For example, I played soccer for 5 years an in organization, I played Field Hockey and LaCross in Middle school while having to run 5 miles every Friday, I played (American) Football in high school, some wrestling, and we always had to run when I was in NJROTC in high school. I was able to run a 5:49 mile when I weighed 176lbs (believe it or not) and I was able to keep up with, at the time, the second fastest Cross Country athlete (Out of approximately 300), about the fifth fastest water polo player (Out of 30) , and about the sixth fastest wrestler (out of 40).
What usually happens?
Do we just get so caught up in trying to achieve other things?
Does responsibility just take over another part of your life and you no longer have the same effort?
Any other former athletes have an idea?
Because they are accustomed to eating quite a lot of food. For example, the Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps consumed more than 12,000 calories per day when he was preparing to compete in 2008. (A normal adult male needs about 2,000 per day). And yet his body was not obese:
http://static3.businessinsider.com/image...
It can be difficult to cut down on food when you stop getting all that exercise.
It is not just athletes. Most middle age people gain weight, even if they do not eat more, it is because your metabolism slows in middle age so you gain weight without increasing your calories.
Normally people are active when they are young and become less active as the age, so this along with eating causes them to gain weight.
This is compounded in athletes who are very active and eat huge sums of calories, so when they stop exercising and continue the same eating habits they get fat.
When humans are being "atheletes" they burn almost twice as many calories a day as most regular people,
When they stop competing, they tend to maintain the same appetite...
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/14146...
They get lazy.
