Pancakes, Fettuccine and Tofu: Here’s Ryan Lochte’s Free-for-all Daily Diet

Ryan Lochte, the 11-time Olympic medalist, consumes almost 8,000 calories a day with a diet that’s a veritable free-for-all of calorie-rich foods.

Of course, that’s because he’s burning so much as he preps for the ultimate face-off against Michael Phelps next week in Rio. Still: a lot of food.

He told Bon Appetit “if I’m not eating, then something is wrong.” Eight thousand calories demands both a great deal of chewing (at one point, he said, his jaw got sore from all the consumption) and a great deal of food preparation, so luckily he has the help of a personal chef, Glenn Lyman, who previously worked for basketball champ Lebron James.

Breakfast is a major undertaking, involving five to six eggs with spinach, tomatoes, and ham; hash browns or some kind of potatoes; pancakes; oatmeal; fruit; and a French vanilla coffee with sugar and milk. With his grueling training before a match, carbo-loading is important; he’ll double down on pastas like Fettuccine Alfredo and proteins like chicken and steak. A few hours before a match, he’ll chow down on another whole meal, too.

There are countless other staples you might not expect from one of the world’s best athletes. Read more here.