How much does overeating contribute to the obesity problem in the US?

[Scarlett]

I want to find statistics for this. I got into an argument with my brother when I said that most people who are overweight are overeating and all obese people for sure are. He seems to think it comes down to laziness or just lack of working out. I have seen very heavy/large people working out plenty of times. I think it mainly comes down to people not realizing how many calories they are consuming. He is a prime example. I tracked what he ate in a single day once and it was over 4,500 calories! For someone his age and height, he shouldn't be eating more than 2,100 calories per day. 

[James]

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Yes some people are overweight from overeating. Just because you work out does not mean you can intake infinite calories (something I have to remind myself of from time to time). 

I would say a bulk of the obesity problem is from being lazy though. People just do not need to move as much as they used to have to move. Heck you can live life now without ever leaving your house if you wanted to. 

I would say if you are out not being active you must be sitting around doing some kind of idle activity which it is really easy to eat while you are idle. Eating while you are active is much more complicated. 

[Stacey]

The more active you are, the less you eat. The less active you are, the more you eat. This tends to be an issue for both men and women. I noticed I was gaining weight when I started working at an office. I was sitting all day and then I would be tired from sitting all day only to go home and sit some more. I got so used to sitting that standing for too long actually hurt my legs and feet. I was also eating more from feeling fatigued all the time. People need to find things they enjoy that keep them busy physically. 

[Emma]

The average overweight person is eating enough to at least sustain themselves being overweight. Most of them if they did start to exercise would likely eat more to compensate. I think it is fair to assume that for a lot of people, overeating is the main issue but this is not the case for everyone. I have known overweight people who eat the same amount as I do, they are just very lazy. At the same time, I have known people who eat double if not triple the amount and they have extremely fit bodies. 

[Ella]

I would argue it is the main cause. You can work out every day for 5 hours but if you are eating more than you body needs, you will not lose weight. I think it is only true for people who are overweight who eat slightly over what they should and are still large. This is almost always down to inactivity or a hormonal issue.