# How Can You Gain 278 lb. in 6 Weeks?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466 "2019-06-13T06:22:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/1 "2019-06-13T06:22:37Z")
Channel surfing at 1 AM and ran across “My 600-lb. Life” on TLC. The man started at about 900 lbs. He had gastric sleeve surgery a year or so before but gained the weight back. They worked with him again in a rehab facility to lose 500 lbs. Then he was sent home for 2 months. He was supervised for the first 2 weeks by helpers. Left on his own after that he somehow gains 278 lbs. in 6 weeks. How is this even possible? How many calories would you have to consume on a daily basis to gain that much in such a short time? Is there a point where the human body just can’t absorb any more nutrients or fat in a day? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/2 "2019-06-13T08:58:16Z")
Assuming he was about 500 lbs at the start of the 6 weeks, using the 3,500kcal=1lb consensus, and factoring that he would need about 4400 calories per day to maintain his current weight, he would have had to consume roughly 1,157,800 calories–27,567 per day. That’s certainly doable for someone with a large appetite who eats a lot of junk food and drinks a lot of soda. It’s got to be awfully expensive, though. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/3 "2019-06-13T10:11:23Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Assuming he was about 500 lbs at the start of the 6 weeks, using the 3,500kcal=1lb consensus, and factoring that he would need about 4400 calories per day to maintain his current weight, he would have had to consume roughly 1,157,800 calories–27,567 per day. That’s certainly doable for someone with a large appetite who eats a lot of junk food and drinks a lot of soda. It’s got to be awfully expensive, though. If he avoids eating out and prepared foods he could do it relatively cheaply - especially if he goes full junk food. Even if he went somewhat healthier and, say, split his intake between rice, whole milk, peanut butter, and eggs, he’s looking at about $16 a day. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/4 "2019-06-13T11:56:58Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Assuming he was about 500 lbs at the start of the 6 weeks, using the 3,500kcal=1lb consensus, and factoring that he would need about 4400 calories per day to maintain his current weight, he would have had to consume roughly 1,157,800 calories–27,567 per day. That’s certainly doable for someone with a large appetite who eats a lot of junk food and drinks a lot of soda. It’s got to be awfully expensive, though. Really? I thought it had to be more. I didn’t catch details of his preferred foods. He said he ate, “whatever looked good” and had an app for getting all his food delivered. I guess nothing was out of reach once most grocery stores and fast food places got some kind of delivery option. His name was Sean Milliken. Apparently he died back in Feb. of this year of complications from an infection or something. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/5 "2019-06-13T12:54:11Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Even if he went somewhat healthier and, say, split his intake between rice, whole milk, peanut butter, and eggs, he’s looking at about $16 a day. I assumed that this was nonsense, so I checked the Walmart site. And, indeed you can buy 5 lbs of peanut butter, 10 lbs of rice, 2 gallons of milk and 3 dozen eggs for less than $16. How you would consume that lot I dread to think. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/6 "2019-06-13T12:55:13Z")
I would assume a lot of the people on that show are on disability. They never seem to show them working or doing hobbies. So whatever money they have would go towards food no matter what it costs because they are addicted to food or food is the only thing that gives them pleasure. Another part of the really fast weight gain is water weight. Eating loads of salty food makes you retain water plus edema caused by heart problems. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/7 "2019-06-13T13:02:02Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > …he would have had to consume roughly 1,157,800 calories–27,567 per day. Wow. I don’t think I could consume 5,000 calories a day if I tried. ETA: Maybe if someone invented chocolate flavored butter sticks. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/8 "2019-06-13T14:09:44Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I assumed that this was nonsense, so I checked the Walmart site. > > And, indeed you can buy 5 lbs of peanut butter, 10 lbs of rice, 2 gallons of milk and 3 dozen eggs for less than $16. How you would consume that lot I dread to think. Oh ye, of little faith. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/9 "2019-06-13T14:38:10Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Wow. I don’t think I could consume 5,000 calories a day if I tried. > > ETA: Maybe if someone invented chocolate flavored butter sticks. Probably easier than you realize, but keeping that pace up would be tougher than you think. 5000 calories is basically eating the largest/most calorific thing every single meal- you’d have to average 1666 calories per meal, or maybe 1000 per meal (still a lot!) and snack away 1800 calories. 27000 is insane. That’s the equivalent of nineteen Chili’s Oldtimers w/cheese, fries and a Coke meals. Or 25 Big Mac/med fries/med drink meals. Or 337 hot wings. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/10 "2019-06-13T14:41:33Z")
Imagine the size of his dumps. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/11 "2019-06-13T14:45:41Z")
There were stories before the Olympics about ten years ago that the swimmer Michael Phelps was on a 12,000 calorie diet, because he was spending five or six hours in the pool each day. And that was considered extraordinary. 27,000 calories a day for a sedentary person sounds unlikely. Even impossible. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/12 "2019-06-13T14:50:07Z")
> [@bump](#): > > 27000 is insane. That’s the equivalent of nineteen Chili’s Oldtimers w/cheese, fries and a Coke meals. Or 25 Big Mac/med fries/med drink meals. Or 337 hot wings. I am a dainty 360lb or so and I cannot imagine eating 25 big macs in a day, 6-8, I can imagine. 25…my stomach hurts just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/13 "2019-06-13T14:50:13Z")
> [@tricoteuse](#): > > Another part of the really fast weight gain is water weight. Eating loads of salty food makes you retain water plus edema caused by heart problems. This deserves emphasis. I would wager that the majority of the weight gain was edema from marginal kidneys/bad heart/poor vasculature/prescription noncompliance. Not to say that he couldn’t have been mainlining peanut butter, but it’s a lot easier to gain 46 pounds a week by retaining about a gallon of fluid a day. That still requires a prodigious fluid intake, but it’s doable if you’re slaking the thirst from a lot of salty food. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/14 "2019-06-13T15:03:45Z")
I was thinking about the “output.” If I overeat even one day, the next day I’m sitting on the toilet a lot. Like was posted above, how much do such people poop out every day? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/15 "2019-06-13T15:04:30Z")
> [@brossa](#): > > This deserves emphasis. I would wager that the majority of the weight gain was edema from marginal kidneys/bad heart/poor vasculature/prescription noncompliance. Not to say that he couldn’t have been mainlining peanut butter, but it’s a lot easier to gain 46 pounds a week by retaining about a gallon of fluid a day. That still requires a prodigious fluid intake, but it’s doable if you’re slaking the thirst from a lot of salty food. and especially if you do it by drinking sugared soft drinks. a 20 oz bottle of Mountain Dew is almost 300 calories, and I know people who guzzle that stuff like crazy. eta: > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I was thinking about the “output.” If I overeat even one day, the next day I’m sitting on the toilet a lot. Like was posted above, how much do such people poop out every day? I don’t know if it would be _that_ much more. you excrete the stuff you eat that your body _doesnt_ either burn or store as fat, along with stuff like used up red blood cells. Of the calories you eat, you exhale the ones your body uses to fuel itself and the excess is stored. so unless the mountain of food you’re gorging on has a corresponding increase in stuff like fiber, there’s not likely to be a corresponding increase in, er, “output.” at least I wouldn’t think. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/16 "2019-06-13T15:06:01Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > There were stories before the Olympics about ten years ago that the swimmer Michael Phelps was on a 12,000 calorie diet, because he was spending five or six hours in the pool each day. And that was considered extraordinary. 27,000 calories a day for a sedentary person sounds unlikely. Even impossible. And those numbers were not accurate. He ate between 8000 and 10000 calories per day, for a short period of time. > **[Michael Phelps reveals his 12,000-calorie diet was a myth, but he still ate...](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/06/michael-phelps-diet-12000-calories-myth-but-still-ate-8000-to-10000-quote)** > > Phelps was an eating machine during his Olympic days. Tour de France riders consume 5-7000 calories per day for 3 weeks, a difficult task and one that leads to all sorts of problems for the riders. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/17 "2019-06-13T15:08:47Z")
You gotta realize this guy’s stomach is probably 3x bigger than yours, or more. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/18 "2019-06-13T15:11:23Z")
> [@tricoteuse](#): > > Another part of the really fast weight gain is water weight. Eating loads of salty food makes you retain water plus edema caused by heart problems. > [@brossa](#): > > This deserves emphasis. I would wager that the majority of the weight gain was edema from marginal kidneys/bad heart/poor vasculature/prescription noncompliance. Not to say that he couldn’t have been mainlining peanut butter, but it’s a lot easier to gain 46 pounds a week by retaining about a gallon of fluid a day. That still requires a prodigious fluid intake, but it’s doable if you’re slaking the thirst from a lot of salty food. Exactly. Similarly, fast weight loss is a lot of water. The reality show may have had him cutting weight by reducing water so that his total weight loss was exaggerated for the show at his weigh-ins. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/19 "2019-06-13T15:43:18Z")
My cousin gained about 40 lbs of water weight in about 4 days earlier this year. He was already 400 lbs. at the time, and the gain was due to, I think, prescription and OTC drug combinations and vascular issues. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466/20 "2019-06-13T16:07:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I was thinking about the “output.” If I overeat even one day, the next day I’m sitting on the toilet a lot. Like was posted above, how much do such people poop out every day? It’s probably not a major part of his weight gain, but people who weigh that much are likely to have mobility issues, to say the least, and thus it is going to be difficult for them to make it to the toilet. Thus they may not “poop every day” or even close to it. Their intestinal mobility may be as messed up as the rest of their metabolism. They are not necessarily paying any more attention to the internal signals of “I have to poop” than they do to the internal signals of “I’m full - stop eating”. Although I expect most of the weight gain is fluid. Regards, Shodan [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-gain-278-lb-in-6-weeks/835466.md?page=2)