Big Show's incredible 18,000 calories-a-day diet

Paul Donald Wight II was born with gigantism, a disease that affects the endocrine system and the natural growth process.

Thus, at the age of 12, the young Paul Wight was 1.88 meters tall, weighed 100 kilos and had his chest covered with hair.

At age 18, in 1990, he underwent surgery that halted his growth at 213 centimeters (7ft), and a 160 cm (5ft 2in) chest circumference.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

During that time, Wight played soccer and basketball, where he came to stand out as a center, but it would be American wrestling, Wrestling, that would give him the fame he now enjoys.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

Wight would debut in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1995, at the 'Bash at the Beach' event, under the name 'The Giant'.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

The debutant claimed to be the son of 'André the Giant' and blamed Hulk Hogan for the alleged murder of his father, proving that Wrestling plots are the best soap opera in the history of American television.

It was in 1999, when Paul Wight signed a 10-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) where, after calling himself Paul Wight during the first weeks, he would end up changing his name to 'Big Show'. That is where the legend began.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

For more than 20 years, Big Show was one of the brightest stars in wrestling, until in 2021 he stepped aside and signed as a commentator, taking back his real name, Paul Wight.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

Those with an interest in fitness and nutrition have long wondered what it took to keep the Big Show firing at the peak of his powers, given his impressive size and athletic ability. Well, we have some answers for you!

Wight recently revealed in an interview with 'talkSPORT', details about the carefree diet he followed when he was active in wrestling.

Photo: Instagram - @talksports

"My daily calorie intake, even though I know they were bad calories, was based on eating everything I wanted in massive amounts," says the former wrestler. No, everything I would like does not include cats.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

"I was probably consuming between 13,000 and 18,000 calories a day," admits Paul Wight. To put it in context, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an adult consume between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

But, of course, Paul Wight is not just any adult. Neither was his diet, which, by offering him absolute freedom, made the fighter opt for the obvious: fast food.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

"I would go to McDonald's and eat five Big Macs, with fries, milkshakes, some apple pie and fish burgers. When I went to Taco Bell I would buy 20 tacos," he recalls.

But why was he doing it? Basically, he wanted to maintain his size to have an advantage in melee, even knowing that these excesses could compromise his own life.

However, at the age of 45, Big Show decided to invest in his body for the long term and began to follow a diet that would maintain energy to move his XXL body but would allow him a better quality of life from then on.

Big Show lost 60 kilos and managed to maintain 160 kilos that he still maintains today. He even came to define his abs, as he comments in the interview.

Photo: Instagram - @paulwight

The fighter has gone from sweeping McDonald's to eating "300 grams of protein, a serving of carbs and vegetables. I try to eat as well as possible." And thanks to this change, there will be a Big Show for a long time.