How can Michael Phelps eat 10,000 calories a day and still be so lean?
There is no doubt he packs away a ton of food, but it is unlikely that he actually eats that many calories a day, an expert believes. University of Pittsburgh Director of Sports Nutrition Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, says eating 10,000 calories a day is almost impossible. “To consume 10,000 calories a day, he would need to be eating all day long.” Penn State University director of sports nutrition, Kristine Clark, PhD, RD, agrees. “In the course of a day there are only so many hours to eat, digest, rest, and train [reports suggest he trains six hours a day] and it is almost impossible to consume 10,000 calories of whole foods.” She says most athletes are stuffed after consuming a meal of 1,500 calories of whole foods. Bonci estimates that to support his 6-foot-4-inch, approximately 190-pound frame, Phelps’ rigorous training regime requires roughly 1,000 calories per hour while he is racing or training; she suggests he probably eats closer to 6,000 calories per day. Clark suggests he is proba