# SM Calorie Intake.



## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

A while ago I was listening to the telly while painting, and a show cam on talking about the calorie intake of the average Joe, and it got me thinking. Just how many calories would a marine need to take in on a daily basis? 

I know while on campaign their armour provides all they need, but on a normal day, just training or hanging around the Fang/Phalanx/Baal, how many thousands of calories would they need? Micheal Phelps, an Olympic swimmer, burns 12,000 a day while training, but considering a marine can be a meter taller and have maybe 3 times the body mass, I'd put it at around 50-60,000. Your thoughts?


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## Igni Ferroque (Dec 7, 2010)

I laughed when I saw this topic, because I was thinking the same thing... you better putting a space marine on par with another animal from the animal kingdom. 

A space-marine would probably have to go straight into the 100k's of calories as they have a massive amount of muscle mass, and a hyper metabolism. They must feed off the fear of their enemies... because that amount of calorie intake is almost unimaginable!


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## Azezel (May 23, 2010)

First - remember that most of your energy intake is used simply being a warm-blooded animal. Serriously, it's really, really expensive, that's why most animals don't bother. Now, as it happens, the more massive the animal, the less energy (_proportionately!_) it needs to stay warm. That's why tiny voles and whatnot pretty much need to eat all day, they can starve t death in a few hours, whereas whales can go for months without eating.

Whales are also highly efficient and well insulated. Just like Space Marines. I'd bet the Emperor built them to run pretty lean and they can squeeze far more useful energy out of a calorie than a normal human. The Black Carapace is probably designed to insulate them as well as interface with their armour.

Long story short, I'd say a Space Marine could get by on 20k to 30k calories a day.


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## ChaosRedCorsairLord (Apr 17, 2009)

Considering all the extra organs SMs have and their extra bone and muscle mass they would need to eat ridiculously large amounts of food to stay alive. But it's all good since they can eat almost anything due to one of there extra organs.

I'm pretty sure a SM's nervous system is relatively unchanged by their transformation which is good since the brain accounts for approximately 1/4 of your daily calorie use.


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

20-30k, like Azezel said.
Haegr The Mouintain, on the other hand, would be atleast 3-4 times that number


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## Engindeer (Dec 1, 2010)

gen.ahab said:


> 20-30k, like Azezel said.
> Haegr The Mouintain, on the other hand, would be atleast 3-4 times that number



That is a gross overstatement; A male african elephant consumes 50.000 calories a day. And for such a big creature it has a terrible energy-output. It's warm-blooded AND a herbivore, eating more than 300 punds of grass a day.

As a former competitive swimmer I kept a diet of around 3000-5000 calories a day, with training 30+ hours a week. I'm a 6'1 guy and weighs 170 lbs - didn't really want to go into this. 

Even with all the 'superior' genetics, a Space Marine diet of 20k-30k calories a day seems to be appropriate.

*However, on a funny note, check out the Elvis daily diet:*

The Elvis Diet:

Breakfast (5 pm) - 5,000 calories

six large eggs cooked in butter with extra salt, 1lb of bacon, half a pound of sausages, 12 buttermilk biscuits

Dinner (10p) - 84,000 calories

Two "Fool's Gold" sandwiches [a jar of peanut butter, a jar of strawberry jam, one pound of crisp-fried bacon on a baguette x2]

Supper (4a) - 5,000 calories

5 double-hamburgers and deep-fried peanut butter, mashed banana sandwiches.

Misc. - other snacks as required between meals

Elvis total dietary intake in calories averaged a minimum of 94,000 *per day*. The article highlights that an adult Asian elephant (many tons in weight) has a normal diet of 50,000 calories per day. The article quotes a spokesman for the British Nutrition Foundation as saying, "I do not know how he did it... The Elvis diet would fuel a normal man for a month." The article continues, "Eventually this condition [consuming 94,000 calories worth of food per day] contributed to his death


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

Are we talking about the Haegr part? Because that was sarcasm.:laugh:


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## Engindeer (Dec 1, 2010)

hard to tell, given we're online, bro


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

True... probably should have thrown an emoticon in there.


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## chromedog (Oct 31, 2007)

Depends what their Baseline Metabolic Rate is.
Formula uses Height, weight, male/female & age multiplied by a certain number.

For an 'Average' human, it _should_ be 5-10,000 Kj per day.

30% of our intake is purely used to break down into fuel what we eat. So we eat to power the system that we use to power the system we use to live.

SM have two hearts and three lungs, as well as several other organs. They are also 7' tall and probably mass twice/thrice a 'fit' athlete (at least).

Probably on the order of 50-60,000Kj a day.


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

I've read that in terms of mechanical efficiency, our bodies use only 25% of the energy supplied to our muscles. The rest is lost as heat. I would imagine Space Marine bodies would be much more efficient and converting a greater amount into actual mechanical energy and not wasteful thermal energy.


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## Gigantor (Jun 21, 2009)

Well, I may not be a space marine, but I am 7' tall and I work in construction. I need to eat 4500 - 5000 Calories per day to maintain my weight and muscle mass. I would say that I have a medium-high activity level at work. I'm guessing that a space marine would probably require double to triple that. So I'd say 15000 Calories/day while in combat/training.


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

Remember also that Space Marines can control their metabolism to some degree--the Sus'an Membrane implant allows them to induce a state of suspended animation in themselves that's basically a "burn nearly 0 calories" hibernation. I believe that one Marine survived for around two hundred years in that state...


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

Mossy Toes said:


> Remember also that Space Marines can control their metabolism to some degree--the Sus'an Membrane implant allows them to induce a state of suspended animation in themselves that's basically a "burn nearly 0 calories" hibernation. I believe that one Marine survived for around two hundred years in that state...


567 years. :wink:


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## vaul117 (Dec 8, 2010)

When I was doing forest fire fighting last summer as a job, I was eating around 16,000 calories a day and drinking a gallon of water and still losing weight. The hyped up military rations we were issued helped, as each one had around 6,000 calories. Speaking from experience I would say that the space marines must have some sort of killer supplements and some really awesome synthetic source of nutrition. I mean to move all that muscle, support all the extra organs, plus other assorted marine stuff would take a TON of calories. Lets be honest, a guy all stuffed with that much food isn't gonna be very good in a fight, so they must be using a good system of delivery so they can have all those calories and not have that much matter in Their stomachs causing them to be sluggish. (they also probably digest and absorb their calories with a lot better efficiency than us)


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## D-A-C (Sep 21, 2010)

I'm not trying to stop anyone discussing fluff, but Jezus Christ (PC-Spelling) people talk about the most bizarre things.

Do you seriously think people at GW or BL Head Quarters are all sitting around discussing how many frickin calories a day Space Marine needs. What is this, 40k or You Are What You Eat.

What is Gillian McKieth going to lead in Loken, Abaddon, Ahriman, Kharn, Lucius etc and say, "Right guys, we have layed out all the food you eat in a week here, what do you all think? Aren't you ashamed? You in particular Horus, thats right don't think I've forgotten about you. Now everyone lets go over your stool samples ..."

For goodness sake folks, talk about something useful lol, not debating the calorie count for a Space Marine like a bunch of women lol.
*
Loken "Hey Aximand do you think my bum looks big in this armour"

Aximand "Oh definately, the way you've been eating lately, your piling on the pounds"

Abaddon "Aximand, your such a b*tch"

(Cat Fight ensue*s)

Seriously, c'mon people!!!


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

D-A-C said:


> For goodness sake folks, talk about something useful lol, not debating the calorie count for a Space Marine like a bunch of women.


I was curious and posted a thread. Obviously others have thought about it a bit. If you've nothing to contribute, or have no interest in the thread, why bother posting? At least this is all about 40k, as opposed to all those "SM v Ewok" or "Batman v Old One Eye" threads.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

D-A-C said:


> I'm not trying to stop anyone discussing fluff, but Jezus Christ (PC-Spelling) people talk about the most bizarre things.
> Seriously, c'mon people!!!


Fuck off then.

A thread like this does no harm and instead explores elements of the background that wouldn't normally be explored- it's not like there is a post/thread limit on Heresy, this topic isn't bringing us closer to some mythical borderline.


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Baron Spikey said:


> Fuck off then.


:laugh: That was a good one!

This thread is actually quite... Interesting...


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## Professor Pumpkin (Jun 25, 2010)

In order to maintain that healthy and strong physique that the Adeptus Astartes have, they obey very strictly to the Adepta Sorortis clan known as "Weightwatchers"


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Professor Pumpkin said:


> In order to maintain that healthy and strong physique that the Adeptus Astartes have, they obey very strictly to the Adepta Sorortis clan known as "Weightwatchers"


:laugh: Another good one! +rep


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

How many calories is a tricky question to begin with. 

Especially in a drawn out campaign where food is scarce.

So, what`s the calorie count of recycled bodily waste provided by their power armour? :biggrin:


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Serpion5 said:


> Especially in a drawn out campaign where food is scarce.
> 
> So, what`s the calorie count of recycled bodily waste provided by their power armour? :biggrin:


I was thinking about this, and while on campaign their armour and eating anything available would sustain them, but this will only go so far. Marines can survive I'm sure on practically zero intake, but would eat up huge the huge energy reserves I reckon a marine body holds. 

But when a marine returns from a protracted campaign where resources have been scarce, I'd say he binges like a freshly jilted fat chick watching the X Factor to replenish those reserves.


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## Igni Ferroque (Dec 7, 2010)

They must have come up with some sort of supplement to feed these legions... If we took out their cooks would they fall?


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