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Don’t Be a “Sumo Girl!”
by Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves, LLC
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. If you want to lose weight, you’d be wise to learn from the Sumo wrestler what not to do. Here is how an average 165 lb. man becomes a formidable 400 lb. contender. His day looks something like this: 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. Clue: Skipping breakfast will not make you slender. 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! Considering Sumo wrestlers exercise 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. Clue: Exercise alone will not cause you to lose weight. You must change your eating habits. 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. Clue: Going to sleep after eating puts on weight. In order to lose weight, do not eat within three hours of bedtime. To gain the large belly for which Sumos are famous, he eats only two meals a day. Clue: Infrequent meals equal weight gain. Eat smaller amounts every three to four hours instead. 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 were non-stop eating machines to become so huge. But no, they eat just two meals a day—two huge meals a day. The average Sumo meal would feed five or more average people! Clue: Portion sizes do count. 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.” Clue: If you want to lose weight, stop eating when you are no longer hungry—NOT when you feel “full.” 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. Clue: Don’t be a “boring eater.” I used to call myself a “boring eater” until I decided to stop calling myself names. We get into a rut with our eating sometimes, don’t we? Fitness experts agree it’s important to vary our workouts because the muscles adapt quickly. If we continue to exercise the same exact way all the time, the body becomes accustomed to it and we won’t experience the progress we’d like. Similarly, 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. To avoid becoming “Sumo Girl” remember: • Skipping breakfast will not make you slender. You must eat breakfast. • Exercise alone will not cause you to lose weight. Eating habits must change. • Going to sleep after eating puts on weight. Do not eat within three hours of bedtime. • Infrequent meals equals weight gain. Eat smaller amounts every three to four hours. • Portion sizes do count. Use a measuring cup until you can “eye it.” • Stop eating when you are no longer hungry, not when you’re “full.” • Don’t be a “boring eater.” Variety is the spice of life!
About the author Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves® Fitness Ministry. Portions of this article are taken from her book, “BASIC Steps to Godly Fitness” from Harvest House Publishers. She produces PraiseMoves and other Christian Fitness DVDs and certifies PraiseMoves Instructors, helping to bring a Christ-centered alternative to yoga to churches and fitness centers worldwide. Please see Praisemoves.com
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