A former German triathlete Jaroslav Bobrowski was banned from an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in  Landshut, after he had paid 22.9 US dollars but finished 100 dishes of sushi.

"He eats for five people. That is not normal. I myself am dead after 13 plates, but he always took five or seven plates at a time. This created a big hole on the sushi carousel and the other guests were asking if we had any more fish," said Tan Le, owner of the restaurant.

When Bobrowski tried to tip the waiter, his offer was turned down before the owner told him that he was no longer allowed to eat at the restaurant. "I'm banned from now on because I'm eating too much. I was stunned," Bobrowski told The Local.

Usually, people assume that athletes are extremely careful with what they eat, which is not wrong, but that does not mean they eat little. On the contrary, athletes eat a lot because of who they are – they need energy more than regular people for competitions.

Shaquille O'Neal, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, used to have five meals a day and never miss a piece of steak when he was trying to gain weight. He also devoured eight hot dogs in five minutes in an eating contest with Joey “Jaws” Chestnut. Shaq is not alone, former NBA player Kevin Seraphin reportedly eat over 20 burgers a day.

If you want to count oversized NBA players, talk to swimmers who are more often known for being in good shape. Legendary winner of Olympic gold medals, Michael Phelps ate a pound of pasta after taking his 23rd gold. His compatriot Ryan Lochte once shared a picture of his typical meal on Twitter: A big container of grilled chicken, a heap of asparagus, a plate full of macaroni and cheese. This amount of food can give him about 10,000 calories, which are about four times what an average adult man needs a day to maintain his weight.

Chinese swimmers are not behind. Sun Yang had six dishes for lunch including fish, steak, beef, chicken and shrimp before the Olympics. Fu Yuanhui is a fan of vegetables but she counts her food by bowls instead of plates.

Of course, sumo wrestlers are undoubtedly true "kings of eating" in the sports world since gaining weight is part of sumo. In order to keep their weight between 110 to 150 kilograms, sumo wrestlers need some 30,000 calories every day and whatever they eat, it's full of fat and sugar.

Though athletes eat a lot, it may still be less considering their training. Overindulgence in food and drinks is always bad for health, especially if you are common people.

(Cover: /VCG Photo)