Michael Phelps: Daily Routine

Forget 12,000 calories a day, the real story is how Phelps trained, recovered, and won eight golds in a single Olympics.

Despite the persistent rumours floating around the internet, Michael Phelps never consumed 12,000 calories per day during his Olympian days. Blame it on the sensationalising article that made headlines around the world when it published Phelps’ typical meal plan and exaggerated calorie figure.

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelette. One bowl of grain. Three slices of French toast topped. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread, plus energy drinks.

Dinner: One pound of pasta, an entire pizza, and even more energy drinks.

Phelps’ actual daily intake was closer to 8,000 – 10,000 calories. That being said, it was still an insane number of calories that Phelps was eating every day, especially compared to the average person’s 2,000 – 2,500. But then again, Phelps was far from an average person.