Safety rules require that competitive eaters be at least 18 years old, and they strongly discourage any kind of training or practice at home, insisting that competitive eating is only safe in a controlled environment.
Sonya Thomas eats one large meal each day,
usually from a buffet
Competitive eaters stretch their stomachs the way runners stretch hamstrings. In the days before a match, some eaters engage in buffet-busting, causing seizures in owners of all-you-can-eat buffets as they approach their 10th plate.