Michael Phelps recently attained the honor of becoming the single-most winningest single athlete in Olympic history.   Over the course of two Olympic games, 2004 and 2008, Michael has captured an astonishing 11 gold medals and two bronzes.  He still has three events to go in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Michael is hoping his current string of success will allow him to break the mark for most Olympic gold medals in one Olympics–8.  He currently has 5, setting 5 world records in the process.

11 Gold medals might seem impressive.  If he accomplishes his goal of 8 gold medals in 2008, that will bring his total to 14—plus two bronzes.  Michael Phelps is 23.  In the year 2012, when the Olympics barge in to London, Michael Phelps will be 27.  He has already stated he will be competing in 2012.  Beyond that, he could actually work in one or two more Olympics before calling it a career.  Amazing?  I think most people are finally starting to grasp what is taking place before their eyes–It is truly an amazing time in Olympic history and Michael’s feats may be there for a very…very long time.

What fuels Michael Phelps?  Passion.  Drive.  Determination.  12,000 calories a day.  What?

The New York Post has put up an article with a typical Michael Phelps menu for one day:

Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase “Breakfast of Champions” by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.

He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

At lunch, Phelps gobbles up a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread - capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

For dinner, Phelps really loads up on the carbs - what he needs to give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen - with a pound of pasta and an entire pizza.

He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

I’m puking just thinking about that.  How can one man cram that much gunk down his throat and still perform like a superstar?  When you swim 50 miles a week, as well as work out in the weight room a couple of hours a day, you can kind of see where the calories go.  I might be able to hang with Michael Phelps through breakfast–the problem is, after that I would be done.  He’s just getting started.

I always find these high-caliber athletes’ food regimens to be quite intriguing.  I wonder how Lance Armstrong fueled up for his 7 Tour de France victories.  I also wonder what happens to these guys’ eating habits once they decide to call it a career.  Are their bodies attuned to 12,000 calories a day?  You would have to stay pretty active in the off-season, and in to retirement, to not become a major porker.