Man transforms from anorexic to eating champ

As a teen, Peter Czerwinkski was locked in a constant battle with food that eventually landed in hospital.

Now, the 26-year-old Canadian battles food in an entirely new sense — as a competitive eater.

Mr Czerwinkski, or “Furious Pete” as he is now known in the competitive eating world, was taken to hospital in 2001 suffering from anorexia.

At the age of 16, he was 188cm tall and weighed just 54kg.

“A year prior to this, my mother was hospitalised with pancreatic failure and really bad MS. My dad was diagnosed with bipolar, I was told I might have cancer,” Mr Czerwinkski said in a YouTube post.

“I had so much stress built up within me, the only thing I felt I could control in my life was food.”

After undergoing treatment he left hospital but struggled to readjust to life.

“After leaving the hospital on my own account, clearly not ready yet, I struggled with gaining (weight) and liking life,” he said.

“But slowly but surely through the help of friends and internet forums like bodybuilding.com I was able to start gaining and getting a more positive outlook on life.”

Mr Czerwinkski turned to body building forums to learn about weight gain through exercise and eating.

His eating habits improved and, impressed with the changes in his body, his confidence grew and he began hitting the gym and building up his muscles.

In 2007, he entered the world of competitive eating after going out for breakfast with friends.

Some of them ordered a huge dish called ‘The Linebacker’, which consisted of two pieces of every breakfast item, and Mr Czerwinkski managed to finish his far before anyone else was even halfway through.

Mr Czerwinkski then went onto eat four Linebackers in one hour, breaking the restaurant’s record.

He then went on to break eating records at other restaurants.

He would compete in online eating contests and post videos of eating challenges online.

In 2008, Mr Czerwinkski was approached by Arnie Chapman, the chairman of the Association of Competitive Eaters, who invited him to compete in the North American Collegiate Eating Championships.

He went on to compete in nine eating events and broke every record at each event.

Mr Czerwinkski, who now weighs 104kg, insists he is not replacing one obsession with another.

“A lot of people will say I went from one extreme to the other but I know I didn’t, I know the way my mind works on a daily basis,” he said.

“I will always have haters but what matters at the end of the day, all that matters is that you’re happy, you’re happy what you’re doing.”

Sources: YouTube, Furious Pete Documentary
Author: Ali Best. Supervising editor: Fiona Willan.

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