The other day, a friend sent me a link to this article from The Daily Beast, and now I don’t feel so guilty for occasionally giving into my cravings for McDonald’s double cheeseburgers.  Heck, that’s child’s play compared to the artery-clogging calorie bonanza that is the “Meat-Up.”  And what exactly is a Meat-Up, you ask? Ground Beef, topped with 2 pepperoni logs, stuffed with Cheez Whiz, topped with a layer of bacon, topped with a layer of mozzarella cheese slices, topped with more bacon, topped with meatballs and served with brown gravy.  Yep, someone actually made this dish and posted a picture of it on the gluttonous and aptly named food blog, This is Why You’re Fat…

The blog, started last February by Jessica Amason and Richard Blakely, is just as intriguing as it is repulsive.  I mean, who knew that such a thing as a Twinkie Casserole (24 Twinkies topped with caramel, mini marshmallows, brown sugar, and caramel icing) was possible?  And that you could encase the whole thing in Jell-O?  Amazing.

This is Why You’re Fat is a visual shrine to the excessive, indulgent, and well, American, when it comes to food.  Not to mention deadly.  The sheer amount of calories present in these over-the-top concoctions are mind-blowing.  Which is exactly why the blog is such a big hit.  So big, in fact, that it has spawned a recently published book, This is Why You’re Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks.

Whether it’s a backlash against the organic/healthy food craze, or the fact that people find the ridiculousness of these recipes so amusing, the Gross-Food Movement seems to be gathering steam.  It may have begun with the Bacon Weave creation that became an internet sensation earlier this year.  That was my first exposure to the kind of recipe that made me exclaim “Ewwww!” out loud, but secretly think to myself that a few bites might possibly be delicious. But only a few bites.

Now I don’t know if people are actually eating these recipes.  I’m guessing (and hoping) that they are more expressions of creativity born out of the desire to push the envelope and discover how much of a good thing is actually too much.  While the separate ingredients for many of these creations sound pretty good on an individual basis, I find the photos to be a bit gag-inducing, and I don’t think I’ll be making a Twinkie Casserole anytime soon. But let me know if you decide to try it, and I might come over and have a small bite of yours.

Carlie is the Food and Drink Editor for Girls Guide. By day she is an educational textbook editor, and she moonlights as a foodie and barfly. You can email her at carlie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @carbirwin.