Instagram food influencer Erik Lamkin recently learned a brutal lesson about extreme eating after attempting to replicate the legendary 30,000-calorie diet of Donna Simpson, once famous as the world's heaviest woman. What began as an ambitious challenge quickly turned into what Lamkin described as a culinary catastrophe that left him questioning his life choices.
The Mammoth Challenge Begins
Lamkin, known for his food-related content, decided to take on what might be one of the most extreme eating challenges ever documented. His goal was to consume the same staggering 30,000 calories that New Jersey woman Donna Simpson reportedly ate daily during her 2010 quest to become the world's heaviest woman, as originally reported by Daily Mail.
The influencer started with what he thought would be the easier components of Simpson's diet. Five pounds of mashed potatoes topped with fat-free cheese represented just the beginning. While Lamkin managed to make significant progress with the potatoes, he quickly realized the enormity of his task. The video documenting this struggle has garnered over 4.5 million views on Instagram alone, capturing viewers' fascination with this extreme culinary experiment.
When Appetizers Become Impossible
Following the mashed potatoes, Lamkin moved on to the next component: five loaves of bread. To help the dry bread move through his system, he greased it with butter, but by this point, he was already experiencing what food challengers call flavor fatigue. The sheer volume of carbohydrates was overwhelming his system.
Astonishingly, after completing just the mashed potatoes and bread, Lamkin had consumed only 10% of Simpson's total daily calorie intake. He described feeling more gluten than human at this stage, yet he pressed forward, determined to continue what he had started.
The Point of No Return
After taking a break to grocery shop and cook the main course, Lamkin returned to face what he described as enough food to feed a football team. The main course included stuffing combined with cranberry sauce, which he called the worst thing on the table, followed by two 15-pound hams and a 10-pound tray of roasted potatoes.
His body began sending clear warning signals. My stomach isn't there anymore. It's just pain, Lamkin reported during the challenge. After attempting to tackle a 25-pound turkey and managing to eat only half, his stomach had clearly reached its absolute limit. My stomach had gone from digesting to defending itself, he noted before making the sensible decision to quit the challenge.
Lessons From a Failed Challenge
The experiment ended with Lamkin having massive quantities of leftovers and a newfound respect for what Donna Simpson had accomplished. Despite his failure to complete the challenge, he did manage to appreciate one aspect of Simpson's diet: dessert. The story ended the same way it started: with poor choices and way too many carbs, Lamkin concluded with hard-earned wisdom.
This extreme eating challenge serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of high-calorie diets and extreme food challenges. Medical professionals consistently warn against such experiments, which can pose serious health risks including digestive system damage, heart strain, and long-term metabolic issues.
