Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated athletes ever. With more Olympic medals under his belt than any other athlete in history, he is possibly as close as one can get to superhuman. But being nearly superhuman meant he had to behave as such. At his peak, Michael was consuming 10,000 calories a day, according to the official Olympics website, a far cry from most people's 2000-2500.
However, the now retired dad-of-four has swapped his rigorous training plan for a family-friendly lifestyle as he focuses on his wife, Nicole Johnson, 39, and his children, Boomer, nine, Beckett, seven, Maverick, six, and Nico, one.
Michael's Olympic-era diet
Michael previously stated that he felt all he did was "eat, sleep and swim," and after researching his diet, there's no surprise he didn't have much time for anything else. The official Olympics website outlined Michael's astonishing meal plan during the height of his swimming career; his mornings would start with three fried egg sandwiches, loaded with cheese, tomato, lettuce, fried onions and mayonnaise, followed by three chocolate-chip pancakes.
But he didn't stop there, to follow up he had a five-egg omelette, three sugar-coated slices of French toast, a bowl of Grits and finally, two cups of coffee.
Lunch consisted of over a pound of pasta, two large ham and cheese sandwiches smothered with mayonnaise and paired with an energy drink. For dinner he had more pasta with carbonara sauce, a large pizza and of course more energy drinks. All in all, his diet usually came to around 10,000 calories a day, significantly more than required for an average man.
Michael's post-retirement diet
In an interview with GQ in 2021, Michael stated that post-retirement, it's been "challenging to eat sometimes" adding that "for 25 years, eating was part of my job," and that after he retired, he put on 30 to 35 pounds. "It was a significant body change for me, and I knew that I had to get back into some kind of routine."
Michael's days now begin between 5:30am and 6:30am, usually awoken by a screaming child and as the self-proclaimed chef of the house, Michael is normally up and making breakfast for himself and the rest of his crew. He typically makes a smoothie with spinach, almond milk, cacao nibs, figs and Silk Ultra, alongside his usual cup of coffee, or he will make some eggs. To the surprise of no parent, his choice is largely dependent on what his boys want.
His choice of lunch varies the most, as he heads to the gym straight after school drop-off and often has a second breakfast after. However, for both his lunch and dinner, he likes to focus on eating his vegetables. He tries to have a salad every night, and eats early with his kids.
Michael's lifestyle has shifted drastically, from dedicating hours of his day to training and consuming extortionate amounts of pasta to focusing on whether his boys have eaten their dinner. These days, he is more concerned about how food makes him feel, rather than how far it will push him.