Travis Kelce has revealed that whether it’s game day or a weekend off, he eats a whopping 4,000 calories a day.
The 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end requires enormous amounts of food to keep up with his efforts on the field, which includes burning up to 700 calories per hour.
While 4,000 may seem like a lot to many, Kelce also openly admits that he has a penchant for junk food like pizza.
He makes sure he gets enough protein to maintain his muscular body by eating a mix of chicken, chops and steak, rubbed with a very unusual seasoning.
But he also enjoys sweets like gummy bears.
Those close to Kelce have said his go-to pregame dish is a plate of French toast “dripping in whipped cream and syrup,” topped with strawberries, to keep his blood sugar levels up.
Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has revealed that he eats about 4,000 calories a day
Kelce burns about 700 calories per hour on the football field, requiring more fuel than the average man
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average American man who weighs 200 pounds and is 6 feet tall should consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day, depending on age.
But at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, the hulking Kelce needs more fuel for his grueling workouts and muscle training, which includes running and lifting weights several times a day.
That huge calorie count isn’t unheard of for someone with an intense fitness regimen. Earlier this year, Meta-mogul Mark Zuckerberg revealed he eats 4,000 calories a day to offset “all the activity” from his grueling workouts, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments.
Additionally, nutritionist George Lockwood previously told DailyMail.com that his client, British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, consumes about 2,700 to 3,000 calories every day.
Kelce said that when he visited girlfriend Taylor Swift in Argentina, he munched on empanadas
Kelce’s favorite food is French toast – a popular breakfast dish on brunch menus across the US
Kelce’s childhood friend turned personal chef told Startland News in September that he feeds the Chief star “healthy steakhouse fare,” including steak, chicken and chops.
And his love for meat started young.
Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, told Food & Wine that even when Kelce and his brother — Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — were teenagers, they ate whole chickens and drank gallons of milk.
According to the USDA, the average rotisserie chicken contains about 1,100 calories, half of most Americans’ daily calorie limit. It also contains 165 grams of protein, which helps muscles recover after intense training.
A whole rotisserie chicken contains 13 grams of saturated fat – the full recommended limit from the American Heart Association – and almost twice the recommended amount of cholesterol for a whole day, at 576 milligrams.
Saturated fat has been linked to increased LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), the fatty substance that builds up in the arteries, which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Additionally, one whole rotisserie chicken contains 2,082 milligrams of sodium.
The AHA suggests consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams per day due to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes if you get too much.
During his interview with WSJ at a Kansas City steakhouse, Kelce ordered a dry-aged steak fillet rubbed with coffee grounds, a Caesar salad (hold the anchovies) and a side of triple-cooked fries, which are supposed to be crispier.
A coffee rub is intended to create a carmelized crust on the steak. It also moistens the meat.
Kelce also likes French toast.
“On match day you want to give us carbohydrates so I have the energy I need for the game. French toast gets my blood sugar up (and) gets me some carbs,” the two-time Super Bowl champion told Men’s Journal in 2020.
He told it too Inside hook last year: “Every pregame meal has been French toast and strawberries since I’ve been with the Chiefs.”
Two slices of French toast with syrup contain a total of about 424 calories, according to MyFitnessPal. However, it also contains 51 grams of carbohydrates and 46 grams of sugar, more than four Krispy Kreme donuts.
And a cup of whipped cream adds another 408 calories and 3.5 grams of sugar.
He is also a fan of more exotic dishes. When Kelce visited girlfriend Taylor Swift in Buenos Aires for a stop on her tour, he ate empanadas, he said on New Heights, the podcast he and brother Jason host.
Although Kelce has said he has largely changed his diet in recent years, he still loves junk food. He told Inside Hook that he still gets “kind of a pizza sent home” when he hosts friends and family for home games in Kansas City.
According to him, he even grabs candy during NFL games Pureed, including a handful of gummy bears. A handful of sweets – about 17 to 18 pieces – contains about 22 grams of sugar, double the amount of three Chips Ahoy! cookies.