How Many World Records Does Matt Stonie Hold?

Watching competitive eater Matt "Megatoad" Stonie at work is part fascinating, part horrifying. After all, this is a guy who can choke down tens of thousands of calories in minutes and who cemented his name in the competitive food eating scene with a 2015 win over longtime champion Joey Chestnut at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, guzzling 62 hot dogs to nab the upset (via ESPN). 

Major League Eating, the organization that includes the International Federation of Competitive Eating, called that victory "a lesson in rhythm and consistency," applauding the young competitor for his signature style: "out-of-the-gate speed, often leaping ahead of the competition and setting a gap of speed and distance," all while maintaining his wow-worthy pace throughout competitions. The federation currently ranks Stonie as the No. 3 competitor in the world.

According to his website, Stonie was born and raised in San Jose, California, and entered the world of food competitions at just 17 years old, when he won $1,000 in a lobster roll eating contest in New Hampshire. Major League Eating reports that he turned pro in 2011, at 19. 

Now, 10 years have passed since he won that first competition, but he's no foolhardy glutton; he considers himself a true competitor and athlete. In fact, Stonie notes that he studied nutrition at college, with plans to become a dietitian (perhaps his first official job duty would be strongly advising himself to quit his other career, stat?), and takes his competitive role seriously, logging "hours and hours of physical training, mental discipline, and special dieting."

Stonie's personal website lists 24 records broken between 2013 and 2017, some of which have been since beaten. ESPN reported in 2019 that the competitive eater held 14 records, while Major League Eating currently lists 13 world records. His past triumphs have taken place coast to coast while making his rounds in the competitive eating circuit. 

Stonie has blazed his way to records by shoveling in a wide array of quirky local delicacies, from 43 Slugburgers in Corinth, Mississippi, to 15 eight-ounce pork roll sandwiches at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. He's fared well with the sweet stuff, too, putting away 85 MoonPies in Tennessee, 14.5 pounds of birthday cake in Florida, 20-plus pounds of pumpkin pie in California, and 255 Peeps (yes, those Easter-associated, brightly colored, sugary marshmallow confections) in just eight minutes in 2017.

Stonie's YouTube channel now counts more than 10 million subscribers who follow the now-legendary competitive eater as he takes on new challenges. His most popular videos include the "Epic Chili Cheese Fries," which clocked in at 10,000-plus calories, garnering 71 million views; the "20,000 Calorie Superbowl Challenge," with wings, Doritos, and pizza; and the record-breaking "203 Chips Ahoy Challenge." 

Stonie also engages fans by taking their suggestions for food challenges, then videoing the results, for his "60 Second Series," which have shown him sucking down everything from jalapeño poppers and cottage cheese to PB&J sandwiches and mozzarella sticks.

Though Major League Eating puts Stonie at a trim 130 pounds, looks can be deceiving — clearly, this guy can do some major damage at the dinner table. Stonie revealed some ugly truths of competitive eating to ESPN, confessing that he can gain up to 20 pounds after a single competition (much of it water weight), which can take three days to lose. 

He estimated that he competes once per month, but not every food challenge is a joy; he still recalls losing by only half a taco to his longtime rival Chestnut in a cow-brains-taco contest ("um, yeah, not good," he said, in what must be a massive understatement). To counteract some of the potential effects of inhaling a shocking amount of calories in one sitting for a living, Stonie told GQ he hits the gym five times a week, mixing up weights and cardio, and as for training-mode food intake, he'll chow down on two "serious" meals each week, followed by two to three days of rest. 

In downtimes, his meals couldn't be blander — think protein shakes, almonds, multivitamins, apples, carrots, and bread slices. In other words, Stonie's diet swings between two of the most black-and-white extremes imaginable, but with more than a dozen world records and counting, the endless cycle of abstaining and (to put it mildly) binge eating is clearly working for him.