Feasting: what/how much can you eat in one sitting? now vs then pics

cyaneverfat

Me: 1 meatball sub



Or
1 hawaiian pizza w/ bbq sauce or chicken & bacon stuffed crust pizza or margaretta pizza and chips, garlic bread, chicken wings and a 1.5 litre of pepsi max

formein2015

For me, I have Binge Eating Disorder so eating then or now I could easily eat both of those...at the meal, if I turn my mindset off. Otherwise, the sandwich would be cut in fourths and turned into 4 different meals, accompanied with different healthy sides, and the pizza would be cut in to 10 pieces.

cyaneverfat

I'm just wondering if it's normal to be able to put away so much food? Like how much do healthy people who have never had a weight problem eat when they indulge? I feel like they would stop long before me.

My sister once said to me that a skinny person might only eat 4 cups of food a day, while I was putting away 16.

Lietchi

My mom always has difficulties finishing her food in restaurants, and that's in Belgian restaurants, not US restaurants where portions are considerably larger. And yet she is obese, BMI above 35.
I've seen really skinny people eat huge amounts of food in one sitting too.
There are people on MFP who find that volume is necessary to feel satiated, eating large volumes of low calorie foods like vegetables, just be able to lose weight/maintain their weight loss.
There will be huge differences in how much food volume individuals can handle (and it can also change with time I think, the stomach can be 'trained'?). I'm not sure there is a 'normal'

AnnPT77

I can still eat a whole deep-dish pizza, easily, plus craft beer and dessert, even after 5 years at a healthy weight . . . and be happy afterward, if a bit full. I just can't do that very often, and maintain that healthy weight. Therefore, it's an occasional thing, with recognition of how it fits into my overall calorie/nutrition context.

I don't think my maximum per-meal capacity has decreased dramatically, between when I was obese and now. What has changed is how often I eat to that capacity. I think my inclination to do it has decreased as well, in parallel with the decreased frequency (not sure which is cause, which is effect - doesn't matter).

I assume some always-thin people have big splurges occasionally, and some always-thin people don't. For sure, I've known some always-thin athletes who could really *eat*, major huge dramatic amounts even all in one meal, but most of us don't burn (therefore *need*) as much as they do.

I'm a skeptic about "stomach size" as a significant factor; I think it's more about habits, expectations, and hunger/satiation hormones. For some people, I think there's an emotional element, as well, when it comes to eating *less*: I often see people here mention fear of regain, anxiety about "going off the rails", guilt if they go over calorie goal and that sort of thing. Major emotions around food aren't universal, but there's potential for them to be a factor in either over-eating, or in avoiding over-eating, IMO.

Noreenmarie1234

I can eat more than ever! I am a volume eater so always have liked huge volumes. Always been able to eat a footlong to myself as a small girl and still do. I eat 9 cups of pumpkin pudding every night and have for 10+ years. Your stomach does actually expand if you volume eat for years.

PAV8888

I used to regularly eat to the point of almost (and on a couple of occasions literally) not being able to walk right after.

These days I tend to overeat from time to time, and unfortunately still enjoy the I'm very full feeling; but I definitely do not enjoy and do not seek the "I am so full I couldn't even squeeze in the antacids I need to take" feeling. In fact I believe that there has only been one occasion of me looking for a glass of Coke to settle my stomach in recent memory, and I do not have any antacids in the house!

So let's call it looking for comfortably full but avoiding ending up beyond that. Versus a past ever-increasing spiral of trying to stuff in the maximum amount possible

wunderkindking

I really used to enjoy the very full feeling.

These days I really don't.

How much I can eat has not changed.

How much I can eat and not be miserable after has.

Same sensation but now I just super hate it where as before I found it comforting.