My concern is that once Phelps stops competing and training at such a high level, his body is going to show the consequences of years and years of dietary abuse. I predict that he will age faster, succumb to more chronic injuries and other bodily problems, and will most likely pack on a significant amount of excess weight, unless he is able to improve upon his poor eating habits.

1. The Truth About Michael Phelps' 12,000 Calorie/Day
Diet
If you were glued to your TV sets over the past 16
days watching the Olympics then you have surely heard of Michael
Phelps' 12,000 calorie/day diet.
When I first heard that Phelps was eating 3 fried egg sandwiches, 5
egg omelettes, chocolate chip pancakes, french toast, at least one
pound of refined white pasta, an entire stuffed crust pizza, and more
on a daily basis, I was baffled!
I mean, aside from needing tons of calories to meet his training
demands, how can he perform with such domination considering the
"garbage" he is consuming each day? There was never any mention of
fruits or vegetables.
It's pretty scary to think how much harder he could train, how much
faster he could swim, and how much quicker he could recover if he
was actually eating a healthy diet with tons of body rejuvenating fruits
and vegetables. Pretty scary indeed.
There is an important message to remember which is... if you eat
like Michael Phelps, you will become an overweight blimp and
cause your body severe damage!

2. Even if you're training like an Olympic champion there's no reason why
you shouldn't be getting your calories through whole foods that
nourish and energize your body. Foods are not just calories, they are
much more. Think about how many free radicals his body produces
from all the training. Wouldn't it make sense to consume tons of
antioxidant-rich foods to combat the harmful effects of such body-
destroying free radicals? I think so.
My concern is that once Phelps stops competing and training at such a
high level, his body is going to show the consequences of years and
years of dietary abuse. I predict that he will age faster, succumb to
more chronic injuries and other bodily problems, and will most likely
pack on a significant amount of excess weight, unless he is able to
improve upon his poor eating habits.
After all, how do you go from training 3-4 times per day and eating
12,000 calories to no longer competing and radically changing your
diet? For most people, it just doesn't happen.
But Michael Phelps is a champion and because of that I believe that he
has the mental fortitude to overcome his poor eating habits (at least I
hope so) and make better food choices in the future.
One of the most common occurrences with professional athletes is that
once they stop competing, they fail to adjust their dietary and lifestyle
habits to their "new" life. Few athletes do it successfully and hopefully
Phelps will be one of them!
What are your thoughts about Michael Phelps' 12,000
calorie/day diet?