American Football: Offensive lineman gains over four kilos on Thanksgiving

Richie Incognito ate everything in sight on Thanksgiving Day. Photo / Getty Images

Only in America.

The US doesn't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to healthcare and problems with obesity, but at least athletes in the US have a good excuse for eating - to keep their strength up, clearly.

Football players - especially offensive linemen - need to be bigger than most given the hits they take. So what better way to prepare their bodies for physical punishment than by stuffing themselves to gain as much weight as possible on Thanksgiving?

That was Buffalo Bills' guard Richie Incognito's plan of attack on "Turkey Day" 2016.

Teammate Eric Wood has held a competition for the past three years encouraging guests to gain as much weight as possible on the national holiday.

The lucky invitees weigh themselves before taking their first bite then again after the final bit of stuffing has been downed, and whoever tips the scales with the biggest weight difference at day's end is declared the winner.

We're not sure what you "win" exactly. Pride?

Incognito came into the event with form. The defending champ from 2015 gained nearly seven kilos last year, and initially, that experience was thought to be enough to deter him from going around again in 2016.

"I'm out," Incognito told The Buffalo News. "I gained too much weight last year."

Teammate and fellow weight-gain enthusiast Garrison Sanborn was sceptical about this before the big day arrived though.

"He can't shy away from competition. He says that now, but he'll be in there."

He was right. Incognito came to Wood's place on Thanksgiving, he saw, he ate and he conquered. Again. He packed on more than four kilos this time around.

Introducing the reigning, defending, undisputed @EWood70 weight gain challenge CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!!! 9.4LB gain for the win. pic.twitter.com/cQ6pHqzHtu

— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) November 25, 2016

Many player and father/father in law competitors and @68INCOGNITO won. 9.4 lbs our winner with *less* water this year. A lot less. Congrats!

— Eric Wood (@EWood70) November 25, 2016

And his plan? Simple. Eat everything. "You get sick of one thing, move on to the next one," he told The Buffalo News.