A Cheesy Gordita Crunch, a couple Doritos Locos Tacos, the Beefy Five-Layer Burrito, and the Grande Soft Taco. That's the snack of Team USA bobsledder Chris Fogt.
The Damage: 1,730 calories--about three-quarters of your daily caloric intake. But for Fogt--who trains 20 to 30 hours a week--it's just a quick bite on his way home from the gym. And, he says, it helped him pack on 40 pounds of lean muscle.
"As a pushman in bobsledding, you need to weigh about 210 to 230 pounds to add weight to the sled," says Fogt, who used to clock in around 170 before his Taco Bell food fiestas.
But why didn't Fogt's daily Bell binge blow him up like a balloon or bog down his Olympic-level performance? We caught up with Brian St. Pierre, a sports dietitian with Precision Nutrition to find out.
He burns through calories
A guy like Fogt who trains all the time and is trying to gain weight has insanely high c alorie demands, says St. Pierre. That's why Fogt hit the weights hard, and the calories even harder. "I eat about 6,000 calories a day," says Fogt. "Squats and Taco Bell, baby." So as far as health-effects go, Fogt's burrito benders are a non-issue, because he's expending calories so quickly, says St. Pierre.
He also loads up on the good stuff
Fogt is also sure to pack enough protein and vegetables into his routine so he doesn't miss out on vital nutrients and hurt his performance. "I eat the healthy stuff that our trainers and dietitians tell me to," he admits.
It's hard to eat 6,000 calories from the good stuff
Fast food packs a ton of calories in a small, convenient, and delicious package. "Eating 1,700 calories in chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes would take you 45 minutes. You'd have to put time into preparing it and you'd fill up really fast because of high fiber and water content," says St. Pierre. "1,700 calories of Taco Bell takes about 10 minutes to eat and 2 minutes to order."
Should you binge out on fast food, too?
"The average guy just doesn't have calorie needs like a pro bobsledder--daily epic fast-food runs like that would make him really fat, really quick," St. Pierre says. If you're trying to gain muscle, he says, try adding a few hundred more calories into your diet in the form of unprocessed carbs and lean proteins--that ensures that you won't add a thick layer of blubber over any muscle you gain.
And while it's no Cheesy Gordita Crunch or Doritos Locos Taco, St. Pierre recommends trying a shake: "a quick and easy way to sneak in the extra calories and protein needed to build muscle," he says. Below, two of his favorites:
Muscle Shake:
-12 ounces of water (or whole milk for an extra calorie boost)
-2 scoops of protein powder
-2 fists of vegetables (spinach generally works best)
-2 cupped handfuls of carbs (frozen fruit or uncooked oats)
-2 thumbs of healthy fats (nuts, seeds, or nut butters)
-A handful of ice cubes
765 calories, 66g protein, 73g carbs, 14g fiber, and 23g of fat with water.
Apple and Great Grains Shake:
-12 ounces of water or whole milk
-2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
-2 fists of spinach
-1 apple, cored and sliced into wedges
-1 handful of uncooked plain oats
-2 thumbs of almond or peanut butter
-A handful of ice cubes
765 calories, 66g protein, 73g carbs, 14g fiber, and 23g of fat with water; 990 calories, 78g protein, 91g carbs, 14g fiber, and 35g of fat with whole milk.
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