You might have wondered why competitive eaters aren’t seriously overweight and in fact are in pretty good shape. Even if you didn’t there’s a very good reason for it. Competitive eating is in some cases a very gross spectacle since just to watch some of these folks you have to realize that they’re horking down a significant weight in food, sometimes enough that it could be considered to be a decent percentage of their own body weight. Seriously, some of them are not overly big people. But despite what it looks like there are ways around gaining weight that competitive eaters practice on a very constant basis.
They watch their weight. Yeah, you read that right. For all the calories they take in they watch how much they eat on a regular basis and will come up with tricks well before or just prior to an eating contest. Some will go on liquid diets for a short period of time, others will eat little more than veggies and other non-fattening foods. And then there are some that are just genetically gifted since they have ironclad stomachs that can take the increasing pressure without sending off a signal to the brain that the individual is full and that it’s time to stop. The result of overeating for most of us possible nausea, indigestion, and even very painful stomach cramps. But for competitive eaters the signal that is supposed to go to the brain never seems to get there, which allows them to keep eating since their stomach will keep stretching.
This of course isn’t all that healthy in the long run, but so long as they’re able these folks will continue to do what they love.
By keeping themselves in shape they tend to rid their bodies of unwanted belly fat, which can keep the stomach from expanding and therefore make it much more possible for the stomach to send signals to the brain that it is in fact full. This is why you won’t typically see a lot of hefty eaters in competition. There are enough to be counted but typically they won’t last as long as you would think, since eating competitions are more about endurance and staying power than they are about size. These folks work their stomachs out routinely in order to be able to take this punishment over and over and aren’t shy about asking for seconds when it’s all said and done.
For some of them, their bodies metabolize the calories so quickly that being hungry again isn’t a big thing. They aren’t likely to eat a huge amount right after an eating competition, but when the object is to shovel your food into your mouth, chew, and then swallow as quickly as possible it’s kind of hard to enjoy it. While food is after all just a great mixup of nutrients to keep the body going strong it’s still important to get some enjoyment out of it. Think of it this way, it’s the difference between a pro driver racing on the circuit as opposed to just taking a pleasant drive without the pressure.
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