Meet the next great American diet book author ...

There was a young fellow named Green,
Who grew so abnormally lean,
And flat, and compressed,
That his back touched his chest,
And sideways he couldn't be seen.

You've got to admit this was a brilliant escape plot:

Texas police are searching for a man who slimmed down to escape from jail.

Authorities say Darryl Layne Norris, who is charged with murder, had been shedding pounds since checking into the Waller County Jail in April. They say he slipped out through an air conditioner vent less than a foot wide.