Russell Wilson's Weight Loss Diet Consists Of Eating 4,800 Calories

Russell Wilson changed his calorie intake and diet this offseason in order to get faster and leaner. But instead of eating fewer calories, he’s eating more.

Wilson was taking in around 2,700 calories per day in March when he visited Philip Goglia. Now, Wilson takes in around 4,800 calories per day.

“He came in feeling as though he was too heavy and not mobile enough,” Goglia told ESPN in July. “And he wanted to get his weight down. He was over 225. He felt as though he needed to be leaner and stronger and more agile. And that's my wheelhouse.”

Goglia has worked with several big-name celebrities and athletes before, including Kim Kardashian, Chris Pratt and NBA stars Kevin Love and Carmello Anthony.

Last season Wilson suffered several injuries that slowed the mobile quarterback down. One week into last season, Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain on his right leg and in week three suffered a MCL-sprain in his left knee. Wilson didn’t miss any time, but he ran for a career-low last season with the Seattle Seahawks. He managed to eke out only 259 rushing yards last season, his second lowest total since running 489 yards his rookie season in 2012.

Despite almost doubling his calorie-count however, Wilson’s diet has already paid dividends. In March, Wilson weighed 225 pounds with 16 percent body fat. At the end of July, he weighed 214 pounds with 10 percent body fat, according to ESPN. Goglia said the key is metabolism.

“When you think metabolism, everybody will think fast or slow,” Goglia told ESPN. “And it's not. Metabolism is ultimately hot or cold. The definition of a calorie is a heat-energy unit. So if calories are heat and metabolism is a function of heat, and if fat is a lipid and only converts to energy in a hot environment, it just makes sense that you have to eat a certain amount of calories to generate enough heat to burn fat. And that's counter-intuitive to every civilian out there.”

Wilson’s diet also includes no “inflammatory food,” which means he can’t have yeast, mold, dairy or gluten. Wilson — who played at the University of Wisconsin in 2011 after transferring from North Carolina State — loves cheese, according to the Washington Post, including a Badger State favorite: fried cheese curds. But now, he’s only allowed to eat cheese once a week on cheat days.

“Date night,” sad Wilson to ESPN. “I get to eat pretty good.”

Wilson is dating singer Ciara, and their date nights sometimes involve closing down entire museums.

Last season the team made it all the way to the NFC championship before getting trounced by the Atlanta Falcons 44-21. Expectations for the Seahawks are high again this year, as they are among the Vegas favorites to make it to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks start the season Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, and it will be time to see if Wilson’s diet paid off.

“You try to do as much as you can to allow yourself to be at the highest peak of being successful as possible,” Wilson said to the Washington Post Tuesday. “I can watch film all day. I study like crazy. I love to work out. But … I love to eat. I grew up eating whatever I wanted and whatever’s available. Now it’s more focused on, what can I do nutrition-wise and health-wise to increase my ability right now?”