You don’t get the nickname Monsieur Mangetout (“Mr. Eat Everything”) without earning it. Over the course of 40 years, Frenchman Michel Lotito ate an estimated 9 tons of metal.

In his youth, Lotito suffered from pica, a mental disorder in which people compulsively eat non-food items such as dirt and plastic. (Lotito’s condition was first diagnosed around age 9, when he started munching on parts of the family TV set.) But once he started experimenting with more dangerous items like nails and glass, he learned that the incredibly thick lining of his stomach and intestines allowed him to consume almost anything. Soon, Lotito turned his affliction into a career.

By breaking up metal into small pieces and chugging mineral oil to lubricate his throat, he perfected his technique. For years, the Frenchman ate 2 lbs. of metal each day. In 2007, Lotito died of natural causes unrelated to his eating habits. But before he passed away, he made sure he could eat a coffin.

A few of the incredible non-foods that Lotito consumed during his life:

2 Beds

7 Television Sets

6 Chandeliers

18 Bicycles

15 Shopping Carts

1 Cessna 150 Airplane (Lotito’s most famous meal: Eating the plane took him two years, from 1978 to 1980.)