The Man Who Ate An Actual Airplane Over 2 Years

Michel Lotito eating parts of Cessna 150 aircraft. Wikimedia Commons image

“Over the course of Monsieur Mangetout’s career, his diet included 18 bicycles, seven TV sets, two beds, 15 supermarket trolleys, a computer, a coffin (handles and all), a pair of skis and six chandeliers.”

Now THAT’s what I call an effective introduction. John Wick may be a badass when it comes to throwing knives, but how many bicycles has he actually eaten? Right, that’s what I thought.

Michel Lotito — the hero of this story — was born in 1950, and by age 16 he discovered an unusual condition: the ability and desire to consume non-nutritious objects.

Thanks to abnormally thick intestinal walls, Lotito’s digestive tract “could “safely” consume just about anything,” including metal objects. He could eat as much as 900 grams (2 lb) of metal per day without any side effects, while struggling to digest soft foods such as bananas. His body was also curiously immune to toxic substances such as lead.

Instead of hiding his abnormality from the society, Lotito decided to make a career out of it, becoming Monsiour Mangetout (Mr. Eat-All).

“Lotito’s performances involved the consumption of metal, glass, rubber and other materials. He disassembled, cut up, and consumed items such as bicycles, shopping carts, televisions, and a Cessna 150, among other items. The Cessna 150 took roughly two years to be “eaten”, from 1978 to 1980.”

It is estimated that Mangetout’s digestive tract saw as much as 9 tons of metal between 1959 and 1997. He claimed to experience no complications during his performances, but was fond of consuming mineral oils and plenty of water through the process.

The man holds the ‘strangest diet’ award in the Guiness Book of Records. In case you’d like to try it out, here’s the full list of items Lotito consumed during his lifetime:

At least:

• 18 bicycles
• 15 shopping carts
• 7 TV sets
• 6 chandeliers
• 2 beds
• 1 pair of skis
• 1 computer
• 1 Cessna 150 light aircraft
• 1 waterbed
• 500 metres (1,600 ft) of steel chain
• 1 coffin (with handles)
• 1 Guinness award plaque

Lotito died of natural causes in 2007, at age 57, leaving the most unusual legacy. I guess what makes you different really does make you strong.