# What's the most you've ever eaten in one sitting? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073 "2009-11-10T18:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dorothy\_Mantooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b77776/32.png) [@Dorothy\_Mantooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorothy_Mantooth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/1 "2009-11-10T18:32:35Z")
Just like the question says: what’s the most food you’ve ever been able to cram down at once? ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/2 "2009-11-10T18:55:21Z")
Christmas Eve is our holiday family gathering and a slice of hell. The one saving grace is that we eat prime rib and my grandma, bless her heart, cooks it rare the way Papa, Dad, and I like it. Years ago, I gave up any pretense of eating any other food. I drink wine and beer all day and then at dinner time I eat prime rib until I can’t lift the fork. I’d estimate 32oz of rare roast beast and a bottle of Ste. Michelle Riesling. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/3 "2009-11-10T20:44:02Z")
Probably 72 wings in a wing eating contest. At least that’s the only quantifiable data point I have. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/4 "2009-11-10T21:01:47Z")
Probably a large pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni. I would have waited a little while for dessert so I guess I can’t count that. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/5 "2009-11-10T23:21:51Z")
back when I was in my teens I managed a dozen 1.5 lb lobsters. Beat my brother out by a tail and a claw 😛 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/6 "2009-11-11T00:07:42Z")
I don’t eat much, I’m not a fan of food, generally. The most I’ve eaten in one sitting would be something like an entire pizza, or a whole (but small) chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/7 "2009-11-11T00:13:54Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > back when I was in my teens I managed a dozen 1.5 lb lobsters. Beat my brother out by a tail and a claw 😛 A _dozen_ lobsters!? Holy shit man, did you want to die afterward? I went to a lobster feed this summer, had considerably less than your impressive amount, and had never felt more gluttonous and sick. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/8 "2009-11-11T00:30:26Z")
Once in college we went on a trip for the newspaper. We were in Denver for a couple of nights and my roommate and I went to a fancy steakhouse a few doors from the hotel. Don’t remember the name. We shared a huge bowl of peel n eat shrimp - it was a mixing-bowl size stainless steel bowl, with ice on the bottom - I have no idea how many we actually went through, but it was a lot, they were huge and delicious. Then we ordered steaks and mine was a 24-oz porterhouse IIRC, then we had dessert. It was all really good. I shat thrice the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/9 "2009-11-11T00:46:50Z")
You’d have to be a local, but I can remember as a kid eating two Tommy’s double-chili-cheeseburgers and one single chili-cheeseburger in a sitting. I also remember being a bit ill afterward. I also think I ate three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders w/cheese in my youth. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/10 "2009-11-11T01:18:34Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > A _dozen_ lobsters!? Holy shit man, did you want to die afterward? I went to a lobster feed this summer, had considerably less than your impressive amount, and had never felt more gluttonous and sick. I was working a heavy labor job in a machine shop, and I ate a _lot_ at the time. I think in general I ate around 5000 kcal a day and pretty much promptly burned them off. Hefting around crates of valve bodies and hunks of metal burns a lot of calories. My average lunch was 2 complete boxes of kraft mac n cheese and a salad. When I did the diabetic thing I lost around 50 lbs in the first 2 months of being on the recommended diet … and when you start out at a very highly muscled 160 lbs/67 inches tall they start looking at you like you are anorexic [any loss of 25% of your weight in a short time or something absurd like that] so the nutritionist had to refigure out my diet on a mans table, not the womens table. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/11 "2009-11-11T04:42:31Z")
I ordered a large Hungry Howies pizza with everything, including anchovies. I ate the whole thing, which caused massive gas. I was alone at the time and wanted to try it, so I was more amused than disturbed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/12 "2009-11-11T16:08:45Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I was working a heavy labor job in a machine shop, and I ate a _lot_ at the time. I think in general I ate around 5000 kcal a day and pretty much promptly burned them off. Hefting around crates of valve bodies and hunks of metal burns a lot of calories. My average lunch was 2 complete boxes of kraft mac n cheese and a salad. Impressive indeed! > [@aruvqan](#): > > When I did the diabetic thing I lost around 50 lbs in the first 2 months of being on the recommended diet … and when you start out at a very highly muscled 160 lbs/67 inches tall they start looking at you like you are anorexic [any loss of 25% of your weight in a short time or something absurd like that] so the nutritionist had to refigure out my diet on a mans table, not the womens table. That sucks, I’m sorry. I’m a chow hound, I can’t imagine having to diet that carefully. Are you doing okay now? ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/13 "2009-11-11T16:45:03Z")
My friend and I went to a steakhouse and we each got two 16-oz prime ribs. Each steak came with two side dishes, so we got 8 generously sized side dishes between us. We finished all of the steak and almost all of the sides. My friend won however - he ate an ice cream brownie for an appetizer (he always eats dessert first). He weighed about 135 pounds. I weighed 165. At least that’s what we weighed walking in. I imagine that we each weighed 5 pounds more walking out. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/14 "2009-11-11T16:48:53Z")
We came in from the field to the Prudhoe complex and went straight to the mess hall for our first good meal in awhile after a lot of hard work. I remember being both amazed and a little embarrassed by the volume I put away that day. I just couldn’t get full. It was 4 large steaks, 3 big chicken cordon bleus, a piled high plate of king crab legs, sides, a couple of slices of pecan pie and some ice cream. Obviously it was all free. I could have eaten more still but thought better of it. No sense in pushing things. ---
**Author:** ![Pulp\_Friction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@Pulp\_Friction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pulp_Friction)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/15 "2009-11-11T17:04:14Z")
> [@](#): > > I shat thrice the next day. I almost _never_ laugh out loud. But I did after reading this sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/16 "2009-11-11T17:19:34Z")
I can’t say which was the most, but some memorable ones: [ul] [li]Nine McDonalds quarter pounders + 3 large fries + 2 shakes[/li][li]32 oz steak with salad, sides, dessert[/li][li]On a cruise ship you can eat as much as you want - I had one dinner with a soup, a salad, 3 appetizers, 2 full entree plates, and 3 desserts, and a bottle of wine. I wasn’t \*quite \*full.[/li][/ul] And I’m a skinny guy. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/17 "2009-11-11T17:38:24Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Nine McDonalds quarter pounders + 3 large fries + 2 shakes I bow to you, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/18 "2009-11-11T18:30:24Z")
Back when I weighed in at 140 lbs. and generally ate one meal per day, I would down huge amounts of food in one sitting. Stuff like: three full-size pizzeria pizzas and a liter of coke before continuing working as usual. Or a 30-pack of fish sticks (2 lbs.) plus a big sack a french fries (2,25 lbs.) plus drinks once I got home. So I’d estimate I could comfortably do about 6.5 lbs. at one go. No idea how I would’ve fared at eating competitions - I did this for fun. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/19 "2009-11-12T08:15:33Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > Impressive indeed! > > That sucks, I’m sorry. I’m a chow hound, I can’t imagine having to diet that carefully. Are you doing okay now? I have been diabetic since 1980, so I am very accustomed to it =) It is pretty much automatic now. I haven’t had to tweak my diet since the mid 80s, when I went from heavy labor to office/sedentary, though it was difficult the first year waiting for my stomach to shrink [i guess that is what happened] I will actually do the occasional piece of birthday or wedding cake but honestly it is just plain too sweet. When I bake, I cheat and use splenda even if I am baking for normals, and I even cut down the sweetness level and most people don’t even notice [other than it is more apple-y or pumpkin-y and really good …] Realistically? If you follow a good food pyramid, and portion control long enough you learn that you don’t go hungry, you get all the fiber that you need and you can eat pretty tastily. I certainly don’t feel deprived because I cant go to a buffet and load up 6 plates of food. I know we have been discussing one of those tasting menus in a different thread, I could actually go for one of those some time, even though it would actually be heavier in protein and fat than I should have … but I bet I could put together a tasting menu that would follow what I need to eat for dinner, using stuff like a single shrimp or a single small scallop, or a bite of wagyu beef, and a single bite of fois gras, and a purple asparagus tip, and a tiny baby artichoke and so forth … at least 10 ‘dishes’ of a tasting menu. It would be an interesting exercise sometime 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073/20 "2009-11-12T16:07:24Z")
Ah portion control. One of these days I’ll get the hang of that. 🙂 I’ve always been curious about the tasting menu experience, sounds fun. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-youve-ever-eaten-in-one-sitting/517073.md?page=2)