S'pore-based competitive eater Zermatt Neo reveals burger challenge crushed his pancreas

Singapore-based competitive eater Zermatt Neo recently took to Reddit to answer questions from local foodies, and the results ranged from serious health revelations to light-hearted admissions about digestion.

On his “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session on r/SingaporeEats, Neo responded candidly to queries about how he trains, how he stays healthy despite eating extreme quantities of food, and even his bowel movements, which people seem especially curious about.

From dare to full-time career

Neo shared that his entry into competitive eating began almost accidentally, after a dare from a gym acquaintance led to his first eating competition win.

Since then, he has gone on to complete feats such as consuming nearly eight kilograms of fried rice in 30 minutes and more than 20 bowls of beef noodles in 15 minutes.

Before becoming a full-time content creator, Neo worked as a personal trainer and dietitian, a background he says shaped how he approaches competitive eating today.

Fasting to prep for a challenge

When asked how he prepares for a challenge, Neo mentions that he always fasts for a full 24 hours before a food challenge in order to "keep the system empty”.

However, he does clarify that for staying lean, it plays more of a psychological role than a metabolic one.

“Nah fasting sort of keeps my mind away from food — it’s just an eating pattern, nothing magical about it,” he explained.

“It’s the huge caloric deficit in between shoots and the excess cardio that I do!”

When it comes to washing food down during challenges, Neo said warm water helps most, although “diet soda helps with the taste fatigue”.

Burger challenge left him hospitalised

One of the most sobering moments discussed during the AMA was Neo’s account of a past food challenge that landed him in hospital.

After attempting a burger challenge, his stomach became so distended that it placed pressure on surrounding organs, resulting in being warded for three days and pancreatitis for two weeks.

Neo noted that challenges that are the hardest for him are those with processed protein-heavy items like burgers and steak, while he excels more at foods such as rice and noodles.

He noted one burger challenge in Japan as particularly terrible, saying that the “burger patties were so dry they tasted like jerky”.

Doing cardio to maintain his weight

According to Neo, cardio forms a significant part of his routine, preferring that even to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as he calls it more sustainable.

Neo told Redditors that he clocks between 600 and 1,200 calories’ worth of cardio a day, largely through steps, while his weekly running mileage sits at around 60 to 70 kilometres, supplemented with skipping, elliptical training and weight work.

Skipping, in particular, is something he highlighted as an efficient calorie burner.

“Skipping works very well to burn calories in a short period of time — I can burn anywhere from 750 to 900 in an hour.”

For his gym workout, he sticks to a simple PPLR (Push pull legs rest repeat) routine combined with a cardio session that is anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.

Bowel movements

One question that kept popping up again and again on the AMA was how often he goes to the toilet, and Neo addressed this candidly.

He said his post-challenge bathroom routine is generally “pretty average”, but that he goes up to three or four times the day after a food challenge.

When asked if he had ever clogged a toilet with his output before, Neo honestly replies:

Buffet tips

Given his line of work, it was perhaps inevitable that Redditors would ask Neo for advice on how to get the most out of a buffet, especially with festive meals coming up this time of the year.

Neo was quick to caution that most people are unlikely to truly “beat” a buffet. Still, he offered practical tips for those hoping to at least get their money’s worth.

Ahead of a buffet, he suggested drinking more fluids the day before.

“Try to drink a bit more fluids the day leading up to the buffet. It will make you a little more hungry. It’s sort of to stretch your stomach a little bit,” he said in a video answer.

When it comes to what to eat, his advice was straightforward: prioritise protein and avoid foods that fill you up quickly without offering much value such as salads.

“Aim for the proteins and keep going at it. I doubt you can beat the buffet but if you strategise properly, I think you can break even.”

Food recs

Despite his extreme eating challenges, Neo made it clear that he is, at heart, a foodie, especially when it comes to local fare.

When it comes to fast food, his favourite chain is McDonald’s.

For hawker food and local eats, Neo rattled off several personal favourites across Singapore.

He named a chicken rice stall at the basement of Golden Mile Food Centre, which he called the best chicken rice in Singapore, for dim sum, he cited Swee Choon, while his pick for laksa was the stall at the basement of Roxy Square.

Neo also said his favourite dish in Singapore overall is bak chor mee, adding that his preferred version is from Jalan Tua Kong, a stall that has since relocated to Katong.

When pressed to narrow things down, he listed his top three hawker stalls in Singapore as Hong Kong Roast 88, Swee Guan Hokkien Mee, and Outram Park Char Kway Teow.

Top images via zermattneo/Instagram