Joey Bosa vents about his 5,000 calorie per day diet

Jun 14, 2022; Costa Mesa, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa (97) during minicamp press conference at the Hoag Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Chargers pass-rusher Joey Bosa entered the offseason with one specific goal in mind: add muscle to his 6-foot-5 frame and gain some additional strength.

That seems easy enough for an NFL player, but it’s something that comes at a cost. In order to add the muscle, Bosa had to completely alter his diet and vastly increase his caloric intake. That meant eating more food more often — up to 4,500-5,000 calories per day. That’s a tall order even for a competitive eater, and it has not been easy for Bosa.

“Eating isn’t really enjoyable these days,” Bosa said of his diet to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry. “It’s more so just part of the job.

“I specifically tried to really eat good and put some weight on this offseason, get back to my weight I was at a few years ago, where I could really use my power. Really handle guys in the run and be more effective in that part of the game.”

Bosa played last season around 250 pounds, which he says was down considerably from the 270-pound range he played earlier in his career. It’s even further removed from the 280 pounds he played at during his college years.

Entering his eighth season in the league, Bosa felt it was imperative to bulk back up for both strength and stability purposes. He missed 11 games due to injury last season and wants to avoid repeating that fate in 2023.

Bosa’s diet largely consisted of high-protein meat, including steak, poultry and fish. He would eat six meals a day, sometimes adding pasta, while snacking in between and often covering his salty treats or fruit with peanut butter.

“I’ve always been kinda the one that needs to eat a ridiculous amount to keep on weight,” he said. “I’ve been eating a ridiculous amount lately.”

Although the overeating made Bosa feel sick at times, he admits he feels stronger and healthier in training camp. And he expects that to carry over into the regular season.