There's no feeling quite like leaning back in your chair after a big meal and letting out a satisfied sigh, or belch depending on who you're with.
But as ever with humans, some of us like to take that feeling and take it to an absolute extreme. In this case, it's the sport of competitive eating.
It's no secret that British cuisine tends to be a little beige-oriented, and we're certainly no strangers to stacking carbs on carbs on carbs. However, eating competitions take this to another level entirely, and make you wince just thinking about it.
Advert
Well, one competitive eater has opened up about the toll that participating can take on the human body and unsurprisingly, it's not pretty.
Joey Chestnut would certainly know as he once managed to scarf down an eye-watering 62 hot dogs and buns in just ten minutes, setting a new world record.
I feel a bit ill just reading that.
Advert
The professional competitive eater told The Mirror of his experience and post-hot dog eating routine: "Most people relate to feeling really bloated and tired after Thanksgiving. It's kind of like that, except really, really bad."
And it's not just on his stomach, but his whole body.
Joey, from Kentucky, US, explained further: "People have told me they can smell the hot dogs. I really can't, but the sweat afterward, it feels sticky and greasy. My girlfriend says it smells different."
Advert
Then of course, there's the inevitable trip to relinquish himself of the kilos of protein and carbs he ingested in a short time.
"It's natural. If you eat a lot of food, you're going to go to the bathroom," Joey said. "My body knows that it's going to be digesting a massive amount of food really quickly, so I make sure it's easy to digest.
"It's hard on the body, there's no way around it."
But despite the toll, Joey doesn't see himself quitting the sport any time soon, saying: "As long as my body's cooperating, I can see myself doing it for years.
Advert
"And one of these days someone is going to come — some absolute boss, man or woman — and challenge me, and I'm looking forward to it.
"I love the competition, and it's still exciting. Even if I end up getting beat, it would be really hard to walk away."
This year, the women's champion was Miki Sudo, who inhaled 39.5 hot dogs.
Advert
Miki urged other women to not be put off by 'looking silly'. She said: "You can't be afraid to jump in and get silly… don’t be self-conscious!”
Personally, I think I'll just stick to one, or possibly two hot dogs if I'm feeling peckish.
Topics: Food And Drink, World News