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12,000 calories a day
Posted on Aug 14th 2008 12:30PM by Bev Sklar
Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps counts lap after lap in the pool, but he doesn't need to count calories. He eats to the tune of about 12,000 calories a day. Every time he throws his arms skyward to cheer another gold medal, I can't help but notice Phelps' six-pack is more like a 60-pack -- muscles pop across every nook and cranny of his statuesque frame. An army of Pac-Mans, those muscles need to eat, eat, eat.I've read ultra-high-altitude mountain climbers slip a stick of butter into their hot chocolate thanks to tremendous caloric-needs, yet Phelps isn't exactly swimming in the 23,000-ft-and-above Death Zone. He trains with Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, MI at 840 feet. However all those Pac-Mans steaming ahead during his five-hour a day workouts need shovelfuls of food. Here's a sample day's menu Phelps-style:
- Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches topped with lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayo; one five-egg omelette; grits; three slices french toast and three chocolate chip pancakes.
- Lunch: One lb of enriched pasta; two ham 'n cheese sandwiches with mayo on, gulp, white bread; 1,000-calories of energy drinks (must be PureSport).
- Dinner: One lb of pasta (again?), a pizza, more energy drinks.
Michael, where's the fruit? WARNING: To stay fit and trim, do not eat like Phelps at home. Pic from Getty Images.
