PeterMuz, thanks for posting that passage–to me it’s a very important one, and one of my arguments against some of the practices I was referring to. Maybe not eating 12 mini burgers one time you’re really hungry, but definitely the large scale contests that people “train” for by eating huge amounts of vegetables and drinking lots of water to stretch their stomachs. I read that the competitive eating organizations don’t condone this because it can be dangerous to one’s health, but competitors do it nonetheless.
I can definitely see our friend’s point that Catholics (and I would say other Christians) do need to lighten up, though! Do you think his eating 12 mini burgers and getting recognized by the restaurant in a small college town can be compared to the competitions that I’m talking about? I really don’t care about trying to figure out “where the line is” or anything like that! We’re not the judges–Christ is! Also, everyone needs different amounts and kinds of food to be healthy. I’m prone to believe that eating 12 mini burgers one time isn’t going to harm one’s health, may even be good for you! (My parents love to brag that I ate seven hot dogs one time when I was two years old.)
Personally, I think when it starts involving “tricking your body” for the sake of winning a competition and doing things your doctor warns against, it’s a problem. Your body is a temple! Little restaurant challenges are common and can be fun, let’s not condemn anything that resembles something “bad” or “unhealthy” for fear of a slippery slope. People do have some ability to discern.