![2016 CMT Music Awards - Arrivals 2016 CMT Music Awards - Arrivals](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/j-j-watt-diet.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Even though J.J. Watt has an aggressively busy schedule (hosting the CMT awards! Eating a raw egg on Jimmy Fallon! Keeping the Texans afloat!), the most exhausting element of his life might be his daily calorie consumption, the intimate details of which were revealed in an interview with GQ.
The 6’5″, 289-pound defensive lineman has an eating schedule that would make a hobbit envious, clocking in at six meals a day, labeled “first breakfast,” “second breakfast” and so on and so forth. This rigorous ritual adds up to approximately 5,000 or more calories a day, which means that he’s tucking away nearly a carton of eggs and at least four meals that include meat daily.
Watt doesn’t count his calories though, citing that he eats according to how he “feels.”
“I’m not strict on my calorie count, I just pay attention to my body. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about nutrition and about myself, so it’s a lot more based on feel,” he said. “I stopped putting a number on it because people were analyzing it too much.”
If you’re so inclined to imitate the eating habits of Watt, here’s what he told GQ that he consumes in a day — just thinking about prepping and eating all this food makes us tired.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com