Phelps'unusual diet: 12,000 calories a day

The August 25, 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated will go on sale on Wednesday.

So let's see what Michael Phelps eats in a day.

His breakfast: a large bowl of porridge; three doorstep-sized sandwiches of white bread, butter, fried egg, fried onion, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; a five-egg omelette tastefully garnished with parsley; three slices of French toast liberally sprinkled with sugar; three pancakes topped with chocolate chips; and two large cups of coffee.

Next to it is lunch, which consists of 1lb (that's a very large bowl) of pasta with tomato sauce; two large ham-and-cheese sandwiches with more lettuce, tomato and don't forget the mayo; plus four bottles of a proprietary high-energy sports drink.

For dinner, it's another pound of pasta, a large cheese-and-tomato pizza, and another four bottles of the same proprietary high-energy sports drink.

The average adult man, depending on age, height and weight, requires between 2,200 and 2,800 calories a day. According to most media estimates, Phelps's daily intake - the three meals described above - amounts to around 12,000 calories.

Phelps is in burn mode  when it comes to carbs; most of us - particularly the couch potatoes- are in storage mode.

The problem for anyone normal who eats like Phelps, of course, is that it would be physically impossible for most of them to expend anything like 12,000 calories a day. In a good hour of dedicated jogging, the average person is going to burn about 400 calories.

His breakfast: a large bowl of porridge, three doorstep-sized sandwiches of white bread, butter, fried egg, fried onion, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; a five-egg omelette tastefully garnished with parsley; three slices of French toast liberally sprinkled with sugar; three pancakes topped with chocolate chips; and two large cups of coffee. That's breakfast.(Photo: People.com.cn)

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