Brian O’Neill is a massive human at 6-foot-7, 310 pounds, and during a recent radio spot on KFAN 100.3 FM, he revealed how he maintains that imposing stature during each NFL season.
The two-time Pro Bowl tackle of the Minnesota Vikings said he eats about 6,000 calories per day in an attempt to anchor the right side of the offensive line.
“I have to eat a lot,” O’Neill said, adding that about a third of his daily caloric intake comes via protein shakes. “I try to keep (junk food) as minimal as possible. My wife has a big sweet tooth, so she’s always trying to remind me of the 80-20 (rule) — keep it tight 80% of the time.”
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When asked for his ideal cheat meal during the season, O’Neill didn’t hold back.
“This is going to sound very basic,” he said, “but if we win a big game and I go home and there’s no family there, and there’s nothing to do… I am DoorDashing Five Guys all the time.
“Not all the time,” O’Neill corrected himself with a laugh, “but hopefully a few times a year. Just bacon, cheese and ketchup. If I’m, like, having a burger that we’re making at the house or whatever, I’ll kind of do it up. But if I’m going Five Guys, I just want it dirty. I want it greasy and I want a lot of fries.”
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Active men typically need to consume 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day to maintain a healthy body weight, so O’Neill is clearly a rare breed. A Five Guys bacon cheeseburger is about 1,060 calories on its own, so that gives you a rough idea of how much food O’Neill is consuming during the football season.
The 29-year-old may end up having a word with Minnesota’s team nutritionists after these comments, but as long as he stays healthy and protects first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy at a high level, there’s no need to change his one-of-a-kind body regimen.
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