US swimmer Ryan Lochte competes in the 400m individual medley at the 13th Fina World Aquatics Championships at the The Foro Italico Swimming Complex in Rome, Italy, on 2 July, 2009
If you’ve ever wondered what an Olympic athlete consumes in a 10,000-calorie meal, then mosy on over to US swimmer Ryan Lochte’s Twitter account.
The winner of 11 Olympic medals – five gold, three silver and three bronze – yesterday tweeted a photo of himself, as if ready to dive into several dishes on a table before him.
While Lochte didn’t identify the food, tubs contain what appear to be chicken pieces and chicken wings. There’s clearly a platter of asparagus, and a tray of something baked – potatoes? Lasagne?
“#Streamlining in preparation for my 10,000 calories. Let’s see your best pose,” Lochte tweeted along with photo, which has been retweeted 728 times and favourited 1,899 times at time of writing.
The number of calories athletes need depends a lot on the sport, Nana Mayer, senior sport dietitian for the U.S. Olympic Committee and a professor of sports nutrition at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, told NPR.org.
Ryan Lochte competing image via Shutterstock
