1. 12,000 calories a day? Pssh

“During the Olympics, that rumor got started that I was inhaling 12,000 calories a day. … It’s just not true,” Phelps says — more like “8,000 to 10,000.” A typical breakfast: “Three sandwiches made of fried eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried onion and mayonnaise. An omelet. A bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast with powdered sugar. And, as a kicker, three chocolate chip pancakes.”

2. His dad

Phelps says the last time he saw his dad, a policeman in the Baltimore area, was at sister Whitney’s wedding in 2005 — and they didn’t talk. “There just hasn’t been anything to say for a while,” Phelps writes. “Maybe there will be later.”

3. The suit

We’re all too familiar with the controversy over the Speedo LZR Racer, the corsage-like swimsuit raced in by most of the American team in Beijing. Phelps’ deal with Speedo, signed in 2001, included a clause that the company would pay for his college education if his swimming career “didn’t work out.”

4. Thorpe appeal

Australian freestyle swimmer Ian Thorpe was Phelps’ role model for development. Among their similarities: Phelps was initially afraid to put his face in the water; Thorpe was thought to be allergic to chlorine. Both started swimming because of their sisters. Both of their moms were teachers. Both grew to be 6-foot-4.

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