Competitive eater takes on 16 pounds of food in epic challenge

This weekend, one man will eat nearly 16 pounds of food in four different eating challenges, over the course of 12 hours.

You may not think it sounds very healthy – it’s definitely not a recommended daily diet. But just a few years ago, Max Carnage, as he’s called, was unhealthy when he weighed in at over 300 pounds.

That’s before he was a regular competitive eater, taking on huge-meal challenges offered up by different restaurants.

The first time he ever took on one of these challenges was about 10 years ago. At 37 years old, Max has only been doing eating contests and challenges seriously for the last two and-a-half years.

And what spurred his serious eating was a serious diet, and dramatic weight loss.

“I ballooned up to about 300 pounds and I decided to dump a bunch of weight. I got down to about 210 pounds,” Max says. “I thought to myself, after about six months of eating steamed broccoli, rice, and chicken breast, ‘I really need pizza.'”

He decided not to give up the fun in his food. He’d eat these “big, gigantic, enormous meals” – often challenges created by restaurants, and just keep exercising.

“I control my weight better now than I ever have, because to do it with any level of seriousness, you have to be at least moderately fit.”

In Las Vegas, at his biggest challenge to date, he proved he was serious. Max put away 14 pounds of food in 10 hours. A run-of-the-mill food challenge tends to weigh in at four to five pounds of food.

It wasn’t easy. “The fact that it was three different foods didn’t help. The first one was like a five, or four and-a-half pound sundae, and then it was a five-pound burger and fries. Then it was five of seven pounds of Chicago style sausage challenge down.”

Max didn’t finish the last challenge. It was spicy, he’d never had it before, and he says he was unprepared.

“That was tough, I got through most of it, which is why I think I can give this one a shot,” he says.

This challenge will keep it to a single type of food, unlike his eating marathon in Vegas: Burgers.

“I think that because this is four burgers with really minor differences in them, I think that’s part of the reason I have shot of taking this on.”

You can come out and cheer on Max Carnage, or even join him in one of his four challenges this Saturday.

11 a.m. – Red Onion Burgers, – 21005 44th Ave W #101, Mountlake Terrace, Washington 98043

1:30 p.m. – Hansville Grocery – 7532 Ne Twin Spits Rd Hansville, Washington 98340

4:30 p.m. – Lucky 7 Bar and Grill – 12715 NE 124th St Kirkland, Washington 98034

7 p.m. – Sam’s Tavern – 1024 E Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98122

Find out more about the event here.