6k Calories a Day to Gain Weight, Lower Blood Pressure

• Philadelphia Eagles star Lane Johnson consumes 5,000-6,000 calories each day.
• The 4-time Pro-Bowler said his protein-rich diet helped him gain weight while dropping his blood pressure.
• Here's what the offensive lineman eats in a typical day to support his 6-foot-6, 325-pound frame.

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NFL players require plenty of fuel to power through the physical demands of professional football.

And that's especially true of linemen, who are often the biggest men on the field.

Lane Johnson — a star offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles — consumes between 5,000 and 6,000 calories each day to support his 6-foot-6, 325-pound frame.

The four-time Pro-Bowler and Super Bowl champion is serious about adhering to such a rich diet despite it representing more than double the daily caloric intake the National Institutes of Health recommends American men eat in a day.

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According to The Athletic, switching to his protein-heavy — albeit calorically dense — diet helped Johnson pack on an extra 20 pounds. But impressively, he also saw blood pressure drop by approximately 20 points after making the changes to his meal plan.

Not only does his heft offer him a clear competitive advantage on the gridiron, but it is also explicitly required by his employer; Johnson and his colleagues on the Eagles' offensive line are fined $800 for each pound they stray from their mandated weight range, he noted in a video shared by the franchise.

Here's what Johnson's typical daily intake entails

• 5 scrambled eggs (91 calories each and 455 calories total, per the USDA)

• 1 whole avocado (167 calories, per the USDA)

• 3 sausage links (82 calories each, 246 calories total)

• 2 12-ounce rib-eye steaks (990 calories each, 1980 calories total)

• 1 sweet potato with butter (112 calories for the potato, 102 calories for the butter, 214 calories total)

• 1 baked potato with butter (161 calories for the potato, 102 calories for the butter, 263 calories total)

• 3 yogurts (90 calories each, 270 calories total)

• 2 protein shakes (940 calories, per Johnson)

• 2 orange juices (160 calories each, 320 calories total)

• A bowl of Monster Mash (a mix of ground beef, white rice, bone broth, and parmesan garlic salt of unknown caloric value)

  All calorie counts listed above are approximations based on the USDA nutrition database, FoodData Central, or product nutrition labels.

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