# How Much Does an Obese Person Eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647 "2004-11-14T01:54:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/41 "2004-11-15T20:38:33Z")
I’m not obese, but I had one doctor tell me that most people have a natural weight range as adults that they tend to fall back in barring any unusual changes to diet or exercise patterns. I have found this to be true for me, as I really can lose weight rather quickly by cutting down on the beers, etc., even without increasing exercise. In other words, I don’t think people will continue to gain weight just from eating that “extra carrot a day.” It’s really not simple math. We don’t process every calorie consumed exactly the same way. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/42 "2004-11-15T21:09:27Z")
It doesn’t take a genius to figure that if you are overweight you and ingesting too many calories (too much food.) Losing weight requires discipline and regular exercise. Get about an hour of aeorobic exercise every day. Walk if nothing else. Weigh every day and the same time on accurate scales. Maintain a graph of your weight day by day for a month. If your weight has increased or same since yesterday eat a little less. If you have lost more than 1/2 lb. eat a _little_ more. With this regimen you should lose about 3 lb. a week. Do not try to exceed this rate unless you want to look like a prune. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/43 "2004-11-15T21:49:46Z")
The other thing I think that contributes to obesity is that most people have no idea how many calories they actually need to survive. For instance, my mom who ate a reasonable 2000 calorie a day diet and did some exercise was a normal, healthy weight. She then developed hypothyroidism (but didn’t know). She continued eating the same diet, but put on 40 lbs in about 3 months (literally - it was freaky). The reason is that the hypothyroidism _slowed her metabolism down_ so she was only burning about 700 calories a day instead of the old mark of 2000 - blammo, she’s obese. FWIW, she’s subsequently gone on medication (which will only contribute to about 5 lbs of weightloss) as well as a diabetic diet (she developed diabetes as well) and super increased exercise (1 hour of walking a day on the treadmill till she’s sweaty, plus weight training)- she’s now lost a total of about 30 lbs since May (Yeah mom!) and has a few to go however, she’s a lot firmer than she was before she started. Anyhow - she didn’t eat any more than a thin person, and yet was obese. However, this story also illustrates that a “glandular problem” cannot necessarily be blamed for obesity - obviously, despite a glandular problem, mom has been able to lose 75% of her weight gain with reduced calories and increased exercise. Period. ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/44 "2004-11-15T23:13:24Z")
What would I have to eat to reach 2000 calories per day? I wonder if that standard is actually excessive for the average person. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/45 "2004-11-15T23:28:59Z")
> [@uglybeech](#): > > Take a person who is 100 lbs overweight who burns on average 2000 calories a day. > > That means over his lifetime he’s consumed an extra 350,000 calories compared to his ideal-weight counterpart with the same activity level and metabolism. > > Sounds like a lot? Well if he’s 30 years old that means he’s eaten an extra 32 calories a day. > > \*\*About 1 carrot’s worth. \*\* This doesn’t take into account the extra calories he would presumably need to consume to carry the extra weight around. If he’s carrying an extra 100 pounds, it takes energy to do that. If it’s 10 calories per pound, then the 100 lbs overweight person is eating 1000 extra calories per day just to maintain the extra 100 lbs. So ignoring any metabolic changes, the extra number of calories per day he’ll need to eat is around \*\* 32 + (current\_weight - ideal\_weight) \* 10 \*\* ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/46 "2004-11-15T23:35:13Z")
> [@ninetypercent](#): > > What would I have to eat to reach 2000 calories per day? I wonder if that standard is actually excessive for the average person. 2000 calories in junk food is very little. Here’s what 2000 calories in real food looks like, from [this diabetic website](http://www.drugs.com/CG/2000_CALORIE_DIABETIC_DIET__BASIC.html). > [@](#): > > SAMPLE 2000 CALORIE MENU: > > **Breakfast** : > 2 breads or starches like one English muffin or 1-1/2 cups bran flake cereal > 1 milk, like 1 cup skim, 1% milk, or nonfat sugar-free yogurt > 1 ounce meat or protein like 1 soft-boiled egg or 1/4 cup scrambled egg substitute. Do not eat more than 3 eggs each week. > 1 fruit, like 1/2 large banana or 1-1/4 cup of fresh strawberries > 1 fat, like 1 tsp margarine > > **Morning Snack** : > 1 bread or starch like 2 fat-free rice cakes or 6 saltine crackers > 1 ounce meat or protein, like 2 Tbsp peanut butter or 1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese > > **Lunch** : > The following foods can be combined to make a chicken pasta salad: > 2 ounces meat or protein, like 2 ounces cooked chicken breast with 1 ounce grated lowfat cheese > 2 vegetables, like 1 cup fresh salad greens and 1 cup chopped fresh vegetables > 1 bread or starch, like 1/2 cup cooked pasta > 1 fat, like 2 Tbsp lowfat salad dressing > Add the following foods for lunch: > 1 bread or starch, like 1 small dinner roll (1 ounce) > 1 fruit, like 1 small orange or 1/2 large pear > 1 free food, like 12 ounces sugar-free soft drink > > **Afternoon Snack** : > 1 milk, like 1 cup skim or 1 cup nonfat sugar-free yogurt > 1 bread, like three 2-1/2 inch squares graham crackers or 3 cups air-popped popcorn > > **Dinner** : > 3 ounces meat or protein, like 3 ounces baked cod or salmon > 2 starches, like one 3-inch baked potato and 1/2 cup cooked corn > 2 vegetables, like 1 cup steamed asparagus and 1 cup steamed carrots > 1 fat, like 1 tsp margarine or 1 tsp olive oil > 1 fruit, like 3/4 cup fresh pineapple or 1/2 cup fruit cocktail > 1 milk, like 1 cup skim milk > > **Evening Snack** : > 1 bread, like 1 slice of toast or 3/4 ounce pretzels > 1 ounce meat or protein, like 1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese or 1 ounce turkey breast [This site from the makers of a diet drug](http://www.xenical.com/sample_diets.asp) has examples of menus for various cuisines. They download in PDF, so here’s an example of a 2000 calorie Mexican day: > [@](#): > > **Breakfast** > 2⁄3 cup frijoles de la olla > 1 tomato, chopped > 1⁄4 avocado > chili sauce > 2 6-inch tortillas > 8 oz. orange juice > > **Lunch** > 5 oz. ground sirloin > 1 medium potato (6 oz.) > 1 oz. low-fat cheese > 1 teaspoon canola oil, to sauté > 1⁄2 cup salsa, topping > 1 cup jicama > hot chocolate: > 3⁄4 cup 1% milk and sugarfree cocoa mix > tea or coffee with sugar substitute > > **Dinner** > 6 oz. broiled white fish > 1 cup summer squash > 2 teaspoons canola oil > chili sauce, seasoning > lime juice, seasoning > 1 cup white rice > 1 cup papaya > water or diet soda > > **Snack** > 1 cup nonfat yogurt > sweetened with > aspartame (or substitute > with 4 fat-free wheat > crackers > 1 apple Their “sothern fare” menu looks like this: > [@](#): > > **Breakfast** > 3 oz. hash browns > 1 tomato, diced > 1⁄2 cup spinach > 6 egg whites for scrambled eggs > cooking spray to scramble eggs and veggies > 1 peach > 8 oz. 1% milk > coffee or tea (use milk above) > > **Lunch** > 2⁄3 cup kidney beans > 3 oz. low-fat ham > hot sauce > 2 slices whole wheat bread > 1 cup cauliflower > 1 oz. chitterlings > 1 cup honeydew > 8 oz. 1% milk > 1⁄2 cup onion > 2 teaspoons canola oil to sauté onion and top chop > 1⁄2 cup noodles > 1 cup broccoli > 1 cup fruit cocktail in ownjuices > water, seltzer or diet > coffee > > **Dinner** > 4 oz. chicken, no skin, barbecued > 1 tablespoon low-calorie barbecue sauce (less than 15 calories ⁄tablespoon) > 1 cup brown rice > 1 cup asparagus > lettuce with cucumber, radish > 2 teaspoons olive oil for salad > 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar > 1 kiwi > water, seltzer or diet beverage > > **Snack** > 1⁄3 cup fat-free frozen yogurt > 11⁄4 cups strawberries ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/47 "2004-11-15T23:46:10Z")
I see upon further review that you had said **Take a person who is 100 lbs overweight who burns on average 2000 calories a day.** I didn’t take that into account. I suppose if the person became more seditary as he gained weight, he could offset the additional caloric requirement needed for the extra weight by being less active and he could keep his caloric expenditure constant over that time. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/48 "2004-11-16T00:43:48Z")
> [@tryout1](#): > > Assuming the effect was from the pill and not the exercise, can you say what pill? Is it legal, safe, and without serious side-effects? How does it work? Obviously medication is not a long-term solution to obesity, unless you want to take pills forever, but for folks who are grossly obese I would think it might be helpful in the short term while they are trying to make long-term adjustments in eating habits, exercise, etc. I don’t remember, honestly. But it was habit-forming (and thus I couldn’t have been on it indefinitely – that’s really the reason it was expensive, actually, because the doctor said I had to come in for monthly visits if I still wanted the drug), and the side effects for me were all connected feeling really overly hot all of the time – not sleeping well, sometimes a little dizzy, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/49 "2004-11-16T01:34:58Z")
There’s no one answer to this question. Some people have severe congenital ailments that make them highly prone to obesity (naturally occuring human leptin mutations (usually frameshift or early stop codon) for instance), even on restricted diets; some people have to eat 3500 calories a day to even put on weight (I know a guy like that; he’s a freak). ---
**Author:** ![TonyF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@TonyF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonyF)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/50 "2004-11-16T02:04:31Z")
I’m not a nutrition expert by far, but with the little I know, this thread is killing me. First, “a calorie is a calorie” is true. Show otherwise and you’ve probably got a nobel prize waiting. But that’s NOT to say that eating x calories a day will affect two different people the same way - so anyone saying so is probably incorrect. Second, “how much” in terms of calories or food is typically the wrong question to ask; it makes much more sense to compare rates - specifically, energy intake vs. energy expenditure. Calculating intake really isn’t that difficult - just tally up the calories - but energy expenditure can be ENORMOUSLY difficult to calculate accurately. You’ve got the sheer physics of it - how much energy is required to keep me breathing, heart beating, or otherwise alive? - but there’s also the biological aspects of how a person’s body regulates itself - like how it reacts excess or deficit calories. With that in mind, the question is pretty much _unanswerable_. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/51 "2004-11-16T02:05:29Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > I wasn’t anything like being obese though, and obesity may complicate matters by screwing up metabolism and making it difficult to get exercise, I would think that either of these would mean that an obese person could actually eat less than an ideally sized person and still put on weight. Well, we have to bear in mind that “obese” is a pretty wide range of weights. The heaviest I’ve ever been is 275, which at 6’2" is technically obese, but I could and can still run, jump, and do any exercise I could do when I weighed 170. Of course, I’m just now turning 33 - someone who weighed 25-275 but who was 56 could not just do an hour on the treadmill because he was motivated to start exercising. On the other hand, someone who was my height but weighed 400 pounds should probably seek professional assistance with weight loss. ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647/52 "2004-11-16T15:22:20Z")
> [@TonyF](#): > > …but energy expenditure can be ENORMOUSLY difficult to calculate accurately…With that in mind, the question is pretty much _unanswerable_. If you’re demanding precision to the calorie it’s unanswerable. But otherwise it’s a perfectly accessible problem. Metabolism is just a variable with something like a bell curve distribution and which can vary by only so much. Its reasonable therefore, to talk about an “average” metabolism, to make estimates and draw bounds on the problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-obese-person-eat/274647.md?page=2)