How much is dangerous to eat in one sitting?

November 11, 2005 12:52 PM

How much is dangerous to eat in one sitting?

Im new to stuffing myself... My stomach feels bursty and my brain feels bathed in cholesterol for lack of a better description (not that im eating anything unhealthy).
I would have thought the 'too much' point is when you vomit or something, but I remember seeing a guy on tv going for the record of drinking 10 raw eggs or something, and shortly after drinking them he collapsed and suffered a stroke...

posted by who else to food & drink (20 comments total)

I'll assume this is asked merely from interest, since you shouldn't deliberately eat more than you are comfortable with.

The answer is.. it varies significantly. Some people will have significant problems with an amount that someone else finds easy. Consider the regular contests where someone will eat thirty or so hotdogs. There's a Japanese guy (and he's not a big guy by any chance) and he holds the records for all this stuff. Also consider the extraordinary people who can eat metal and other bizarre materials without causing injury. It's highly individual.
posted by wackybrit at 12:59 PM on November 11, 2005

Yes I assumed the amount would vary per person... Maybe my question should be what are signs that you should stop eating (allowing a little bit of a stuffed feeling if youre trying to stuff yourself), and is there anything you shouldnt eat too much of (the eggs thing I would have never guessed).
Im trying to stuff myself because apparently your metabolism speeds up if you eat constantly, and I eat constantly because I have a fast metabolism. Its one of those cycle thingies.
posted by who else at 1:19 PM on November 11, 2005

It definitely varies between people. The aforementioned japanese guy drinks gallons and gallons of water to expand his stomach.
posted by matkline at 1:24 PM on November 11, 2005

Well, according to this article, you might die if you consume four quarts of food in one sitting.
posted by cmonkey at 1:27 PM on November 11, 2005

10 eggs sounds a bit low.
posted by abcde at 1:34 PM on November 11, 2005

Well, dont try it :)
posted by who else at 1:36 PM on November 11, 2005

huh. Well, the four quarts thing would explain the rareness of succeeding at the "whole milk challenge"
posted by fishfucker at 2:08 PM on November 11, 2005

You might want to check with the folks at IFOCE, the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

Their safety section warns us:

"The IFOCE is against at-home training of any kind. The IFOCE strongly discourages younger individuals from eating for speed or quantity under any circumstances. The IFOCE urges all interested parties to become involved in sanctioned events -- do not try speed eating home."

posted by Marky at 2:11 PM on November 11, 2005

"Nobody can eat fitty eggs."
posted by Jazz Hands at 2:21 PM on November 11, 2005

Well, you could always peruse the life of Le Diable Gourmand for tips. See also.
posted by aramaic at 2:32 PM on November 11, 2005

Yeah, don't eat any raw eggs period (salmonella and other bacteria). Any more than about 2 yolks is an awful amount of cholesterol, too.

Trying to eat all at once rather than frequently won't help your metabolism nearly as much (if it does at all) as just eating normally. Your metabolism will slow to match your intake. Certainly ask your doctor before trying such an, er, experimental approach.
posted by abcde at 2:40 PM on November 11, 2005

No Im just trying to get myself down to 3 meals a day as opposed to around 6...
posted by who else at 2:51 PM on November 11, 2005

Depending on the size of the meals, 6 a day is probably better for you than 3. So, why change?
posted by The Monkey at 4:08 PM on November 11, 2005

Oh, and I don't know how realistic it is to worry about getting a stroke from your dinner. I'm certain I could eat 10 eggs, I probably wouldn't like them raw, and that's a lot of protein, but it's still less than a litre of food.

At Christmas and parties and stuff I've been known to eat so much I had to lie down and take it easy, but the feeling passes.

There are general guides about volumes of food to eat, like don't eat a meat portion bigger than your fist. And eat 5 or more handfuls of fruit and vegies a day but...

Actually, this is a really weird question. Maybe we need to know more about your motivations. Are you trying to gain weight?

Listen to wackybrit, eat as much as you're comfortable with.
posted by The Monkey at 4:12 PM on November 11, 2005

Yes Im trying to gain weight. And Im starting to see that it doesnt make a difference If I eat 3 or 6 times a day. So much for that metabolism theory... I wasnt stuffing myself anywhere near 'championship' levels so I guess Im not worried now. I was just curious if it would be bad to stuff yourself every time you ate... Well, thanks for the answers people!
posted by who else at 4:28 PM on November 11, 2005

back where I come from it's called the gallon challenge (1 gallon of chocolate milk, then you roll down a hill) last man standing wins.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:13 PM on November 11, 2005

Never eat anything bigger than your head.
posted by pointilist at 10:52 PM on November 11, 2005

Never eat more than you can lift. -- Miss Piggy
posted by phhht at 9:50 AM on November 12, 2005

Stuff yourself, but avoid that last wafer-thin mint.
posted by neda at 9:52 AM on November 12, 2005

If you're trying to gain weight, by all means, go see a doctor to get the proper advice as to how to do it in a healthy manner. If you gain weight simply by stuffing yourself at every meal, you're going to gain weight in an unhealthy manner, and end up experiencing all the poor side effects of obesity — something I can personally attest you don't want to experience.
posted by WCityMike at 2:17 PM on November 12, 2005