Phelps admits ‘lack of motivation’ turned him from ‘fit to fat’ after 2008 Beijing success

London: Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, has admitted after achieving the amazing feat at Beijing, he lacked motivation, which made him gain around 25 pounds.

“It was weird going from the highest of the high, the biggest point of your life — winning eight gold medals — and then saying, ‘All right, where do I go from here?’. I wasn’t motivated. I did nothing, literally nothing, for a long time. I gained 25 pounds,” The New York Post quoted Phelps, as saying. “A friend of mine and I were playing football on the beach in Miami and somebody got a picture of us . . . [My friend said] ‘Bro, you gotta start working out, man. You are fat,’ ” he added. Now, slimmed-down, Phelps, who appears shirtless and muscular on the cover of the men’s fashion magazine, is getting ready to lead the U.S. swim team in London in seven events. “I realized that I probably hadn’t reached my full potential. There was still more in the tank,” Phelps said “At this point in my career, everybody has caught up. I’m fine-tuning the little things that add up to make a huge difference,” he added. Despite previously packing on the pounds, he still allows himself to splurge. “I don’t count calories,” he said. ANI