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The effects of preloads, deprivation, and palatability on the eating behavior of non-dieting lean and obese subjects were studied during laboratory meals, using small solid food units (SFUs) to measure the rate of ingestion over the time-course of the meals. In both weight groups, rate of intake decreased from the beginning to the end of meals. The smaller the preloads and the longer the deprivation interval, the faster subjects ate at the beginning of meals and the higher their hunger ratings were. The longest deprivation interval also increased palatability ratings, meal length, and the total amount that subjects ate. Increasing the palatability of the food increased the rate of intake at the beginning of meals, meal length, and the amount of food that subjects ate. Obese subjects were more sensitive to palatability and less responsive to deprivation than lean subjects. For example, while lean subjects became less discriminating about the palatability of the food at the beginning of meals as deprivation increased, obese subjects did not. The satiation mechanism of obese subjects was also different from lean subjects. For example, obese subjects overate after preloads while lean subjects underate compared to their baselines.