I have picked up a guilty pleasure. Seriously, I'm kinda embarrassed to admit this. It's ...well. Seriously, I don't want to say it! But I will. I have gotten sucked into watching some youtube channels of 'professional' eaters. I told you....embarrassing!
Ok, so what comes to mind for you I am sure is the hot dog eating contests where people are shoveling hot dogs into their mouths in the most disgusting of manners. This is not like that.....well most of the time.
It started when I stumbled upon a channel called "Katina Eats Kilos". This gal is ....well in one way dainty. She is not overweight....at all. She is on the shorter side....but she is muscular. Her videos are pretty 'clean'. She doesn't shovel the food with wild abandon. She eats as daintily as possible as someone can when they are eating POUNDS of food in a short amount of time. I was immediately intrigued because seriously. This girl is fit. I would say not an ounce of fat on her! (Ok, she may beg to differ...but seriously, if you say this gal anywhere else you would NEVER think she was a professional eater!)
From "Katina Eats Kilos" it was a really easy jump to the channel "Beard Meats Food". This guy is again thin! He always laughs because when he 'wins tees hirts they almost never have a size medium because they assume it will always be a large guy who attempts and manages to complete said challenge. I actually enjoy watching "Beard" more than Katina.....I just enjoy the way Beard includes the people in the restaurant in his videos and his humor. BUT beard sometimes can get a bit 'messy' with his eating (don't say you weren't warned).....but not all the time.
But Seriously....why am I writing about this? Because, They are literally eating 5-6 or even more pounds in 30-60 minutes yet they are thin. And almost without fail each of them completes a challenge and then orders dessert! And they are thin! What's up with this. I am writing because I have watched videos from each of these youtubers where they talk about their eating. I have heard each of them talk about their 'non challenge' days of eating. They are eating yogurt....and salads....and HEALTHY. I have heard them talk about how they know their maintenance calories needed per day. And how they thus then know their maintenance calories needed for a week (daily need times 7) and how it's really two things. 1. Knowing that the one day of their challenge may blow a LOT of their weekly calories.....so adjust the rest of the week accordingly. and 2. Eating healthy 80% (or more) of the week and then it doesn't matter as much about the 20% where they are shoveling the food in faster than an average person would think possible!
What is the take away for my weight loss journey.
1. I don't have to be perfect ALL the time.
2. Instead of working myself into a state of panic (or the mentality that I had failed and totally messed up) when I have a bad day, just make sure that the next 6 days are good ones. In essence average the calories for the WEEK and I will probably realize that as long as I didn't throw in the towel after the bad day, that the weekly average was just fine!, I
3. If you do indulge.....make sure the rest of the week is nutritious with GOOD calories!
So while I will probably continue to watch these videos....I will make it clear that while I sometimes feel as if I could put those eaters to shame, I have NO INTENTION of ever taking on one of those challenges. Kudos to them for figuring out their bodies and having the willpower to keep the indulgent eating at a minimum. For me, I'm good with a normal serving!
