Olympic-sized Diets
There is discussion in the media section about the number of calories Olympians (namely Michael Phelps) need each day. GolfGirl said she wouldn't know how to eat that many calories each day, but that it would include pancakes.
So, if you were required to eat 8,000-10,000 calories every day, what would you eat?
Personally, there would be incredible amounts of pasta and breakfast food in my diet.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
27 Comments:
this was going to be my follow up question! looks like im not the only one wondering how :)
lots of carbs. everything and anything italian. rich creamy alfredo. cheesy garlic bread. everything drenched in butter. loads of creamy buttery mashed potatoes. delicious rare steaks.
listener at 2:25PM on 08/12/08
Steak, Whiskey, Steak, More Whiskey.
nelson5757 at 2:50PM on 08/12/08
How hard is it to eat 10,000 calories? I wondered if it's a lot less food than I was imagining.
In one sitting:
6 Triple Whoppers with cheese and mayo (7500)
2 King size french fries (1200)
1 large Oreo sundae strawberry milkshake (940)
2 packets of mayonnaise for fries (160)
2 packets of ketchup for fries (20)
Total: 9820 calories
I wonder how many calories this dinner would rake in:
- rolls with butter
- creamy dip with bread
- fettucine alfredo
- garlic bread
- cheesecake
- alcohol
Cassaendra at 3:03PM on 08/12/08
Pasta, bread, chocolate, cheesecake. Dude, it's SO not hard to get to 8,000 if you think about eating sweets with cream, butter, and chocolate. :x Once I ate a fourth of a cheesecake for dinner...that's like 4 slices x 400 calories = 1600? haha
And that Phelps interview? Gawd, can he get any hotter? I'd like to share a meal with him :)
Pammeh at 4:15PM on 08/12/08
from the standpoint of a runner its not hard at all. when i am training for a marathon or relay race, i usually get about 6K a day (mind you im 6'2 165, not 200 like Phelps) the key is to eat constantly throughout the day. 5-6 meals of 600-800 calories intermixed with snacking(yeah!! Ice Cream!!)
and to keep 600 calories in perspective thats a 10oz new york strip and a med baked potato with nothing on it
concreteoatmeal at 5:19PM on 08/12/08
I used to be a national level athlete and rich foods such as cream sauces, cheesecakes, junk food etc... are not every day foods even when you need ++ calories. You need healthy nutritious foods to compete optimally. Most athletes eat very large amounts of healthy foods, not heavy/junk foods. Of course the occasional treat was very welcome...
PeanutButter at 5:50PM on 08/12/08
PeanutButter, I assumed the same thing, and then I read an interview with him:
GN Sports: What about your diet? Are you always eating super healthy?
Michael Phelps: I eat pretty much whatever I want. I don't have a strict diet. It's all about cramming in as many calories into my system as I possibly can. To be honest with you, I have a tough time keeping weight on.
IGN Sports: What about fast food?
Michael Phelps: Bring it on!
http://sports.ign.com/articles/627/627665p1.html
I also saw a really cute video with him that showed him chowing down on yes, pancakes and other diner-type food.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1377660/fuel_for_phelps/
Yes, I am obsessed with Michael Phelps!
Re: the 10,000 calories--I think that would be hard. 4,000 calories er, not that hard to imagine. But 10,000 is several more times than a thousand calories per meal. With heavy training, it's hard to fathom having that much time in the day!
HeartofGlass at 6:07PM on 08/12/08
Pizza
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Cake
Steak
Snickers bars
More peanut butter
Bread and more bread
and an M&M Blizzard (extra huge!)
Traveller at 6:26PM on 08/12/08
pasta with tons of butter and parmesan. homemade layer cakes with buttercream frosting. milkshakes. chocolate pie. chocolate candy. whipped cream and ice cream on everything!
cybercita at 8:37PM on 08/12/08
I was a college basketball player and now i'm a triathlete. I eat healthy foods because I choose to do so, but I am the same age as Michael Phelps and at this age, if you eat the richer foods in moderation it really makes no difference as long as you are getting the necessary fuel. It depends on your metabolism and response to certain foods. Mind you, I am not a physician but I train all the time. If you were Michael Phelps, would you change your diet??
JacquelineS at 12:17AM on 08/13/08
Pizza. Just lots and lots of pizza.
Kerosena at 12:09PM on 08/13/08
Carbs and proteins -- lots of steak, potatoes and sauteed veggies; I'll take my fruit in cobblers, thank you very much. I'm not a chocolate eater (gasp!) and don't care for heavy cakes or fried pastries (I once ate a dozen dunkin' donuts at one sitting when I was 18 -- that killed my taste for the fried rings). Seems important that athletes eat nutritiously, rather than just load up on "empty" calories. Gimme' steak and crab over a pair of Big Macs any day. (isn't being able to eat all one wants of whatever one wants when one wants -- without guilt -- the ultimate foodie fantasy?). Go Phelps!
hatlady at 12:27PM on 08/13/08
a pupusa, omelette, bacon, hash browns, chocolate milk, a real new york bagel with cream cheese and lox, a taco, oysters, Culver’s butter burger, Culver’s frozen custard, about five things from Jitlada including tom yum soup, bbq ribs, fried chicken, potato salad, Yang Chow’s slippery shrimp, sushi, ramen, pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream and a peach.
Just One Plate at 12:54PM on 08/13/08
@ Pammeh-- I'd like to share more than just a meal with him.....like babies. ;-p
nichole at 2:58PM on 08/13/08
Talk about your eligible bachelor!!
izatryt at 3:08PM on 08/13/08
@nichole and izatryt: LOL, I see it now...after watching the clip, hordes of rabid Phelps fangirls stampede cooking classes and bookstores all over the country because clearly...the way to Phelp's heart is through his stomach ;)
notthati'dbeoneofthem COUGH
Pammeh at 3:13PM on 08/13/08
Sorry ladies, not to be a hater, but I always thought he looked like a miniature Gheorghe Muresan (http://www.ultimatenba.com/galerias/GheorgheMuresan/GheorgheMuresan006.jpg), former 7' 7'' basketball player for the Washington Wizards - and star of box office smash hit "My Giant" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120765/).
mepm231 at 3:42PM on 08/13/08
Nichole, Pammeh and izatryt--I totally agree--the bookstores will be sold out of '101 ways to cook pancakes and pasta!' Drool...and I don't mean over the pasta!
Oh, and I swear this will be my last Phelps-related link, but my local news just did a segment on what he eats, and advertised a link to a 'typical day' for Mike! Here it is, courtesy of NBC:
http://www.wnbc.com/asseenon/17182324/detail.html
When he's training, 23-year-old swimmer Michael Phelps reportedly eats 4,000 calories per meal totaling 12,000 calories a day.
That's six times what's recommended for an average man.
Here's his menu:
Breakfast:
3 fried egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions, and mayonnaise
2 cups of coffee
a 5 egg omelet
a bowl of grits
3 slices of French toast with powdered sugar
3 chocolate chip pancakes
Lunch:
1 pound enriched pasta with tomato sauce
2 large ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread with mayonnaise
1,000 calories of energy drinks
Dinner:
1 pound of pasta with tomato sauce
6 to 8 slices of pizza
1,000 calories of energy drinks
HeartofGlass at 5:37PM on 08/13/08
a pound of pasta will usually feed my family of 6. i cannot imagine being able to eat all that.
listener at 6:17PM on 08/13/08
I swam USS in high school and then in college..after I quit swimming, I changed my diet so much, one of my friends who was still swimming, would eat more in a meal than I would in a day. hahaha I miss that metabolism.
machellebelle at 8:35PM on 08/13/08
Occasionally while living in H'burg, MS I would go to McD'd and get a Big Mac and large fries, then walk next door to the Smoothie King (ironic) amd get a strawberry hulk to wash it down. The total on calories was close to 2080. That was a lot, but I wasn't swimming 4-6 races a day.
bobows at 11:13PM on 08/13/08
"Once I ate a fourth of a cheesecake for dinner."
At least I'm not the only who has done this :)
bobbob at 2:01PM on 08/14/08
Ok, I know he's eating a lot of pasta, but it's with tomato sauce, not alfredo. He's eating white bread and mayo... still not like he's eating it straight out of the jar. He eats a TON of food, but it isn't necessarily all "junk". Man, he better enjoy it now because as machellebelle stated, once he's done swimming, at least competitively, he's going to have to eat like a "normal" person!! Go Michael! Only one more to go!
sportzmedchick at 11:46PM on 08/15/08
Talk about someone who's not a cheap date!
I bet he doesn't get a lot of dinner invitations...or breakfast, or lunch.
wonder what he eats when he's got the munchies?
Southern_bella at 10:53PM on 08/16/08
i hear that he's planning to swim in 2012, so he can enjoy his massive intake for another four years. i would absolutely love to cook for him, i just wouldn't want to have to pay for the groceries!
what an extraordinary achievement.
cybercita at 12:32PM on 08/17/08
omg he's my hero.
moondancerdre at 6:10AM on 08/18/08
How many lobster rolls from Pearl Oyster Bar does it take to get up to 10,000 calories?
ericz at 6:31PM on 08/18/08