How to Win in an Eating Contest

Eating contests provide an opportunity to win cash prizes and enjoy a hearty meal. The formats of these contests vary widely, from eating spicy food, to speed eating, to consuming large quantities, or a combination of different challenges. To win, you’ll need to prepare weeks or even months in advance. A rigorous training regimen and a well-thought-out strategy for the competition will be key. With determination, a gold medal could soon be yours!

Consult with a doctor to ensure you’re fit for the competition. Participating in an eating contest can have a negative impact on your digestive system and overall health. Additionally, it’s important to maintain regular physical activity to stay healthy while preparing for the event. Schedule a visit to your doctor for advice on whether you’re fit to take part in the competition.

Select a Contest. Go online and use your favorite search tool to find the closest contest, or one in the nearest major city. Choose a contest where you'll get to eat your favorite food, as this will make both the training and the competition easier. Decide whether you want to compete in speed, quantity, or other factors.

Understand the Rules of the Contest to Train Properly. Participants often employ various strategies to win, but some strategies might be prohibited in certain contests. Check the contest's website or call for specific rules, including the following:

• Soaking food, meaning you “dip” the food into liquid before eating it. This helps you chew and swallow harder foods more easily.
• Free activity while eating, which allows you to do whatever you need to eat faster.
• Eating in the traditional way, meaning you must eat the food as it is meant to be consumed. No dipping, mashing, or separating parts of the food (such as separating the sausage and bread).

Create a Strategy Tailored to the Contest. Once you know the rules, develop your plan based on those regulations. List all the elements of the meal you’ll be eating and think about how to approach each one. Decide which parts of the contest will be easiest and hardest for you based on your current eating habits.

• For example, if you know that your mouth gets dry when eating a lot of bread, stuffing your mouth with more bread will be difficult. Therefore, plan for this by drinking more water while practicing and eating bread.

Strengthen Your Jaw by Chewing Faster. As soon as you register for the contest, start a long-term training process. Chew gum whenever possible. When eating, aim to chew faster. These exercises will help increase the strength of your jaw muscles.

Learn to Swallow Larger Chunks of Food to Increase Eating Speed. Start by practicing with water. Take a large sip, tilt your head back, and let gravity help you swallow. Gradually increase the amount of water until your mouth is full, and try swallowing this entire sip. Practice every day.

• Once you're used to drinking water, move on to practicing with soft foods like rice and quinoa. Then, try more challenging foods like meat. Practice at a slow pace to avoid choking at this stage.
• Never practice alone. If something goes wrong, you'll need someone to help quickly.

Train with High-Fiber, Low-Calorie Foods. If your eating contest will be scored based on the quantity of food consumed, you’ll need to expand your stomach. Start by training with large amounts of high-fiber, low-calorie foods to help you feel full faster.

• The quantity of food will depend on your body and the type of contest you’re entering. For example, some participants may practice by eating several pounds of cooked or raw cabbage in one sitting.
• High-fiber foods will make you feel full more quickly and for longer periods. This will make the training process more challenging compared to other types of foods, as you’ll also need to fight against the feeling of fullness.
• You can also train with fruits like grapes and watermelon, or steamed vegetables.
• Although some participants practice by drinking large amounts of water or milk in one go, this can be very dangerous for your health. Stick to training with cabbage.

Find the Right Technique for You Through Practice. Try different strategies, such as soaking food, tilting your head back to swallow, or eating smaller pieces of food so you can swallow without chewing. Choose the technique that works best for you.

• Make sure to follow the contest rules during all of your practice sessions.

Start Eating Contest-Specific Foods Two Weeks Before the Event. Use the contest's website or call to find out the exact brands and preparations of the foods you'll be eating. Then prepare meals that are identical to what will be provided. However, don’t consume the same quantities as you would during the contest.

• This will help you anticipate any challenges you may face during the contest meal.
• You should do this at least once, and more if you feel you need additional preparation.

Begin Expanding Your Stomach One Week Before the Contest. In the first few days of the week, add an extra large meal to your daily routine, while keeping the other meals the same. By day four or five, you should only have two large meals per day.

• The actual size of the meals will depend on your regular portions. The general rule is to eat twice as much as you usually do.
• In the early days, eat a light breakfast, a large lunch, and a regular dinner.
• By the weekend, have a large meal between breakfast and lunch.

Consume a Massive Meal About 22 Hours Before the Contest. A “massive” meal means eating as much as your body can handle in one sitting. Opt for low-calorie, high-fiber foods for this meal. Ensure you eat this meal at least 18 hours before the contest.

• Prepare several vegetable-based dishes and eat continuously until you feel discomfort. However, don’t go beyond your limits to the point of feeling unwell.
• This is truly the final meal you should eat before the contest.

Drink Water and Get Adequate Rest the Night Before the Contest. Drink a small amount of water about an hour after your “massive” meal to aid digestion. Aim to sleep well so you feel refreshed the morning of the contest day.

Avoid Hard Foods on the Morning of the Contest. Wake up a few hours before the contest begins to get your body moving. Drink a large glass of water and eat a soft breakfast about an hour after waking.

• Soft foods like high-protein smoothies or yogurt are ideal.
• If the contest is in the late afternoon or evening, you can add a little harder food to your breakfast, such as eggs or cereal.
• You should also do some light exercise before the contest, as this will help stimulate your appetite. However, avoid intense workouts since your body won’t have much energy for exercise. Try brisk walking or light jogging for about 20 minutes.

Use a Stopwatch to Keep Track of Time. The judges will likely assist in tracking the time, occasionally informing participants of how much time remains. Nevertheless, it’s best to have your own stopwatch. Position it somewhere visible so you can check it easily while eating.

Ensure You Follow the Rules. Remind yourself of the competition rules before it begins. Don’t break the rules, as doing so will automatically disqualify you from most contests.

Listen to Music to Stay Focused. Bring your headphones and music device, as long as it doesn't violate the competition rules. Create a playlist that helps you concentrate. Be sure to save your most uplifting songs for the end, as you'll need that extra boost.

• If you need help picking songs, search online for 'music to help you stay focused during an eating contest.' Workout music works well too.

Eat Plenty of Protein First. Tackle the meat while it's still warm, fresh, and flavorful. Meat is often one of the harder foods to digest in eating contests, so it's crucial to consume it as quickly as possible.

Switch to Starchy Foods Next. Once you've finished the meat, move on to starchy foods (such as bread and fries). These foods pair well with liquids, so feel free to drink water to help with digestion.

Start Fast, But End Calmly. Use your initial energy to eat quickly at the start of the contest. As your energy levels start to drop, switch to a steadier pace. Maintain this pace until the end of the contest. Make sure to finish everything on your plate when the contest is over!

Add New Flavors with Different Beverages to Help You “Fight”. Most competitions will allow you to choose your beverage. Opt for a glass of plain water, flavored water without carbonation, and then a flavored carbonated drink. To keep your taste buds alert throughout the contest, start with water, then move to the non-carbonated beverage, and finish with the fizzy drink.

Jump Up and Down to Swallow Faster. If you're allowed to stand and move around, use this action to get some help from gravity. However, make sure this doesn’t slow you down when grabbing and biting food.

• Only try this if you find it effective during your training sessions.

Press Your Stomach to Push the Food Lower. If you're feeling very full, gently press on your stomach. This will help push the food lower down, allowing you to eat more.

• To win an eating contest, you must believe you can do it! Your willpower is crucial.
• Seriously consider your limits, as you definitely don’t want to put yourself in danger!

• Avoid signing up for more than one or two competitions per month. You should also train with low-calorie foods when possible, and make sure to stick to a consistent fitness routine.