Competitive eating is a sport that requires incredible discipline, training, and mental fortitude. Chestnut has been honing his craft for over a decade, and his domination of the hot dog eating contest is nothing short of legendary. In 2020, he set a new world record by consuming 75 hot dogs in just 10 minutes, surpassing his previous record of 74.
If you're wondering how many calories Chestnut consumes during the hot dog eating contest, the answer is staggering. Each Nathan's Famous hot dog contains approximately 280 calories, and Chestnut typically eats around 70 of them during the contest. That means he consumes a whopping 19,600 calories in just 10 minutes.
To put that into perspective, the average adult needs around 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day to maintain their weight. Chestnut consumes nearly eight times that amount in a single sitting. It's no wonder that he spends weeks preparing for the contest by stretching his stomach, practicing his technique, and eating massive amounts of food to increase his capacity.
But Chestnut's success isn't just about how much he eats. It's also about how he eats. Competitive eaters have developed a number of techniques designed to help them consume food as quickly and efficiently as possible. Chestnut uses a method known as the "Solomon Method," in which he separates the hot dog from the bun, dips the bun in water to make it easier to swallow, and then eats the hot dog and bun separately.
This method allows Chestnut to eat at an incredibly fast pace, and he's able to maintain his speed for the entire 10 minutes of the contest. The mental and physical strain of the competition is immense, and Chestnut has spoken openly about the toll it takes on his body. But he continues to push himself year after year, driven by his love of the sport and his desire to be the best.
Despite the controversy and criticism that competitive eating has faced over the years, the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest remains one of the most popular and celebrated events of the Fourth of July. And Joey Chestnut is the undisputed king of the sport. As he prepares to defend his title once again, fans around the world will be watching to see if he can break his own record and cement his place in history.