eli5: If a morbidly obese person stopped eating entirely, would they be thin by the time they starved to death?

Question

eli5: If a morbidly obese person stopped eating entirely, would they be thin by the time they starved to death?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Probably not. One of the reasons weight loss is so tricky are adipose cells. These are a type of fat cells that increase in number and size as we gain weight. These cells can never decrease in amount, only in size. Given that after a couple weeks without food(or even less depending on preexisting conditions) can kill, it’s unlikely that the adipose cells would have had time to shrink.

I am by no means an expert, that’s just my understanding of a single aspect of obesity.