Gold-Mining Phelps Eats 12K Calories a Day

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps gorges on 12,000 calories a day—pounds of pasta, trios of fried-egg sandwiches, and an entire pizza—to keep his body fueled for his gold medal performances, reports the New York Post. "Eat, sleep, and swim. That's all I can do," said Phelps, who has racked up five gold medals so far in Beijing.

Phelps takes in 4,000 calories at every meal. A single breakfast's highlights include three slices of french toast with powdered sugar, three chocolate chip pancakes, a five-egg omelette, and two cups of coffee. Lunch pairs ham and cheese sandwiches with a pound of enriched pasta, topped off with 1,000 calories' worth of energy drinks. Dinner sees round two of pasta and energy drinks, and tacks on a whole pizza. (More Michael Phelps stories.)