My experiences with my first food-eating challenge:
So how did I do it?
Simply put, this was my strategy: intermittent fasting throughout the day, which means no breakfast or lunch. And I started the challenge around 9 PM, when I was maximally hungry.
Also, at around 6 PM, about three hours before the challenge, I went to the gym for a quick pump. In addition, the whole week prior, I’ve been powerlifting pretty hard-core at the gym. On Monday I did a one rep max for my squat, and on Wednesday I did a one-rep max for my sumo deadlift.
Also, it was good to have morale support (Cindy came, and recorded the whole thing on the GOPRO).
Practical strategies
Also other strategies:
- Throw all the meat in the hotpot to cook quickly.
- Once the meat is done cooking, take it out and put it onto the plate to let it cool (the difficult thing was actually eating hot meat which burned your mouth).
- Leave all the carbs towards the end (the rice, the noodles, etc).
- Spicy miso seems the best, the spiciness helps cut down the fat and helps you process the food.
- Sambal (spicy sauce) was good to dip your meat in.
- Stay focused. Also, eating while standing was helpful.
How did I feel afterwards?
Surprisingly, I felt great. The hardest thing was actually being able to chew all the meat that quickly. My personal record is eating 5 pounds of meat in one sitting, so eating 3 pounds of meat was actually pretty easy. The hardest part of the challenge was the time limit: technically I ate 3 pounds of meat in 20 minutes, and it took me another nine minutes to finish the rice and noodles.
Why did this challenge interest me?
The reason this challenge was so interesting to me was this: I thought I could actually do it. For example, typically all these funny food challenges as you see involve eating really unhealthy things, like drinking a 10 pound milkshake in under 10 minutes, or eating the spiciest jalapeño pepper. Yet, this challenge was about 80% about finishing 3 pounds of meat, and I like beef.
Also the funny thought is this: I think I like audacious challenges. For example, it actually does take some sort of courage, and ridiculous audacity to attempt eating 3 pounds of meat under 30 minutes. Also, I’m a natural comedian and showman, so I wanted to put on a funny show for everyone else at the restaurant.
In addition, this Tabu Shabu in Northpark San Diego, has yet had somebody finish the Godzilla challenge, in two years. So there was this interest I had and being the first.
What if I couldn’t finish the challenge?
If I feel that the challenge, I would have to pay around $200. Yet the money thing didn’t really influence me at all. I was just more interested in the challenge of being able to finish it. Testing my limits, and seeing if I could do it.
An efficient way to eat?
Being passionate about powerlifting, and lifting weights, I almost wonder if it is a good idea that on the days where I hit a new personal records in my squat or deadlift, that actually continue trying these challenges.
The hardest part of the challenge was not eating the meat, but it was actually in the last 10 minutes, to finish the two bowls of rice, one with the porridge, and the noodles. I have not eaten carbs or rice for almost a decade. I’ve been pretty hard-core carnivore/keto diet for the last decade.
Powerlifters should get into competitive eating?
When watching documentaries on powerlifters, people like Eddie Hall, it seems they spend in an insane amount of money on food. Maybe these powerlifters who just want to eat an immense amount of meat should just get into these competitive food eating challenges.
