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Eat like Mike

DAVE MCGINN

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 8:27 AM EST 22/08/08

Dave McGinn dived into Michael Phelps's gut-busting diet with hopes of swimming like an Olympic champion. Instead, the amateur eater was left lying on the couch, gasping for air ...Read the full article

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  1. Tom R from Victoria, Canada writes: Great article Dave...you're a champion for even trying...did you really exercise in between 'cause that would even be MORE amazing !!!!!!!!
  2. mynalee johnstone from saltspring island, Canada writes: Seems to me that Phelps is a fast metabolizer. It also makes me reflect on the eating habits of North Americans in general. Super Size it!. Constant snacking. Go to a movie and notice all the volumes of popcorn and drinks consumed. I doubt that he needs all that food. I think its just a habit and reflection of American eating style.Lets here what other swimmers and triathlon participants eat.
  3. brm 2000 from Hogtown, Canada writes: Dude I like it!! But seriously, Phelps has a total fat burning body, that is what he uses for fuel. Most ordinary people use carbs for energy, not fat. If you keep exercising every day like Phelps for as long as he has, you will start burning fat for fuel as well. If you read about Ultra Marathoner Dean Karnases, he eats a similar amount of calories on the road, while running, folds up pizza's eats shakes, he needs 900 calories an hour.
  4. Paul Paul from london, United Kingdom writes: This is a good idea. I liked it when The Guardian did it A WEEK AGO.
  5. Kate Peer from Canada writes: I really enjoyed this article and it may show some people that Athletes do eat a great deal. It amazes people that I can eat so much and now I can say I am not the only one haha. It is also interesting to see the difference between metabolisms in only a 8 year difference. But all in all great article quite comical!
  6. Olympic Sports Fan from Ottawa, Canada writes: Have you ever seen retired swimmers who become coaches?

    De-training is advised!
  7. George Ennis from Toronto, Canada writes: ...but we all know Phelps weighs 950 pounds...it's the new bathing suit that swimmers wear that is hiding it all
  8. R M from Ottawa, Canada writes:
    The thing to remember.....basically: eat what you want, just be prepared to work it off (seems most conveniently forget the last part)
  9. Tim Cares from Canada writes: I think you just have to get used to eating all that food.
    My suggestion is to keep at it and get back to us in a month.

    By the way, why does the Star have a similar article today? I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
  10. Zach A from United Kingdom writes: When I read that first article on what Phelps eats I was a bit skeptical. Did anyone else feel that way? I was never clear on whether he actually consumed that amount of food or whether he ate the equivalent in calories.

    Was that daily meal intended to be representative of what he eats every day? Does the poor guy eat the same thing every day?
  11. Alex Yaxmos from Canada writes: People can eat whatever they want, but they must realize they wiill get fat unless they exercise.
  12. Michael Soft from Outerspace, Canada writes: WOW! That is a pretty BIG carbon footprint!
  13. Michael Soft from Outerspace, Canada writes: "Zach A from United Kingdom writes: When I read that first article on what Phelps eats I was a bit skeptical. Did anyone else feel that way? I was never clear on whether he actually consumed that amount of food or whether he ate the equivalent in calories.

    Was that daily meal intended to be representative of what he eats every day? Does the poor guy eat the same thing every day? "

    I would rather die if I had to eat those things everyday!
  14. Charmian Christie from Canada writes: Hilarious article. Laughed out loud several times.

    Out of curiosity, I dropped by the Guardian to see what they did. Not a patch on McGinn's piece.

    Hope you're feeling better, Dave. I got queasy just reading the menu.
  15. F/A josquin from Canada writes:
    I know (or knew) a lot of ex-swimmers, and they all bulked up when their wet careers were over, especially the women. If you don't keep swimming, you get big

    Most likely true for all sports. Swimmers, however, seem to get meatier for some reason.
  16. F/A josquin from Canada writes:

    I mean, really--------is that what he eats, or is that simply representative of the calories he consumes?
  17. Jan Triska from Ottawa, Canada writes: Dude, this is hilarious. Best ever article on the Olympics. And yet another proof that Phelps is not quite human, not in the sense that the rest of us are...
  18. Sue City from Canada writes: Dudes, I'm sure he only eats like that when he's training. Though, I suppose he's always training...
  19. Graham Brown from Sarnia, writes: Cyclists riding in the Tour de France or other punishing endurance events also have to eat like it's their last meal forever. For my part, I don't think I could even cook 12,000 calories a day, much less eat it. Well, I guess one could deep-fry a block of SPAM to get enough calories.
  20. Yinka Egberongbe from Canada writes: Interesting article! What about fruits and vegetables? It doesn't say how long Michael Phelps has been keeping this up. I must say that the thought that he could be malnourished seems rather odd...
  21. David Chipman from Toronto, Canada writes: At least someone here has suggested that you need to take time to build up to what Phelps eats. He didn't start eating like that straight from normal diet. Try building up to his caloric intake, then you might be successful. Rocket science it's not.
  22. B H from Toronto, Canada writes: I don't think you could make the change in one day even if you were trying to do all the exercise the guy does... he must have a crazily high percentage of lean muscle mass, to let him burn more calories even when he's not doing anything.
  23. Nathan Cool from Vancouver, Canada writes: Funny stuff, keep it up.
  24. Charles Houlihan from Victoria, Canada writes: Excellent article - very well written and funny!
  25. Pamela Robb from Pelham, Canada writes: Gee, Dave. I thought I didn't have enough to do in a day.

    After I'm finished petting the dog in the morning, that's just about it for me till it's time for beddie by.

    Now, on the other hand, spending the day, eat'in and swimm'in, and yearning for grits. We'll, slap my butt and call me Lazy Lizzy. Sounds to me you're more like Tom Sawyer than Michael Phelps.
  26. robert quinn from Japan writes: Eat (a lot), swim, sleep. The unexamined life and all that. Still, from what little I've read he seems as emotionally balanced as one could be considering the attention showered upon him. (The whole coach/Svengali/"business partner" arrangement is pure Americana though.)
  27. True Grit from Canada writes: Paul Paul from london, United Kingdom, I read the Guardian piece last week. This article is much funnier and, the author of this article at least tried to be more scientific by including exercise in his observations.
  28. Conservatives Lie from Canada writes: Eating like this is not only unnecessary for even the most active of athletes, it's terriblty unhealthy. Phelps may be a great swimmer, but there is no question that he is damaging his health if he eats like this. It's nothing short of shocking that so many atheletes are willing to damage their health and shorten their lives for a little glory.
  29. L T from Canada writes: Dave, great article! Made laugh several times especially the references to your gf looking at you funny. Hilarious!

    Good reference in some comments about the TDF cyclists and elite athletes in general who consume huge portions but also expend a ton of calories.

    I would like to see a comparision of Phelps' meal plan and that of other athletes at his level... perhaps Usain Bolt...
  30. Fun Times from Canada writes: I can believe it. When I was in highschool I followed a very rigorous workout regimen (3-4 hours every other day), plus I played on three soccer teams, biked 25km/day, and swam whenever I could. I had to eat massive amounts of food, I didn't care how many calories it was, all I cared about was that I ate enough protein for my muscles to recoup. Of course, after I wrecked my knee (snapped ACL) I gained a ton of weight because I was used to eating so much, but I couldn't do the exercise to burn it off. I'm sure that he'll bulk up as soon as he retires.
  31. Fun Times from Canada writes: Oh, and I also saw a show on the BBC about a guy swimming the English Channel, and he had to eat so much before the swim to gain an extra 20 lbs as he burns it all off during the swim.
  32. Ed Long from Canada writes: Phelps is going to totally deplete his muscle glycogen which, please correct me, is about 2500 kcal.

    He will also burn fats, the most concentrated form of energy, so the fried egg sandwiches loaded with mayo, etc. are necessary.

    At this level we're talking fuel in/fuel burned.

    But did he really eat this stuff or was there a lot of high nutrient smoothies, etc.

    Like figure out the digestive time in the gut to process all this crap.
  33. terry t from ottawa, writes: One thing people need to realize is how many calories muscle will burn... a pound of fat burns 2 calories in a day, whereas a pound of muscle burns 50. So Phelps' body naturally burns far more calories to begin with, let alone his 5 hours of training every day.

    How come there's no mention of the, uh... "after effects" of eating so much? With how much Phelps eats, he must spend a significant amount of time on the can! I'm guessing your editors took that part out of the article? :)
  34. Darrin Duell from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Reminds me of Tom Venuto's Burn The Fat Feed the Muscle Program..
  35. Anger Equals Danger from Canada writes: F/A josquin from Canada writes:
    I know (or knew) a lot of ex-swimmers, and they all bulked up when their wet careers were over, especially the women. If you don't keep swimming, you get big

    Most likely true for all sports. Swimmers, however, seem to get meatier for some reason.

    * * *

    swam competitively at the National level for severla years (from age 8 to 22). I was 5'6 and 127-128 lbs. I cut out swimming and weight training all together (won't set foot in a gym or a pool). I didn't gain anything when I stopped training. In fact, my weight decreased becasue my muscle mass decreased. At 34, I weigh 118.

    I did cut a lot of things out of my diet, or reduce the amount of times I had them. Red meat used to be 4 or five times a week, now I have it once or twice a month and have chicken or turkey or fish instead. I eat a lot more salads. Pancakes on Sunday mornings instead of every other day. Pasta used to be five times a week, now it's once or twice.

    So maintaining the weight can be done. But you're right, a lot of ex-swimmers do pack it on if they continue with their "training diet". Not sure why
  36. Simon Hum from Canada writes: LOL - great article, I had tears coming out the corner of my eyes from laughing so hard :=)
  37. ginny ! from Canada writes:
    Sorry, but I read this in The Guardian at least a week ago. Then Radio Canada did the same stunt. The story's passed already.
  38. Girl from Ipanema from Canada writes: That was HILARIOUS! Keep articles like this coming.

    Echoing the sentiments of some other posters...I'd be devastated if the poor guy eats the same thing every day.
  39. Blue Unicorn from Ottawa, Canada writes: Wow. Impressive swimmer. Even more impressive eater. That kid's daily menu is truly Olympian. If I ate like Michael Phelps, I would need a shopping cart just to wheel around my gut ! And I don't think there is enough Gaviscon on the planet to quell the case of heartburn that I would develop.
  40. Blake Lyons from Yellowknife, Canada writes: Interesting article. Very entertaining but difficult to digest.
  41. J Planet from Everywhere, Canada writes: Yes, okay, but where does all that food go in the end?
  42. Dawn from Minnesota from Minnesota, United States writes: It is unrealistic for anybody to try to eat the quantity of food that Phelps eats without doing a similar amount of exercise.
  43. Working Mom from Ottawa, Canada writes: Michael Phelps also has a Hereditary Connective Tissue Disorder (Marfans) where one of the characteristics is to be tall, with disproportionately long limbs (he has a huge arm span - very useful in a swimmer) and have a very lean build. So he is genetically destined not to gain weight easily. As an aside, it also makes him prone to heart defects which is why he gets checked, I think, once or twice a year.
  44. Stude Ham from Outremont, Canada writes:
    anyone seriously doing laps in any kind of watery enironment will know that this is one exercise which leaves you hungry but does nothing to remove the rubber tube.

    the only thing that can help shrink that gut is very serious reduction of the daily calories... and incredibly powerful portion controls.

    the phelps phenomenon does not invite anyone anywhere his bowel movements.
  45. Michael Soft from Phelps, Canada writes: Keep eating Phelps!
  46. D. Wiltshire from Canada writes: Thanks for sharing your gutsy story Dave. I devoured every word, and each little morsel left me wanting more. I haven't fallen off a chair laughing in a very long time. You're a bigger man than I am coming up with all that. I'll have to read it again so I can digest it all.
  47. gloria garvey from Canada writes: Well, Duh. This is one of the stupidest articles I've read in a long time. That was so apparent by the end of breakfast that I didn't bother reading the rest. Why would anyone want to do what this guy did? No wonder he's got a gut to work off. He won't get too far with that the way he's going.
  48. Yogi Bear905 from Mississauga, Canada writes: Never mind the QUANTITY i.e. 12,000 calories. Wow! What about the QUALITY? Where are the fruits and vegetables and the healthy fats? Does this mean that certain people are exempt from the Food Pyramid diet? And is so, does this exemption apply to the general population as well? Can we all ignore QUALITY and just pay attention to QUANTITY in what we eat?
  49. Hap Stokes from Canada writes: Is This So Unusual?

    Any group of men (any group) doing 'Heavy Physical Work' do the same thing. Even our 64/65 year olds ate 16 eggs, 2/3 steaks, 10 pcs of toast a stack of pancakes 5" to 6" high and 2 plates of hashbrowns.

    And then were starving by coffee break and chased breakfast with a dozen sandwiches or anything they could lay their hands on.--No need to even mention Dinner--it was bigger than breakfast. And those old guys looked like a skinny ribbed Hercules with big muscles.

    Trouble was--If we were hurt or went on vacation the appetite didn't quit work when we did.

    One of our big eating old guys retired at 65, and was then a healthy muscle bound 160 lb 5'10" man. 16 months later he weighted over 300. He just couldn't stop eating nor change his forty year old eating habits. So he died terrible living inside his new retired grossly fat body.

    Sorry swim fans but Micheal may seem unusual to some, but to others we might wonder why isn't that kid eating, is he sick?
  50. Jake Richardson from Canada writes: Conservatives Lie from Canada writes: Eating like this is not only unnecessary for even the most active of athletes, it's terriblty unhealthy. Phelps may be a great swimmer, but there is no question that he is damaging his health if he eats like this. It's nothing short of shocking that so many atheletes are willing to damage their health and shorten their lives for a little glory.
    -----------
    The human body is at its most powerful and most capable when you consume a diet like this. However, it's not the recommend diet for a long span.

    And believe me - for a guy like Phelps, it IS necessary. I bet you'd find this quite typical among elite athletes in sports requiring endurance.
  51. Yogi Bear905 from Is This So Unusual? Well, yes!, Canada writes: The average recommended daily caloric intake for the average male person is 2,000 calories per day. So yes, I would say that 12,000 calories being 6 times the average daily recommended caloric intake is extremely unusual. The only worker I could see off-hand that would consume such a quantity of calories wood be a wood chopper or someone like that. However, what about quality. Is this kind of a diet inherently unhealthy?
  52. Conservatives Lie from Canada writes: Sorry Jake, it's simply not necessary. That degree of protein intake alone is going to be damaging because of how much nitrate it will produce. Having energy is one thing (although it's unlikely 12,000 calories worth per day is needed), but to derive so much of it from foods that place strain on your liver and kidneys for digestion is a completely different story. As I said earlier, Phelps is apt to suffer some serious health problems later in life (which may not be all that "late" in life, when compared to the average).
  53. Ed Op from Canada writes: Entertaining? Yes.

    Sensible? Not in the least.

    I know this was a "light" entertainment piece but come on, sedentary writers are not supposed to pack back 12,000 calories a day. The only time you need to do that is if you are an elite athlete in training. And if you aren't habituated to that kind of eating of course it will make you sick. (Actually, congrats on going on some sort of run in the midst of that).

    Anyway, there's definitely a place for fluff in the world, but this piece was a little too light.
  54. Ricky for a Centrist Canada from Canada writes:
    "chocolate chip pancake the size of my face."

    ROFLMAO
  55. G Macdonald from St. Catharines, Canada writes: Seems to be that one possibility is being overlooked in the effort to make sense of a 12,000 calorie a day diet: Phelps might simply be wrong about how many calories he eats. Hard sprint swimming is going to burn 1000 calories an hour, he doesn't work out 12 hours a day. He probably eats a lot, but just exaggerated the calorie count, whether intentionally or not it isn't really a big deal.
  56. edward prior from Montreal, Canada writes: I happened to start reading the article just as I began tucking into a bag of cheesies. Ooops.
  57. bruce mcfarlane from Bayswater NB, Canada writes: Burp! Will the next item on the banned performance enhancing substances list be food? Then there remains the prospect that this diet is intended to fool potential competition into eating themselves out of contention for a ninth gold metal in the fifty-yard dog-paddle at the London Olympics.
  58. David Gehring from Kingston, Ontario, Canada writes: Cripes, with a diet like that you'd also be spending 2 hours per day in the bathroom. If you've ever owned a beagle, then you'll know what I mean. Which is quite fitting with respect to this article... The one correct statement made in this article is that the writer really does have too much time on his hands. Maybe he can find out how Phelps sleeps, what books Phelps reads and what panties Phelps wears so he can try to emulate that too.
  59. Michael Applin from Canada writes: What a silly and superior sounding comment that was! For those of us who haven't read the Guardian article the story has definitely not passed.

    Great article Dave and keep them coming
  60. Ricky for a Centrist Canada from Canada writes:
    David Gehring from Kingston, Ontario, Canada writes: The one correct statement made in this article is that the writer really does have too much time on his hands. Maybe he can find out how Phelps sleeps, what books Phelps reads and what panties Phelps wears so he can try to emulate that too.

    It's called a sense of humour, Davey boy.

    Get one - they're nice.

    Oh, and be sure to tip us off on that article YOU'RE writing for a major publication.
  61. Mike Quinlan from Gatineau QC, Canada writes: What no Wheaties? I guess the "breakfast of champions" just doesnt cut it anymore. Cant wait for the new Pizza Hut ads, or better yet if he would trade the fried egg sandwiches in for 5 egg mcmuffins...He could be the new spokesman for the junk food industry.

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