Gaining to lose: Olney’s Andrew Clinton uses food challenge to set weight loss goals

Andrew Clinton was the first to overcome the Brickhouse Pizza & Taproom 56-ounce Prime Rib Challenge in March, but that milestone was to set him upon a new weight loss journey.

It was Saturday, March 22 when Clinton was running late and saving his appetite for Brickhouse Pizza & Taproom in Graham when it opened later in the day. 

He went in with the intention of eating a salad and steak before he saw the sign at the entrance advertising the challenge.

The challenge is a 60-minute contest where you eat a 56-ounce prime rib, Italian chopped salad, fettuccine alfredo, butter, a baked potato, a mini bread load, a beverage and one serving of chocolate moose cake. 

He paid his $100 up front and with a win he could choose to get his money back or earn a $150 gift card to the restaurant. In Clinton’s mind, he already saw himself winning an extra $50.

Clinton had thought about trying his hand at The Big Texan Steak Ranch challenge in Amarillo, which involves eating a 72-ounce steak dinner with a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad and a roll. 

He asked himself why he should make the drive to Amarillo when a challenge is right next door in Graham.

“The food challenge was a thing to do before I start to try to lose weight again, seriously this time,” he said. “I was wanting to go to The Big Texan but... I needed to stay around Olney, and that opportunity presented itself.”

Clinton said he is a private person and the competition was a way to put himself out there and really make a difference in his lifestyle.

“I’ve set the goal, before even the competition, to come back in October 2026. I’m going to be 100 pounds lighter. My friends and family that hadn’t seen me in 10 years were able to see it online, and maybe I could surprise them before the holidays next year,” he said. “I would also, of course, like to go back 100 pounds lighter and eat it again.”

He overcame the challenge in just under 45 minutes and won a $150 gift card, a T-shirt and a picture on the wall of fame at Brickhouse Pizza & Taproom.

Clinton grew up in Midland and worked in the oil field in that area starting at 15 years old. 

“I’ve been on both sides of it, production and drilling, all the way to the gas, water and oil analysis laboratory,” he said.

He moved to Olney in 2014 and makes the trip to Graham every week. He said his desire to eat came from a younger age.

“As a kid, I played three sports a year, sometimes two seasons of baseball, and (my dad) would always encourage me to eat. ...He would try to see if I could beat him in eating. He was a small guy, but he could eat,” Clinton said.

Clinton said eating big has become a common thing for him, with a large 2-pound breakfast each morning. 

This is not the first competition Clinton has been involved in, with challenges from 1988 to 2016. During that time he overcame eating 37 jalapenos, a 5-pound sub sandwich, a 52-ounce steak and a ghost chilli burger. 

He said weightlifting and eating were hand-in-hand for him and that he has previously lost and gained back again.

“I just have personal goals I’d like to reach. I’ve lost over 130 pounds twice in my life,” Clinton said. “Weightlifting has provided me with discipline. Honestly, the big belly and all that, that’s not wanting to do cardio. You want to keep a lot of weight on you, but it’s getting to be where it’s catching up with me.”

Clinton thanked the community of Graham for having a place like Brickhouse.

“The atmosphere, the ambiance, the lighting, the architecture and just the team right now is just an awesome team and you can see how they work together,” he said.