How do people eat so much?

[vi edit]

Because a protein bar will not satisfy your hunger. Hunger comes from your stomach trying to process food that isn't there, causing pain and discomfort. A protein bar isn't going to fill your stomach, and therefore, you will still have discomfort after eating one. Thats why we have meals generally spaced out throughout the day to keep food in our gut so we don't have hunger pangs/pains. You don't have to stuff yourself, a protein bar just doesn't cut it (been there, tried that).

The 3 heavy meal thing is the worst way for people to try and lose weight. It encourages a hoarding mentality both mentally and phyiscally. You meals should have a hearty breakfast, followed up by "micro" meals of 150-250 calories every couple hours. Have a moderate lunch and then go lighter at dinner. Fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, nuts, ect. Keep your metabolism on boil and stomach with something in it.

It's people who starve themselves between meals or skip meals and then completely binge that are hurting their diet the worst.

Spacing out meals and keeping yourself satiated throughout the day on "clean" calories is much better than tanking up on a 1500 dinner when you get home.

 

[OverVolt]

I feel like this thread is going in circles. I would like to re-iterate something: there are lots of skinny people who eat like pigs, yet do not gain weight. Storage of calories as body fat has just as much to do with genetics as eating habits.

No, they exercise, park far away, take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, they are the people you ask to run across the room and grab you something, they fidget around while they sit, they bust out of a boring meeting with energy (because they eat well) and have the urge to walk around for a bit or something.

There is a "fat psychology" where some people sit on their fat asses looking for a good parking spot so they don't have to walk as far.

They take the elevator even if they have to wait 2 cycles, which is ridiculous unless your going up like 50 floors, or can't mess up your clothes for an interview or something.

They ask people for things "because you are closer" the thought literally never crosses my mind I get up and grab my own shit 100% of the time.

When I'm stuffed up all day at my job/class/whatever I literally run up the stairs to my car because I'm glad to be out of there.

You have even small options everyday to exercise and I've known people when they were younger who avoided these types of situations at all costs and today they are fat. I can just literally tell by the way you look for a parking spot or the choices you make on elevator vs stairs, grabbing your own stuff or asking someone to do it for you, etc that over your lifetime make you a lard ass.

 

[OverVolt]

The 3 heavy meal thing is the worst way for people to try and lose weight. It encourages a hoarding mentality both mentally and phyiscally. You meals should have a hearty breakfast, followed up by "micro" meals of 150-250 calories every couple hours. Have a moderate lunch and then go lighter at dinner. Fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, nuts, ect. Keep your metabolism on boil and stomach with something in it.

It's people who starve themselves between meals or skip meals and then completely binge that are hurting their diet the worst.

Spacing out meals and keeping yourself satiated throughout the day on "clean" calories is much better than tanking up on a 1500 dinner when you get home.

This isn't necessarily true, fasting and simultaneously working gets your fat metabolism activated rather hardcore. Fasting has been shown to be fairly beneficial and its something people don't really do anymore. I do like to fast for a day sometimes. I actually feel better and it resets your hunger feeling so you don't feel hungry when you really don't need food.

 

[vi edit]

This isn't necessarily true, fasting and simultaneously working gets your fat metabolism activated rather hardcore. Fasting has been shown to be fairly beneficial and its something people don't really do anymore. I do like to fast for a day sometimes I actually feel better and it resets your hunger feeling so you don't feel hungry when you really don't need food.

In controlled, and appropriate uses sure. One of the best weight loss things you can do is go to bed, wake up, and go work out on a emtpy belly. You'll be low on primary energy stores and can get into fat burning mode much faster.

But fasting or heavy caloric restrictions can trip your body into a starvation mode that has a negative affect. For the average person breaking their meals down into smaller portions ands spreading them out across the day they will feel less hungry and find weight loss much easier.

 

[PingviN]

No, they exercise, park far away, take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, they are the people you ask to run across the room and grab you something, they fidget around while they sit, they bust out of a boring meeting with energy (because they eat well) and have the urge to walk around for a bit or something.

Pretty much this. My friends ask me how the hell I stay so skinny while eating far more than they do. Then they are given the option of elevator or stairs (6 storey university-building) and they just slip into the elevator while I semi-run up the stairs. Bus or walk to the train? I walk, they go by bus. In the summer, I bike the 10 miles, they still go by train or bus. They don't enjoy being called lazy fatasses every time they get in the elevator, but that's what they are: a bunch of lazy fatasses.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

The 3 heavy meal thing is the worst way for people to try and lose weight. It encourages a hoarding mentality both mentally and phyiscally. You meals should have a hearty breakfast, followed up by "micro" meals of 150-250 calories every couple hours. Have a moderate lunch and then go lighter at dinner. Fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, nuts, ect. Keep your metabolism on boil and stomach with something in it.

It's people who starve themselves between meals or skip meals and then completely binge that are hurting their diet the worst.

Spacing out meals and keeping yourself satiated throughout the day on "clean" calories is much better than tanking up on a 1500 dinner when you get home.

There's a couple of popular diets (Lean Gains, Warrior Diet) that have periods of fasting and refeeds and they seem to be effective. I think some people have used Lean Gains for recomp.

Also, unless they're counting calories a lot of people will overestimate the number of calories they're consuming. A pretty good site for tracking intake is myfitnesspal.com. I've used some others but Fitday for example has a terrible search engine and a lot of foods seem to be inaccurate.

 

[Saint Nick]

Fitday has a shitty database, poor application design all around. However, I still use it because I already inputted a bunch of custom food into it

For me, I need to track each calorie while I am both cutting and bulking because I need to see how my body is responding to different levels of carbs/fats and total calories.

 

[Muse]

I feel like this thread is going in circles. I would like to re-iterate something: there are lots of skinny people who eat like pigs, yet do not gain weight. Storage of calories as body fat has just as much to do with genetics as eating habits.

I've heard this but I remain unconvinced.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I've heard this but I remain unconvinced.

It's because they don't see what those skinny people do when not eating.

I have a friend who eats like a pig. 2 big macs, large fries. 3 hours later, an entire footlong subway.

He plays sports ALL the time and he is a stick. This is why skinny people are skinny.

 

[Muse]

No, they exercise, park far away, take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, they are the people you ask to run across the room and grab you something, they fidget around while they sit, they bust out of a boring meeting with energy (because they eat well) and have the urge to walk around for a bit or something.

There is a "fat psychology" where some people sit on their fat asses looking for a good parking spot so they don't have to walk as far.

They take the elevator even if they have to wait 2 cycles, which is ridiculous unless your going up like 50 floors, or can't mess up your clothes for an interview or something.

They ask people for things "because you are closer" the thought literally never crosses my mind I get up and grab my own shit 100% of the time.

When I'm stuffed up all day at my job/class/whatever I literally run up the stairs to my car because I'm glad to be out of there.

You have even small options everyday to exercise and I've known people when they were younger who avoided these types of situations at all costs and today they are fat. I can just literally tell by the way you look for a parking spot or the choices you make on elevator vs stairs, grabbing your own stuff or asking someone to do it for you, etc that over your lifetime make you a lard ass.

I have to agree here. I am amazed at people who will get on a down escalator and just stand there. They obviously have nothing interesting to do with themselves. I always run up an escalator when there's noone in front of me. I also see people standing on those moving trams at airports, just stand there. These people are brainwashed, pure and simple. I run up stairs usually taking 2 at a time, have my whole life. When life gives you an opportunity to get exercise in normal activity, take it! It's your luck! When I go to Costco, I park (yes, as close to the store as I can), grab a cart, hold onto it and run all the way to the door! It's actually exhilarating. It's so much less boring than walking!

 

[Muse]

It's because they don't see what those skinny people do when not eating.

I have a friend who eats like a pig. 2 big macs, large fries. 3 hours later, an entire footlong subway.

He plays sports ALL the time and he is a stick. This is why skinny people are skinny.

Yeah, it's the sports that keep him skinny, not his genetics. I have known a lot of people who were skinny their whole lives, string beans, and then blow up and become fat because they've had a life style change and they weren't prepared to deal with it. Usually they have no clue what to do about it.

 

[janas19]

It's because they don't see what those skinny people do when not eating.

I have a friend who eats like a pig. 2 big macs, large fries. 3 hours later, an entire footlong subway.

He plays sports ALL the time and he is a stick. This is why skinny people are skinny.

And I've known people who eat a lot and don't get fat.

It's not just about exercise, metabolism plays a role too.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

And I've known people who eat a lot and don't get fat.

It's not just about exercise, metabolism plays a role too.

I assure you, no "at rest" metabolism is going to vary by more than 500 or so calories a day at the extremes, unless you're some sort of famine survivor or a athlete with 100 pounds of pure muscle.

 

[TheNinja]

Long story short....many people don't realize the amount of calories they eat in certain things. The biggest problem is probably fats and simple carbs. Things like butter, mayo, a white roll, a soda, etc. all have a ton of calories that people don't count.

Example - "I just had a sandwhich on whole wheat, a small salad, a coffee with creamer and sugar"

The bread on a good sandwhich alone can be 300cal, if you get cheese, mayo/butter you can easily add 200cal with that stuff. People get a salad with ranch or a ceasar salad, dressing can be 200cal alone. coffee creamer & sugar, another 100 is possible.

Add to the fact that people don't exercise much and your "healthy" meal ends up like 800 calories. Many sedentary people after age 30 really only need like 1500-1750cals a day. They are knocking out 800 calories in 1 meal and most people eat much larger meals at night

Toss in a glass of wine at 200cal, the "I deserve a snack/chocolate" and it doesn't take long to hit 2500-3000cals a day for people that need 1/2 that.

 

[Doppel]

Seriously. I ate what I thought was a considerable amount today (two bagels + cream cheese = ~700 calories, protein bar = ~250 calories, soda = ~300 calories, and Chipotle burrito = ~700 calories) but that still only touched the supposed normal 2000. Granted, I don't exercise so I won't judge athletes and construction workers and other physically active individuals, but HTF do others manage to eat so much? Do you people live on candy and frappuccinos and shit? Not that I'm saying more than 2000 is necessarily a lot either, but I am seriously confused as to how a physically inactive individual manages to eat 3000/4000+ calories every day.

EDIT: Title changed from "How do people get fat?".

Different physiology. I can easily eat 2000 calories in one sitting without feeling uncomfortable at all.

 

[Crono]

2 bagels + cream cheese are more like 1,000 calories.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I never understood it either. Some people not only eat 3 full meals per day (well that's what you're suppose to do, I just can't seem to do it) but they'll also be constantly eating throughout the day. How do people not get full? When I eat a big lunch, I'm normally full till past supper. I'll end up having a small snack and that's it.

 

[DCal430]

I assure you, no "at rest" metabolism is going to vary by more than 500 or so calories a day at the extremes, unless you're some sort of famine survivor or a athlete with 100 pounds of pure muscle.

Talk to any respected endocrinologist and they will tell you are WRONG. Talk to anyone with an HPA Axis disorder and they will tell you are WRONG. Hell there is a woman who eats 10,000 calories a day and weighs 70lbs only. She doesn't exercise or do any thing to lose the weight. Her resting metabolism is 3 to 4 times that of a normal person.

 

[ShawnD1]

Talk to any respected endocrinologist and they will tell you are WRONG. Talk to anyone with an HPA Axis disorder and they will tell you are WRONG. Hell there is a woman who eats 10,000 calories a day and weighs 70lbs only. She doesn't exercise or do any thing to lose the weight. Her resting metabolism is 3 to 4 times that of a normal person.

She's on amphetamine. I'm calling it right now.

 

[BoomerD]

I generally only eat one slice of pizza...

And only one or two glasses of beer with it...

 

[DCal430]

She's on amphetamine. I'm calling it right now.

Nope this is a picture of her:

 

[Troy614]

This video although pretty long, may help to answer some obesity problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0z5X0i92OZQ

 

[Lyfer]

This thread makes me want to head to the $10 Chinese buffet.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Just broke a personal record. Ate all 2lbs of ground beef (usually I eat ~4/3rds with ~2/3rds as leftovers for the next morning) in the form of six hamburgers. :awe:

(960 calories from buns + ~2500 from 80/20 beef + ~500 in Miraclewhip + a trifling from mustard and Worcestershire sauce = WIN :awe: )

Also ate a Clif bar for brunch (250 calories).

 

[ShawnD1]

Nope this is a picture of her:

Hopefully she feels better than she looks. I know what would help. Amphetamine!