

Born Celesta Geyer in 1901, she spent decades as a circus sideshow performer, billed as one of the world's fattest women. At her peak, she weighed over 500 pounds and made her living being stared at.

A Doctor's Unusual Prescription

When health problems forced her to consider weight loss, her physician suggested something unconventional: eat like an infant. The logic was simple—baby food comes in tiny, portion-controlled jars with known calorie counts. No complicated meal planning required.

Celesta committed fully. For months, she consumed nothing but:

• Strained vegetables
• Pureed fruits
• Baby cereals
• Small portions of pureed meats

The monotony was brutal. The portions were laughably small. But the scale kept dropping.

From Sideshow to Spotlight

She lost over 400 pounds, eventually settling at around 110 lbs. The transformation was so shocking that she became a celebrity all over again—this time as a weight-loss success story rather than a circus curiosity.

Celesta wrote a book about her experience, appeared on television programs, and spent her later years lecturing about weight loss. She'd gone from being paid to be gawked at for her size to being celebrated for her discipline.

Did the Baby Food Diet Actually Work?

Here's the thing: any extreme calorie restriction will cause weight loss. Baby food just made portion control idiot-proof. Each jar contains between 20-100 calories. Even if you ate 15 jars a day, you'd struggle to hit 1,000 calories.

Modern nutritionists don't recommend this approach. Baby food lacks adequate protein and fiber for adults, and the diet is nearly impossible to maintain long-term. But for Celesta, it worked—spectacularly.

She lived until 1982, spending her final decades at a healthy weight. The woman who'd been a sideshow attraction had the last laugh, proving that transformation is always possible, even if the method involves tiny jars of mashed peas.