MADISON, Wis. -- Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps may have an appetite for gold, but he has a bigger appetite for food.

"They say he took in 10,000 to 12,000 calories a day," said St. Mary's dietician Tammy Fumousa.

Phelps' typical breakfast is three fried egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayo, one five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast with powdered sugar, three chocolate chip pancakes and energy drinks.

"The normal individual needs about 2,000 calories (a day) if they're active," said Fumousa.

But Phelps is anything by normal.

"He needs that many calories," said Fumousa.

Phelps' workouts are grueling.

"Michael Phelps, I know for a fact that he puts in a lot of yardage," said swim coach Jason Verhelst.

Verhelst coaches Madison Memorial's swim team and he swam for the Badgers while in college.

He said no matter what the level of competitive swimming, the advice is the same.

"They have to eat," he said. "You have to be able to replace the calories. You can't skip a meal."

Phelps isn't exactly chowing down on vegetables.

"He's not really eating Ho Ho's and Twinkies," said Fumousa. "He's eating protein. He's eating carbohydrates."

The mayonnaise Phelps eats actually helps absorb the nutrients in his body.

"He has to add all this other stuff like the mayo to his sandwiches to give it a little fat," said Fumousa.

The only change Fumousa said she would make to Phelps' diet would be to exchange some of the calories for fruits.