The Real Michael Phelps Diet - Is It Anywhere Near 12,000 Calories A Day?
While the newspapers are full of the so called Michael Phelps diet, which is said to consist of up to 12,000 calories a day, is it possible for one person to eat that amount of calories each and every day and still stay in shape?
A number of dieticians have poured scorn on the claims that his diet is up to 12,000 a day (against the recommended intake of around 2,000 for the average man) because it would mean he was eating all day every day and he would not be able to shift that amount of calorie intake through training alone. The average forecast is that Michael Phelps will use around 1,000 calories per hour when he is training or in race conditions, meaning he would have to train for in excess of 10 ours a day, eat for hours a day and then sleep!
However, there is no doubt that the swimming sensation which is Michael Phelps does need an extraordinary intake of calories per day to keep in shape. While some suggestions in the press put his intake at about 8,000 calories a day, this is probably still at the top end of the range and likely to be nearer 6,000 calories a day, still three times that of the average man!