There is a lot of chatter about the New York Giants and whether or not they are going to trade star edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Regardless of where the former No. 5 overall pick plays the next NFL season, he will be properly fueled and ready to dominate.
The 25-year-old eats a lot of steak during the offseason but not at the times you might expect.
NFL players are constantly on the move. They need to put back in their body what they burn!
Kayvon Thibodeaux needs to consume a lot of calories to maintain his physique.
At 6-foot-5, 258 pounds, Thibodeaux needs to consume approximately 2,500 calories per day just to maintain his current weight if he did not lift a finger. That is obviously not the case.
Thibodeaux’s profession is rooted in exercise. Whether he is lifting weights, running sprints, hitting tackling dummies or going one-on-one with an offensive lineman during practice, he is always moving.
The average NFL player burns anywhere between 3,000 and 6,000 calories per day depending on the workout. Lets split the difference and call it 4,500 calories, which coincides with the daily caloric intake of Joey Bosa in 2023. USC football freshman Gus Cordova is consuming to 6,000 calories per day in an effort to bulk up. Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Gennings Dunker consumes at least 5,000 calories per day to weigh-in at 320 pounds.
You get the idea. Football players eat a lot.
Kayvon Thibodeaux needs to consume approximately 4,500 calories per day to maintain his current weight. Of course, the calories must also be beneficial toward his energy output and muscle growth. He’s not eating three large pizzas from Papa John’s. Every meal is calculated by macros.
What does an NFL diet look like during the offseason?
Kayvon Thibodeaux starts his day with oats and berries before his first workout. He follows that up with eggs, steak and potatoes as breakfast and chicken salad as a snack before his field work. Upon return home, he eats steak, broccoli and quinoa for lunch. His second snack of the day consists of white fish, sweet potato and broccoli. Dinner is salmon, broccoli and quinoa.
All of his portions are pretty typical fitness-focused portions. They’re not tiny. They’re not massive. You can see the exact amount of food that goes in Thibodeaux’s body each day HERE.
If we are to estimate, the caloric breakdown looks something like this:
- SNACK #1 ~230 calories
- Oats ~150
- Berries ~80
- BREAKFAST ~910 calories
- Eggs ~210
- Steak ~450
- Potatoes ~250
- SNACK #2 ~480-530 calories
- Chicken ~280
- Veggies ~50
- Dressing ~150/200
- LUNCH ~720 calories
- Steak ~450
- Quinoa ~220
- Broccoli ~50
- SNACK #3 ~500 calories
- White fish ~200
- Sweet potato ~250
- Broccoli ~50
- DINNER ~645 calories
- Salmon ~375
- Quinoa ~220
- Broccoli ~50
On the low end, Thibodeaux is eating ~3,485 calories per day. On the higher end, including various oils and dressings and sauces, we’re looking at somewhere between ~4,000 and ~4,200 calories in total.