EXCLUSIVE! Olympic Champion Michael Phelps: I’m Still A Candy Guy!

By:OK! Staff

Sept. 25 2012, Published 1:19 p.m. ET

The only thing marginally more famous than Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ winning record is his appetite! During his Olympic run, the most decorated Olympian of all time fueled his body with a whopping 12,000 calorie per day diet that was heavy on carbs for energy and protein for muscles.

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“I generally ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted,” Michael, who has won a record 22 Olympic medals in his career, told OK! at Harrah’s Pool After Dark in Atlantic City, N.J. “Now that I’m retired, I’m trying to keep a steady regimen of eating healthy and also working out a couple of times a week. I know that once you get out of it, it’s hard to get back into it. Diet-wise, I mostly try to keep away from greasy, fried things.”

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The athlete, who is now devoting his time to the Michael Phelps Foundation, which focuses on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthier lifestyles, does still enjoy some diet splurges. “I am a candy guy — whether it’s Reese’s or Sour Patch kids,” confessed Michael, who hosted the city’s hottest nightclub party on the weekend of Sweat AC, Atlantic City’s first three-day fitness, and nutrition and health festival hosted by Caesar’s Entertainment.