The Phelps Diet and Exercise

[MisterSinister]

I know Michael Phelps is only 23 and maybe that is why he can get away with consuming so many calories. But, his diet is still really unhealthy no matter what one's age is. What it does tell me is that you can eat anything you want as long as you can burn most of it through exercise. I think he is proof that you can eat all kinds of junk and still be in shape through metabolism and exercise. Do you agree/disagree?

 

[jon3947]

Im sure that you are not a professional swimmer (or athlete for that matter) unless you have the time and ethic to burn most of your calories, dont worry about this

 

[Throttle]

he trains for most of the day, that's how he can 'get away' with consuming it.

why does everyone write about eating lots of calories like it's 'getting away' with something? this says something about the twisted way in which most Americans now approach food (& we're exporting that attitude all over the world). Phelps has energy & protein needs, and he's meeting them.

everybody seems to compare his diet to John Belushi, who was an actor, and bragged about eating donuts -- transfats & straight sugar. and there was something else... oh yeah, he speedballed cocaine & heroin! his overweight brother has certainly outlived him.

 

[MisterSinister]

Belushi? LOL. I did mention that as long as you can burn off most of what you are eating you should be ok. I doubt many people can eat 10,000 calories unless they are already huge. I'm saying if you're at a normal weight you can get away with eating some junk and foods that aren't too healthy if you work out hard and regularly.

 

[mrRuckus]

I don't even believe he eats that much.

 

[SinJester]

If you burn the amount of calories you eat or more it's impossible to gain weight no matter what you eat. Doesn't mean it's healthy to eat anything as long as you burn it off. I can eat whatever I like without getting fat even when sitting on my ass all day but it doesn't mean I'm healthy.

 

[MisterSinister]

I think it does mean you'd still be healthy as long as you burn it off. If you have an olympic athlete eating that way I'm sure it isn't as unhealthy as people think.

 

[kabatura]

It's not all about weight and calories. You have to take in acount the nutrients, vitamins, minerals you are taking in that work in your body to make it work right. I guess if you drank cokes alone and did it at a maintainence calorie amount you would stay the same weight, but your liver may shut down and you may pee kidney stones.

 

[SinJester]

Of course but the calories come first. If you eat only healthy foods, get the right ratio from cabs fat and protein, get all your daily mineral requirements but still exceed the daily calory intake you will still gain weight. The opposite is true if you are under what you expend. So if you work out how many calories you need then you can work out what you have to eat in that region that has all the nutrients etc you need.

I think that there is some truth about you can eat whats normally considered unhealthy if you burn it off, but that might also involve mainstream thinking being a little of the mark. Like kabatura said if you get all your nutrients etc and you burn off all your calories it should be fine. I'm just thinking of all the trans fat, food additives etc that may be damaging. If you eat mainly processed foods and burn it off you should be healthier if you eat more natural foods and burn it off.

 

[MisterSinister]

I like to eat some food that isn't 'clean' everyday- I can't help myself. But, I have a fast metabolism and I do cardio almost everyday.

 

[speakeasy]

What is Phelp's diet?

 

[Rounder]

His diet was listed as burgers, pizzas, lots of pasta, fries, etc. Supposedly around 12,000 calories a day.

With the amount of training he was doing, given his age and the amount of muscle he has this is certainly possible.

When I was 22 I was rollerblading 20 to 25 hours per week, lifting weights approx 10 hours per week, running 3 to 4 hours per week and played racquetball 2 or 3 hours per week.

I was eating 5000 to 6000 calories per day and losing fat at a dramatic rate. I was in the best shape of my life and actively tracked my weight loss and caloric intake.

Phelps is very gifted genetically and with the amount of work he was doing each day I would not be surprised that he could consume 12,000 cals per day and keep a very low BF%.

 

[MisterSinister]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403803,00.html

 

[speakeasy]

Wow, I simply cannot even begin to imagine eating that many calories a day. I don't even think my stomach has the capacity to hold that much food. Jesus Christ, if he's eating that much dude must spend as much time on the toilet as he does swimming.

Looks like he has a zero fiber diet and eats virtually nothing nutritious. But I guess whatever he's doing is working, he's got 11 gold medals and he's cut.

 

[SinJester]

Looks like he has a zero fiber diet and eats virtually nothing nutritious. But I guess whatever he's doing is working, he's got 11 gold medals and he's cut.

He is a genetic freak and does ridiculous amounts of training so it's very hard to compare anything in there to our own lives.

Having a low body fat is just burning more calories than you it. It doesn't matter what you eat. You can eat burgers all day if you burn it off. Doesn't necessarily mean it's the healthiest thing to do. Maybe if you do burn it off it doesn't have any bad effects. Interesting.

Phelps just couldn't eat vegies all day because there aren't nearly enough calories.

 

[speakeasy]

He is a genetic freak and does ridiculous amounts of training so it's very hard to compare anything in there to our own lives.

Having a low body fat is just burning more calories than you it. It doesn't matter what you eat. You can eat burgers all day if you burn it off. Doesn't necessarily mean it's the healthiest thing to do. Maybe if you do burn it off it doesn't have any bad effects. Interesting.

Phelps just couldn't eat vegies all day because there aren't nearly enough calories.

They say a diet high in fat/meat and low in fiber is a great contributer to colon cancer. So he might be cut and all, but that garbage he's eating can't be good for his insides.

 

[MisterSinister]

I think that the bigger risks for cancer are being overweight and sedentary.

 

[Throttle]

They say a diet high in fat/meat and low in fiber is a great contributer to colon cancer.

"They say" it is -- but there is no reliable scientific evidence. See G. Taubes "Good Calories, Bad Calories" (cited often by Mr. Ruckus). There's also no reliable scientific evidence that it isn't.

The stone tablet pronouncements from on high run far ahead of the discoveries in the valleys of science.