Weight Loss Tips from a Former Sumo Girl

By Laurette Willis 

Ever wonder how Sumo wrestlers get so big?  Japanese Sumo wrestlers may be the world's top experts in how to gain weight.  They are devoted to gaining as much weight as possible because the heavier the wrestler, the more likely he is to beat his opponent.  An average 165-pound man can become a formidable 400-pound contender.  If you want to lose weight, you'd be wise to learn from the Sumo wrestler what NOT to do.

Sumo Tip #1: Skipping breakfast will NOT make you slender.
Part of the answer to why skipping meals doesn't help us lose weight can be learned from how a Japanese Sumo wrestler spends his day.  He lives in a dormitory-style Sumo training center with other athletes like himself and awakens around 6:00 a.m.  For the next four or five hours he trains and exercises without eating.

Most overweight people do not eat breakfast.  I was one of them–until I realized I was becoming "Sumo Girl." Skipping breakfast makes one more likely to overeat later in the day.  It also causes a 5% drop in metabolism.  No wonder I was so sleepy!

We have a wood stove in our home and enjoy the warmth it radiates on a cold winter night.  However, I have yet to see it give off any heat without us first adding the fuel (wood) it needs.  It's the same with our bodies.  We can't expect our bodies to burn fat unless we eat.  When I say that, I often hear, "But I've been eating-that's my problem!" It's not the act of eating itself that's the problem.  You need to eat.  God designed your body that way.  It has more to do with WHAT and WHEN you are eating.

Sumo Tip #2: Exercise alone will not cause you to lose weight.  You must change your eating habits.  Considering the Sumo wrestler exercises so much you'd think he'd be thin, but his eating habits ensure he keeps piling weight on no matter how heavily he trains for competition.

Sumo Tip #3: Going to sleep after eating puts on weight.  In order to lose weight, do not eat within three hours of bedtime.
The Sumo wrestler's first meal of the day is around noon, after which he takes a nap for three or four hours.  His trainers want him to conserve as much energy as possible so that most of the calories he eats will be stored as fat.

Sumo Tip #4: Infrequent meals equal weight gain.  Eat smaller amounts every three to four hours instead.  To gain the large belly for which Sumos are famous, he eats only two meals a day.

Some women have told me, "I shouldn't be so heavy.  I only eat twice a day." So do Sumo wrestlers.  You'd think they would have to be non-stop eating machines to become so huge!  But no, they eat just two meals a day–two huge meals.

Sumo Tip #5: Portion sizes DO count.
Even though he eats only twice a day, these huge meals would feed five or more average people!  Use a measuring cup and food scale until you can "eye it."

Sumo Tip #6: If you want to lose weight, stop eating when you are no longer hungry–NOT when you feel "full." In order to train his stomach to eat those huge portions, he eats past the point where he is no longer hungry.  He continually ignores his "full signal." Determine to stop eating right at the point you are no longer hungry.  Don't wait until you feel "full" and uncomfortable.

Sumo Tip #7: Don't be a "boring eater." Variety is the spice of life!
The Sumo wrestler's diet is surprisingly healthy and low in fat.  He eats the same dish at every meal: chanko-nabe, a meat stew with rice and vegetables.  This traditional Sumo dish is eaten with very little variation every day, twice a day.

It's important to add variety to our food plans.  This isn't just to fend off boredom at the dinner table.  When you eat a variety of different foods you are more likely to get the broad range of nutrients your body needs.  You also won't get that horribly deprived feeling of being on a diet and become tempted to go running into the arms of the nearest Keebler cookies elf.

Remember each of these important points and you won’t become a “Sumo Girl”!

Christian Fitness Expert and author Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves® Fitness Ministry, offering fitness programs, DVDs, books and instructor training for those interested in a Christian ALTERNATIVE to yoga, plus fitness for spirit, soul and body at http://praisemoves.com  ©2009