I’m fat. I’m not being self-deprecating. I’m not being unkind to myself. That is just one of a hundred words that describe me. It’s a part of myself I admittedly struggle with, as PCOS has made my postpartum body extremely hard to navigate. In my heart, however, I know how I look doesn’t make me a bad person. My heart truly breaks for people who put so much pressure on themselves that they end up believing that heinous lie.
Karolina Krzyzak, 27, was found dead in a Bali hotel room weighing a shocking 49 pounds. Originally from Poland, the former student turned into an “influencer” of sorts after adopting a strictly fruitarian diet at the age of 19, according to The Daily Star.
Staff at the Sumberkima Hill Retreat were reportedly shocked by her appearance and noted that her frame looked emaciated and her eyes appeared hollow when she checked into the hotel in December 2024. The outlet reported that her health had declined so severely that she struggled with simple tasks, such as rolling over.
Staff were allegedly instructed not to call a doctor and to send her meals — strictly raw fruit — to her room. She reportedly rarely left her room, but three days into her stay, the resort received a call from a local raw vegan café owner who was supposed to meet with Krzyzak but said she never showed up. When staff checked on her, they found her dead in her room.
Although plant-based diets may reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 40% and stroke by 29%, fruitarian diets operate under little medical guidance. The general rule of the “80-10-10” plan means 80% of your diet comes from raw fruit, 10% from protein (nuts and oils), and 10% from grains. Studies have shown, however, that following this structure can leave the body starved for essential nutrients.
A friend who went by the name “Emilia,” a former fruitarian and online friend of Krzyzak’s, said the young woman had developed osteoporosis and an albumin deficiency.
The Mirror reported that Krzyzak became obsessed with diet and body image after moving to the UK from Warsaw, Poland, to study at Leeds University. She developed an interest in yoga and the raw fruit lifestyle and soon became “hooked.” In 2018, her parents insisted she come home and enter recovery for an eating disorder, but after completing the in-patient program, she returned to her “lifestyle.”
The Mirror noted that her parents believe she was “brainwashed” by fellow vegans and yogis.
