Red Dead Redemption 2 is a a game about taking care of a fussy little Tamagotchi cowboy called Arthur. Players need to make sure he’s dressed appropriately for the weather. They need to bathe him, using button prompts to wash his individual limbs. They need to feed him meals and snacks — but not too many!

Early on, the game warns you consuming excess calories will cause Arthur to gain weight, which will alter his stats. We took that as a challenge. In the days leading up to and following the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, we dedicated hours and hours to creating the largest Arthur possible. The game’s dedication to historical accuracy means that Arthur can’t just log on to BodyBuilding.net forums for tips on gaining mass. He can’t ride his horse to the local GNC and pick up a tub of whey protein shake mix and creatine. It was up to us to make him swole.

But we soon found out that embiggening Arthur isn’t as simple as feeding him a dozen cans of beans or $200 worth of beef stew. Check out the video above to follow along on our harrowing, twisting quest to get bigger in Red Dead Redemption 2.