Much to the chagrin of binge dieters everywhere, it turns out that Michael Phelps' "garbage disposal" routine of eating 12,000 calories a day is nothing more than a myth. "I never ate that much," Phelps told Ryan Seacrest in an interview this spring. "It's pretty much impossible."

As for what Olympians actually eat: the Daily Telegraph reports that every day, on average, Olympians eat six meals and consume 6,000-10,000 calories – a weight watcher's fantasy.

Turkish wrestler and Olympic hopeful Elif Jale Yesilirmak, 26, sticks to a 3,000 cal-a-day diet. "Instead of red meat I generally eat salmon. I believe fish is more healthy and nutritious. And also, lots of water. I drink a minimum of five litres of water every day," she says.

Canadian shotputter Dylan Armstrong eats a whopping 9,000 calories a day, reports the National Post: "I like a lot of salmon. Obviously, beef and chicken. I'm on a high-protein, low-carb diet. I'll eat five or six times a day. I'm more of a grazer. I try to eat healthy. It does help performance."

US swimmer Jessica Hardy credits her stamina through long workout days to eating small meals five to six times throughout the day. "It's always worth investing the time and money to sustain proper nutrition."

Swimmer George Bovell, represents Trinidad and Tobago:

"I follow the traditional 3 meal a day routine in the sense that I eat 3 main meals per day, but I also eat 3 smaller meals. One smaller meal in between each of the main meals consisting of some protein, fat and carbohydrates. I have a fast metabolism and because of my training I burn more calories than the average person."

Then there's Hiroshi Hoketsu, the 71-year-old Japanese equestrian. He's a freedom fighter when it comes to his food. "For diet, I eat whatever I want to eat. I think I was born very lucky. I don't get fat, even if I eat a lot. And my weight and body shape hasn't changed since I graduated from university. So that's an easy thing for me. I don't care so much about what I should eat or shouldn't eat and what I should drink.

But most of us don't train hours and hours a day to burn off the calories or strengthen our muscles. We're lucky if we manage to have a salad at lunch and a walk to the subway. Help us create an Olympic diet plan and feel less guilty while watching the games from your couch. The feature will be (similar to this one).

We're collecting health-tips: Ever been through a diet craze? Tell us what worked and what didn't. Do you work out during your lunch hour? Eat kale once a week? What foods give you the most energy? Do you have the best hangover cure-all? Are you a calorie-counter extraordinaire? Or do you have another health secret? We want to know!