Everyone loves food; it’s just a fact of life. And I’m sure many of you can agree that one of our wildest dreams is to be able to eat as much as we want, whenever we want. Now, for most, this is quite easy to achieve. All you have to do is continuously shove food down your gullet until your heart is content, but we all know the feeling of overeating that comes after. We feel tired and immobile, and we regret; we berate ourselves for lacking self control. Thus, our wish appears unattainable, and our dream remains lived in our dreams–that is, until we see the typical skinny legend downing eight slices of pizza during a class pizza party and still saving one slice more “for lunch.”
Our dream is not only a matter of indulging in the happiness food brings us, though. There’s also a more practical side: getting your money’s worth when a restaurant offers all you can eat.
When Happy Lamb Hot Pot opened two years ago, it was all the hype. Previous to this date, Naperville had never before seen a dedicated hot pot restaurant; regular hot pot outings were generally hosted at a friend’s house, and countless hours had to be spent to prepare all of the foodstuffs up for boil. Happy Lamb Hot Pot not only offered great convenience, but in my opinion, it also tastes infinitely better! The only minor downside is a somewhat hefty price tag of $22 per person for all you can eat.
I have been to Happy Lamb twice, both times over this past summer, both times with my brother. Both times, we were equipped with a $20 off coupon. What a steal. But even with the discount, we walked into the restaurant with only one goal in mind: to eat far more than our money’s worth.
And I think it’s safe to say we succeeded. The last time we went, together we ate a whopping total of 12 plates of lamb, our main target for each meal, as well as various side dishes. Afterwards, we walked happily out of the restaurant, our stomachs bloated, each three pounds heavier than before. No regrets.
So how did we do it?
Well, the secret is simple. It consists of just three words: hit the gym.
Complain as you may that that was no secret at all. Complain as you may that I am a liar. After all, when you crunch the numbers, it takes over an hour of sprinting at full speed to burn off a scrumptious, thousand-calorie burger from Costco’s food court, and no one wants to do that.
What’s often overlooked is the underlying mechanism behind the amount of food you can comfortably consume: your metabolism. Your metabolism works behind the scenes every day, constantly, whether you’re driving to school, dozing off during a lecture, or sprinting at full speed in a futile attempt to burn off the greasy guilt from that burger you just ate. In fact, it is often responsible for a much larger percent of the daily calories your burn off than the calories you burn through workouts. But people often play off metabolism as purely defined by genetics. That skinny legend in your multivariable calculus class? He can only live your dream because of the raging metabolism his parents gave him.
But this isn’t entirely true. Genetics isn’t the sole factor defining your metabolism. There’s also your body composition, which is arguably more important. Particularly, one must consider the ratio of fat cells to muscle cells that make up your body. We’ve all taken biology, right? So we all know that fat cells are simply dormant storage cells used to harbor lipids. On the other hand, muscle cells are lean, mean, calorie-burning machines. Whether they’re shifting your fingers around the keyboard or holding you upright in your chair while you type your blog post for AP Lit, they’re eating up the ATP generated by your mitochondria like there’s no tomorrow.
From there, it’s simple logic. If you maximize your number of muscle cells, then your body will require more energy to exist. Where does that energy come from? The food you eat. Bam. So hit the gym, not only with the focus of burning off the guilty calories from that last cheat meal you ate. Keep in mind the effects of muscle growth on your metabolism, and your dream of one day eating Happy Lamb out of business is no longer a dream, but a necessity for survival.
THANK YOU for saying it! So often we take words of the media of people saying “Oh it takes a 2 hour bike ride to burn off a cookies and creme milkshake. Then people just stop excising because they think that there’s no point and it’s already a lost battle and it’s just simply not worth the time. They just don’t account for metabolism. This is what I’ve been trying to tell my dad all this time but he only complains how he never loses weight and eats the tinniest dinner. Overall I just love eating and for me this was the only way to go about still staying healthy while still eating the amount I do today. I hope everyone takes a look at this blog so it doesn’t stay as a secret!
Kevin, this post was both educational and entertaining! Will definitely try your tips to get my money’s worth at all-you-can-eat places.
Interesting take on a perpetually-perplexing problem. I once heard about our mutual friend’s brother making the manager of an all-you-can-eat buffet cry because he kept getting back up for another plate of sushi.
As a pescetarian myself, I can’t really relate to your thing about Happy Lamb Hot Pot; whenever I go there, they literally have to use water as my broth. Needless to say, I think I’ve only been there twice (and dragged there reluctantly by friends). The more intriguing theory to me is your quip about hitting the gym: I always feel that after I eat a bloating meal, hitting the gym is literally the last thing I want to do. Any cardio instantly cramps up my stomach, and lifting weights puts stress on my already fragile digestive system: not the best combination.
Of course, hitting the gym a couple hours or the day after eating a meal is a different story; it’s encouraged. The best thing to do, though (at least if you ask Mr. Benages), is to eat a big meal right AFTER a grueling workout, so that you replenish all the crucial vitamins and electrolytes and minerals your body lost. Whatever you do, it’s clear that you can get fit and simultaneously run an all-you-can-eat joint’s margins into the ground.
What a fascinating topic (as I’m sure literally everyone can relate)! I absolutely hate going into “food coma” – you can’t think, can’t move, but, most importantly, you can’t eat any more. To be honest, my metabolism is naturally high: it’s why I seem to grow taller but never wider (or it’s just all the late nights studying instead of working out… no, that CAN’T be it). It comes down to basic biology as you said. Eat more to feed your cells. Being the skinny kid in your multivariable calculus class (not sure about the legend part, that must be referring to someone else), I can attest to eating like a pig and looking like a twig. Lesser known tip: Happy Lamb Hot Pot gives free meals to birthday boys or girls. How do I know? It’s my plan for Sunday!
I love your approach to this topic! The AYCE buffet is an interesting concept from both an economic and biological perspective. From an economic standpoint, the reason AYCE buffets can make money is because they count on the fact that people who aren’t like you will eat there as well. According to an Atlantic article by Bourree Lam, AYCE buffets stay afloat by refraining from marketing the “all you CAN eat” aspect and hiking up prices so customers will perceive the food to be higher quality and not feel as inclined to actually eat as much as humanly possible. Furthermore, they are able to save costs by having customers cook their own food and by predicting what foods will be in demand on a given day. However, the number one rule of AYCE is to minimize waste. A lot of AYCE places will charge you for the food you did not eat, so make sure you read the fine print before ordering :).
Biologically, people are hardwired to be hunter-gatherers. As a result, we will tend to gorge ourselves whenever possible because our ancestors 2 million years ago never knew when their next meal would come from. Our insatiable instincts, coupled with the factors you mentioned — metabolism, cellular composition, and exercise — make AYCE buffets worth every penny.
Lam, Bourree. “The Economists Who Studied All-You-Can-Eat Buffets.” The Atlantic. N. p., 2014. Web. 7 Oct. 2019.
This blog idea is so incredibly silly but I love it so much. I really enjoyed the way you scientifically supported your conclusion, despite the strangenesss of the question, because it truly made me want to take this article (and the concept of all you can eat restaurants) more seriously–kind of like a competition! I have a few questions rhough. How many people were you with when you accomplisehd the 12-lamb plate feat? Also, do you know how the effects compare of not eating for a while beforehand versus working out? Does one method take away more pleasure than being able to eat more gives back? I think another trip to the Happy Lamb Hot Pot is needed to test!
[Also, have you checked out the UChicago prompts for this year? One is about the concept of unlimited food at buffets (specifically breadsticks at Olive Garden) and I think you’d have a really good chance of getting in if you go with this idea anfd prompt.]
There is so much that readers can relate to in this post. From the desire for students like us to get the most food with our money to the general food fervor, this post surely does rekindle that desire to eat as much food as I possibly can.
Your argument has a strong biological basis, and I like how you recognize the expected genetic benefits before mentioning the possible larger role of metabolism. Also, by arguing that building muscle results in more food being a necessity, you remove much of that guilty feeling that many people feel after overindulging in their favorite foods. You also create a tangible, enticing object that people are motivated by: I know that the next time I am running or lifting at the gym, my focus will shift towards all of the mouthwatering meals that lie in my future—and I’m sure that other readers can relate. This inevitable, slight shift in exercise motivations truly does seem like a dream world, but it is our world.
To extend on your argument, I would like to ask a question delving more into the details of building muscle to boost metabolism. In your experience and knowledge, what is the best way to build muscle to derive the benefits that this post dangled right in front of us, closer and closer to our reach?
Hi Kevin. I am glad you are enjoying S&P. Considering that I am in your class, I would imagine you would be having a fun time making gains. I found this information to be very useful because I am currently bulking, so thank you for putting it out there. Bulking is the process of eating as much as your body will tolerate in order to gain weight and therefore muscle when combined with heavy lifting. I will have to disagree with your opening line. Personally, I hate food. I only eat food because it is essential to my survival. My Diet of brown rice and unseasoned chicken is not very yummy. I have never been to Happy Lamb and I am eager to try it out to see if it will reverse my opinion on food.