Competitive Eating 101

The eating contest is a integral part of summer events. Company picnics, county fairs, and festivals all offer some sort of eating contest. They're a lot of fun to watch, and can be a neat diversion for participants, but for some people, they're serious business. It's unlikely that you can make your living as a competitive eater, only the best in the world are able to do so, but you can certainly make a name for yourself locally and develop a new, exciting hobby out of it. Winning contests on the local level is not very hard, as very few people prepare for these events at all, and most participants enter on a whim. With a little practice and some serious preparation, you can consistently be a winning eater.

Equipment - The only thing that you definitely need to get as you get into competitive eating is a stop-watch. You'll be spending some time with the target food-item, working out the very best way to get it down quickly. The stop-watch will be your best friend here. You may also want to pick up a video camera, to help you evaluate your performance, but that's not absolutely necessary.

Preparation - There are two phases to competitive eating preparation - the research phase, and the conditioning phase. During the research phase, you'll find out all that you can about the upcoming contest. If you'll be eating pie, for example, try to find out exactly what kind of pie, whether it will be home-made or commercially produced, and if commercially produced, what brand will be used. Often, these contests are sponsored by the food producer, so it may be relatively easy. Buy a supply of food that is as similar as possible to the food you'll be competing with. Prepare it in manageable batches, significantly less than you'll eat competitively, and sit down with your stop watch. Try eating the food in a number of ways. Cut or break it differently, and strategize carefully. Once you find a method that seems fast, hone the process as much as possible. Find out how little you can chew the food and still swallow it safely, and work on doing so quickly. Take is slow and don't stuff yourself. The goal during this phase is technique, not capacity.

The conditioning phase starts a few weeks before the big event. Some folks like to condition using all you can eat buffets. The local Chinese food place may seem like a good bet, but being a competitive eater doesn't mean that you need to sacrifice your health, and eating at these places twice a day is incredibly bad for you. The conditioning phase is all about capacity - getting your body and stomach ready for the big day. For health, weight-control, and general well-being, low-calorie, high bulk foods are a good choice here. Cabbage, apples, and carrots are every bit as effective in this phase as ribs and dumplings. The trick is to eat a lot, and do it all day long. Start slow, though, as it is possible to injure yourself by eating too much. Eat three or four times a day, and within a week of the event, you should be taking in about as much as you can stand.

The day of the event, you should drink a lot of water, but eat sparingly. The water will help to keep your stomach extended, but will pass through quickly, leaving plenty of room for the event itself. Get some exercise if you can, as intense as possible, as it will increase your hunger. Don't overdo it, though - after a pound of hot dogs or pie, no one is really hungry anymore, so the advantage gained is marginal.

Start Small - There's no reason to play with the big boys right away. Professional-level competitive eaters are in a class all their own, and even with careful preparation, you're unlikely to be able to keep up. Start with a few local contests, and work your way up from there. After winning a few contests, you'll likely gain some local notoriety. Prizes for these local contests can range from cash and free food to some pretty great items or trips. Even as a local competitor, you can do pretty well for yourself. Prepare carefully, and you'll be way ahead of everyone else at local events. Bon apetit!