# Would you wake up tomorrow weighing 150 pounds more than you do right now, and agree to stay... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788 "2011-11-13T13:13:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/41 "2011-11-14T06:49:28Z")
For a year… it’s tempting. I think I’d probably try it. It’s not nearly enough money for three years. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/42 "2011-11-14T07:27:41Z")
It would literally kill me. I’ll be having open-heart surgery in several months, and even my current weight is above optimum. An additional 150 pounds, and the surgery would be very high-risk. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/43 "2011-11-14T07:40:32Z")
You say that any weight gained during this year on top of the 150 pounds would be kept. On the flip side would any weight lost during this year stay lost? I’m thinking that having to haul all that extra weight around for a year could help me lose the 40 pounds I want to lose. I still don’t know. I would be giving up a year of my life for money but that would mean giving up doing things with my family and children. What if I died from something else the next year and I wasted all that time? I’m going to say no. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/44 "2011-11-14T08:17:50Z")
That would put me at 268 lbs and 5’ 3". I’m going to say no also. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/45 "2011-11-14T09:44:35Z")
For a year I would probably do it - $500,000 USD as a lump sum would be enough to tip me into retirement right now - and at around 175 pounds right now, an extra 150 would be bad, but I think manageable - one year would pass fast enough. My question - am I allowed to diet during the one year? What if I can naturally lose the weight in 6 months or so? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/46 "2011-11-14T13:33:24Z")
> [@gerund](#): > > HAHAHA!! Do you think your marriage would last? Yes, it would last, but it would certainly help to be able to tell the hub what was going on. I’m lucky to have a really awesome husband who doesn’t care a whole lot about extra weight on women. He’d probably be kind of amused by the variety for a year. Three years is pushing it. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/47 "2011-11-14T16:39:55Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Because I’m 34 & 1/2 and single, and suddenly weighing 300 pounds definitely would not help me find someone to settle down with soon to start a family before it’s too late. I’d probably have taken the deal ten years ago, though. Bear with me … this is _just_ me playing devil’s advocate, I swear. 1. Fat people fall in love and get married. (A lot of people get fat AFTER the wedding and stay together and are happy, but for the moment I’m talking only about people who were fat at the altar.) I’ve been fat all my life and was off the market at 19. I’ve currently been married 13 years. I’m certainly not the only fat chick out there running around with a wedding ring, either. Does it help to be thin when looking for a mate? Maybe – that said, I think a LOT of finding a mate is just … well, random. Or dumb luck. Or, if you believe in it, fate. There are a bajillion factors, really, and physical appearance is just one aspect … if being thin was all it took to land a guy, you’d be married and I’d be single. (Please, _please_ don’t read that the wrong way, I do NOT mean that as a diss at all!) 2. You lose the weight in a year and you go back to your normal body. 3. You’re (presumably) much richer after said year, no worse for the wear physically and only 1 year older. You meet Mr. Right after that and you’re sitting pretty financially - and to be fair, sitting pretty financially could very well give you access to guys you’d never have had access to pre-500k (tripping over a millionaire on a Jamaican beach, for instance). If you _don’t_ meet Mr. Right, half a million will definitely help in starting and raising a family should you choose to be a single mom. If you met a guy today and fell in love, would you be married a year from now? (Some people would be married in 3 months, some wouldn’t - either way is cool, I’m just trying to get a read on whether you’d want to make things official quickly or wait a while and plan a big wedding, etc.) None of this matters, of course, since we’re talking about a hypothetical situation, I’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/48 "2011-11-14T16:53:56Z")
> [@Zulema](#): > > I still don’t know. I would be giving up a year of my life for money but that would mean giving up doing things with my family and children. I realize its not a lot of fun being fat, but “giving up a year of your life” seems kinda stretching it. I know people that are pretty big, they generally want to be thinner, but its not like they extract no joy from life. You’d probably be giving up a year of any activities you engage in that involve strenuous activity. I think I’d stop jogging to protect my knees, but I could switch to swimming or bike-ridding or hiking, so its not like I’d have to give up all physical activity. It wouldn’t really be different from having a bad knee injury that laid you up for a year, with the up-side being that knee surgery leaves you 500k poorer, where this would leave you 500k richer. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/49 "2011-11-14T16:55:39Z")
No way. I have enough body issues as it is. I can’t imagine how much money it would take for me to willingly gain that much weight. Plus, even when I was 25 pounds heavier I had trouble keeping up with my kids. It’d be hell on earth to keep up with them with 150 pounds extra. No way in hell would I want to do that or let my kids and husband see me that large. That would set a terrible example, too. No, no, no. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/50 "2011-11-14T16:59:16Z")
Fuck. No. I’d be twice my weight, and the things I enjoy would be a lot less enjoyable at that size. Three years of being an entirely different person --one that I would hate being, btw, not being a jillionaire or something-- is not worth $500,000 to me. I’d think about it if the duration were six months. ---
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/51 "2011-11-14T17:04:30Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > That would put me at 268 lbs and 5’ 3". I’m going to say no also. Muahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/52 "2011-11-14T17:36:14Z")
Sorry. I still have 57 to whittle back and hold for two years in order to qualify to buy long term care insurance. Not that I’m looking forward to that, it just irks me that I don’t qualify. One of the offspring took a nutrition class where he was taught that it can take up to seven years for a fat cell to die and until it does that, what you’ve got from your weight loss is a lot of empty fat cells just waiting to be refilled. Lovely thought. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/53 "2011-11-14T18:22:49Z")
No. I’m already overweight (not THAT much but closer than I’d like :eek: :() and it’s causing some health issues. 500,000 would worsen things and therefore mess with my long-term earning potential, and thus probably cause a net _loss_ in net worth. Now, if I knew I were going to die in, say, 5 years anyway, I might consider that. I think I’d want an up-front payment of part of it however, because at current+150, I might not be able to get out and earn a living. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/54 "2011-11-14T20:49:50Z")
I’ll take your one-year deal, but I’ll need a few terms agreed to first. 1. Either you magically make my weight fixed at the necessary level or allow me to lose weight naturally throughout the year. In other words, no penalizing me for accidental weight loss. 2. I get to at least explain things to my wife. Also, if I may hijack the thread with a side hypothetical- what if you had to either prostitute yourself enough to raise $500,000 or stay fat for the same length of time for $500,000? Which way would you choose to abuse your body for cash? ---
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/55 "2011-11-14T21:44:12Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I’ll take your one-year deal, but I’ll need a few terms agreed to first. > > 1. Either you magically make my weight fixed at the necessary level or allow me to lose weight naturally throughout the year. In other words, no penalizing me for accidental weight loss. > > 2. I get to at least explain things to my wife. > Also, if I may hijack the thread with a side hypothetical- what if you had to either prostitute yourself enough to raise $500,000 or stay fat for the same length of time for $500,000? Which way would you choose to abuse your body for cash? With respect to the first issue…Any weight LOST over the year would not decrease the weight you would return to UNLESS you lost weight beyond the 150 pounds that was added (a difficult task to do). Also, you would not be able to explain things to your wife…an earlier poster made note of the fact that her husband would demand she went to a doc or he’s prolly send her to an insane asylum…a fair price to pay for the half million. And with respect to your hypothetical question…remember, there are NOT longterm medical sequelae…if I could be guaranteed of not catching any venereal diseases from the prostitution question, then I’d think about it…however, since I have a fairly responsible job, I’d have to keep a very low profile. Also, I doubt there’d be much earning potential for a tall, pale male in his early 30s as a prostitute–I certainly couldn’t make 500 grand in less than a year. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/56 "2011-11-14T22:24:57Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > That would put me at 268 lbs and 5’ 3". I’m going to say no also. > [@gerund](#): > > Muahahahaha! 😕 Not quite getting your response. If by it you mean that being a woman of my stature and weighing close to 300 lbs is scary, not to mention probably damn uncomfortable, then yes, I do get it. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/57 "2011-11-14T22:29:55Z")
No chance in hell. That would put me somewhere between 350 and 370 on a 5’2" body. The money is absolutely not worth potentially giving myself hypertension, diabetes, or worse knee and back problems than I already have. In addition, the next 3 years are going to be spent sitting in college desks which are uncomfortable enough at my current weight. No thank you. ---
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/58 "2011-11-14T23:04:01Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > 😕 Not quite getting your response. If by it you mean that being a woman of my stature and weighing close to 300 lbs is scary, not to mention probably damn uncomfortable, then yes, I do get it. Yes, that was what I was getting at. Sorry for the ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/59 "2011-11-14T23:05:28Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > No chance in hell. That would put me somewhere between 350 and 370 on a 5’2" body. The money is absolutely not worth potentially giving myself hypertension, diabetes, or worse knee and back problems than I already have. In addition, the next 3 years are going to be spent sitting in college desks which are uncomfortable enough at my current weight. > No thank you. But remember–NO longterm medical sequelae. Also, consider how nice it would be to ride around in motorized scooters. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788/60 "2011-11-14T23:11:23Z")
I’m not thinking long term. I have enough medical problems right now. I can’t imagine even one year with the problems that come with being close to 400 pounds. Nope. I’m ok with being a broke student, though I’d like to lose about 90 pounds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-wake-up-tomorrow-weighing-150-pounds-more-than-you-do-right-now-and-agree-to-stay/602788.md?page=4)