What Does Michael Phelps Eat at The Olympics? Without it No Medals

FORGET about the eight gold medals Michael Phelps won in Beijing - try the alleged 12,000 calories found in a diet that included choc-chip pancakes, a kilogram of pasta, ham and cheese sandwiches lathered in mayonnaise and pizza that he used to fuel his surge.

Whether the diet has been exaggerated with telling over the years, the amount of food devoured - or not devoured - at the Olympics can mean the difference between medals.

Weightlifter Damon Kelly tops the scales at 149kg, loading up on eggs and protein shakes and two steaks for dinner every night.

"He could probably eat my arm for breakfast," laughs artistic gymnast Josh Jefferis. "He's a big unit."


Weighing 57kg, Jefferis is almost a third of Kelly's size, yet the 26-year old has to be meticulous with his diet.

He has skinfolds, on seven parts of his body, of only 34mm.

"If I put on one or two kilos, as soon as I get on the rings I can feel it straight away putting stress on my body," he says.

Like Jefferis, diver Matthew Mitcham has to get his intake just right, precariously trying to build muscle strength instead of muscle size to twist and turn off the 10m
platform.

When he won gold in Beijing, he tipped the scales at 67kg. After tearing an abdominal muscle last year, he "blew out" by 4kg.

"Four kilos on a small frame is a lot, especially when power-to-weight ratio is so important in a sport like ours.

"You try to limit the amount of junk food you have. My vice is really fattening sweets like cheesecake and banana bread and McDonald's sundaes. Reducing that kind of food that I consume and doing extra cardio into my training. I'm 68kg now."

Those vices are hard to stop. When Jefferis's head hits the pillow he thinks of Tim Tams.

Taekwondo's 58kg powderkeg Safwan Khalil is constantly battling the weight.

His mother's Lebanese food makes it particularly difficult.

Then there is the lure of the Golden Arches.

"If I could eat more I would, but I can't," he laughs.

"Sometimes I hit a wall and I just want to walk away and eat a Big Mac. On other days, its not too bad.

"Sometimes I have relented and had a bit of dark chocolate, and it makes me sick."

McDonald's is free in the Athletes Village, although the athletes report the variety on choice in London is far superior to other games.

"It's much better than Athens and Beijing," Phelps said.
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