Photo of Lizzie Velasquez. (credit: aboutlizzie.com)
AUSTIN, Texas (CBS Houston) — A Texas student suffering from an undiagnosed condition needs to eat every 15 minutes to keep her 60-pound frame.
Lizzie Velasquez, 23, was born without adipose tissue, which is commonly known as fat tissue, and is only one of three known cases in the world who suffer from it. She has 0 percent body fat and is blind in one eye.
“I eat whatever I want all day long and just can’t keep the pounds on,” Velasquez says on her blog. “The syndrome is so puzzling because it fits characteristics of different syndromes but doesn’t fit it to the point where I can be diagnosed with a certain one.”
One of the characteristics she presents is progeria, which is the rapid aging of young people that is terminal.
The Telegraph reports that she consumes up to 8,000 calories a day and eats every 15 minutes to keep up her energy and weight.
Velasquez, who weighed just over 2 pounds when she was born, was named the “World’s Ugliest Woman” on YouTube while she was still in high school.
The Texas State University student told HLN’s Dr. Drew that this type of cyberbullying does upset her.
“I’m getting to the point where I’m not going to let that continue,” she told Dr. Drew. “I’m starting to want to go up to these people and introduce myself.”
She also added that these people need to “stop staring and start learning.”
Velasquez came out with a motivational book this month titled “Be Beautiful, Be You.”
You can learn more about Lizzie at her website, http://www.aboutlizzie.com.

















