how can our bodies utilize gigantic meals, can’t we overload the ‘processing’ systems?

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How can the human body process such huge quantities of calories? Like, if I normally eat 2,200 calories a day and one day decide to eat 20,000 calories how could my body not be overloaded and let most of those calories get pooped out?

I think it would make sense if I slowly increased it or increased it for a long time, but if I went out tomorrow and slammed 15 candy bars and 5 burgers how could my body be like, “okay, 20k calories coming right up”?

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

We evolved through times when meals were sometimes not that easy to come by, so when a large animal was killed we had the adaptations to eat as much of it as we could because it might be a substantial time before the next one.

Anonymous 0 Comments

You can in fact eat so much your stomach explodes and you die. This has happened a few times, although it’s extremely rare.

As long as you don’t do that, your stomach will hold the food until the rest of the digestive system is ready for it.

And no, you’re bodies not going to throw away calories. It’s made for survival in hunter gatherer days when long periods of famine were common. It needs to store every calorie it can possibly get so you can survive those starvation times. Modern food production is not something it is suited for.

Anonymous 0 Comments

You would never be able to eat 20000 calories even Olympic athletes who train vigorously all day long usually can only put down 15k calories.

I used to be on a strict workout regiment:

Monday: (morning) 500 pushups, 400 dips, 100 pullups, 1000 situps (10 sets in a circuit) then immediately head put for a 3 mile run.
(Night) I’d do legs for weight (deadlift squat calves etc and then when finished do a 2 mile swim

Tuesday: (morning) 5 mile run
(Night) chest for weight and then 2 mile swim again

Wednesday: (morning] monday circuit again and 3 mile run
(Night) back and 2 mile swim again

Thursday: (morning) 5 mile run
(Night) shoulders and 2 mile swim

Friday: (morning) Monday circuit again then 3 mile run
(Night) arms and then two mile swim

Saturday I did accessory muscles like forearms and crap like that and then i rested the rest of the day and sunday as well

Even while I was doing all that I would struggle to eat 6k calories a day. It was a nightmare and I hated food. Food became a chore and I no longer looked forward to eating.

But anyway what would happen is that your stomach would stretch to a ridiculous size and you would become fat as shit in a matter of a month and probably diabetic because the only way you could even come close to 20kcal is by eating a primarily sugar based liquid diet. Honestly you would probably die. So if you want to call that overload then you can.