How Did Phil Mickelson Lose Weight? PGA Golfer’s Diet

His weight-loss strategy is almost hard for ordinary people to follow and requires medical supervision.

Phil Mickelson is a professional golfer who has won 45 PGA tournaments, including three Masters titles, two PGA Championships, and one Open Championship.

Photo of the Remarkables mountain range in Queenstown, New Zealand.

He recently became the oldest major championship winner in history when he won the PGA Championship in 2021 at 50. His lifestyle is one of the principal factors he can compete against golfers younger than his age.

When asked how he could dominate a major at the age of 50 against men half his age, he answered, “I worked harder.”

“I work harder physically to be able to practice as long as I wanted to, and I’ve had to work a lot harder to be able to maintain focus throughout a round. If I work a little harder, spend a little more time in the gym, eat well, practice hard, there’s no reason why I can’t put it all out there for 18 holes.”

Like any other athlete who has undergone a weight-loss journey, Phil is also the same when it comes to abusing his health and eating whatever he wants to eat without regard for the repercussions. He only grasped the impact of that mindset later in his career.

“I wasn’t playing well, and I wasn’t feeling good about myself,” the golfer said, according to Sports Casting. “I wasn’t recovering as fast as I wanted to after the rounds, and I was feeling tired and not focused towards the end of the round.”

“I felt that the first step in getting that back was getting in better shape — getting lighter, and what I’ve noticed is that I’ve recovered faster.”

His weight wasn’t his only issue; in 2010, he was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, which grew so severe that he had difficulty walking on certain days, prompting him to lose weight and become healthier.

Phil Mickelson's Weight Loss Tricks

The main keys to Phil’s successful weight loss:

He committed to a six-day fast, only consuming water and unique coffee mix
He alternates between longer and shorter fasts

Phil believes that being responsible for one's health narrows down to being "educated."

In a statement to Golf, Phil emphasized that being responsible for your health boils down to being knowledgeable and transparent about what you’re eating and how you’re eating it.

“I wasn’t educated,” his statement began. “I either wasn’t aware or didn’t want to know the things I was putting in my body, whether it was diet soda and how toxic that is, or whether it was the amount of sugar and how much inflammation it causes, or whether it was the quantity; all of those things, I just kind of shut my eyes to.”

What kind of diet does Phil Mickelson stick to?

Phil Mickelson has committed to a six-day fast, during which he only consumes water and a unique coffee mix. As additionally reported by Golf, Phil, in particular, plans his meals around fasting periods.

He alternates between longer and shorter fasts. He fasts for three days every few months to reset his immune system; he fasts for shorter periods more frequently, indicating that after his final round, he fasts for 36 hours once a week.

He further revealed that his 36-hour, day-and-a-half weekly fast is adjusted according to his schedule, and when he plays, it’s usually at the beginning of the week.

Likewise, he stated that his most considerable sacrifice was eating, which benefited him greatly. “I’ve got to eat a lot less, and I’ve got to eat better,” he explained. “I just can’t eat as much, and I have to let my body kind of recover.”

“But it’s also been a blessing for me because I feel better, and I don’t have inflammation, and I wake up feeling good. It’s been a sacrifice worth making.”

“I believe fasting has been a big part of my ability to recover, to get in better shape; to recover, to eat less, and to not be held hostage by food,” he continued.

“I love food. I’ve always craved food, and now I don’t. Now I feel better when I eat less, and I eat healthy, and have more energy throughout the day.”

What is Phil Mickelson's Special Coffee Mix, and how did it help him lose weight?

Returning to Phil Mickelson’s unique coffee mix, it has been an excellent addition to his weight-loss journey. As per Suppiah, who started working with him soon after serving as the United States team doctor at the 2016 Ryder Cup, Phil has always enjoyed coffee, but he wanted to be allowed to do so while competing.

“Phil is a very cerebral guy and likes to bounce ideas off of people,” Suppiah shared. “He realized fasting would be better for him to take stress off the body, so he decided to put a blend together that would allow him to do what he needs to do.”

His coffee combination is perfect for the particular demands of tournament golf, even when he isn’t fasting. It contains caffeine, the same as usual coffee, for energy spurts.

However, as most coffee users are aware that too much caffeine can cause uneasiness or, worse, palpitations, Phil adds L-theanine, a nervous system relaxant.

He then incorporates medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, which seems to be a constituent of the famed Bulletproof coffee mix, to help with the unavoidable hunger cravings of fasting.

He as well includes collagen, a protein that promotes healthy joints and skin, salt to prevent electrolyte loss throughout the competition, and cinnamon, an antioxidant that also helps to mask the harshness of coffee.

With two exceptions, Suppiah claims that all of these elements correspond to Phil and many others. The doctor, on the other hand, isn’t persuaded of collagen’s advantages, and because MCT oil is a lipid that might raise cholesterol, it’s a component that patients with heart problems should use in moderation.

“But even Phil uses this strategically,” Suppiah supports. “He goes on these 36-hour fasts and just sips this throughout the day.” Phil’s even become a strong evangelist for “Coffee For Wellness,” which he frequently promotes on social media.

This is not a diet for everyone; however, fasting and coffee diets are safe if done under medical supervision. An essential thing to remember is to get medical advice before beginning a new diet.