As you know by now, Michael Phelps has won a record-breaking 8 gold medals. The significance of this feat is unparalleled in any sport. Let's face it...
Michael Phelps intensity freak!
How many coincidences can there be with the number 8? In China, the number 8 is a lucky number.
The Olympics started on 8/8/08 at 8:08pm. Michael Phelps went 8 for 8 in both gold medals and records...one of the records was 'only' an Olympic record while the other 7 were World Records.
He also eats 10,000-12,000 calories per day to fuel his body. Here's an example of
breakfast:
3 fried-egg and cheese sandwiches garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.
1 5-egg omelet
1 bowl of oatmeal or grits
3 slices of French Toast
3 Choclate-chip pancakes.
That's just for breakfast! This is an insane amount of calories that very few elite athletes could sustain without gaining weight.
Now think about what you consume. Are you even eating breakfast? He balances his massive carb loading with protein (with 8 eggs). He eats A TON of carbs. He needs it for fuel (5.8 miles per day swimming on average). You probably don't. Take note of how many carbs to protein you are eating. For healthy fat loss it should be a 1:1 ratio. If you are overeating carbs and not burning them off, then they are converting to fat. Carbs just sit there waiting to do something: either be burned off by activity (swimming in Phelps case) or going up and down the stairs at work. Either way, they are meant to be consumed and then burned.
How much are you eating the rest of the day? Are you over-eating? I would venture to say that you aren't training as hard or long as Michael Phelps. Therefore, he is the only guy to have the "Brad Nelson pass Go on the Buffet" Card. Everyone else must pass through the gatekeeper :)
If nothing else, hopefully his performance inspired YOU to get off your butt and go do something even if it's in your back yard!
By the way, someone I am very close to is a young Michael Phelps in the calorie consumption department...
Stats:
15 weeks old
38.5 pounds
eating around 5 cups of food per day.
Goes by the name 'Diesel'
