The belly of the critic: super sized Michelin style

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More fat food writers and critics. While writing his latest book The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner The Guardian’s Jay Rayner did what any self respecting food writer would do. He ate at Gordon Ramsay pretty much everywhere in the world he could. He even took more than a bite out of Morgan Spurlock’s burger supersizing in Michelin starred restaurants for a whole month. The experience left him 132kg and with red welts around his tummy from his 43 inch belt.

As Rayner, whose agony aunt mum Claire used to spruik panty pads with wings on TV, said in The Observer:

“To finish the book I decided to test the luxury-restaurant experience to destruction by doing the high-end Super Size Me. Where Morgan Spurlock ate in McDonald’s every day for a month, I would eat in a Parisian Michelin three-star every day for a week. If I was invited to take the tasting menu I would have to say yes. Seven days; 21 Michelin stars. Like Spurlock, before and after I had a medical.

And so, the day after my return from Paris - my 41st birthday - I found out exactly what I weighed. At the time I was so horrified I could not bring myself to put the number in the book. Now, having done the work, I can. It was 132 kgs or - in language you understand - a shade under 21 stone. Cue sharp intakes of breath.”

Incredibly Rayner is still alive and lost weight.

My current weight: 105kg+