The current ideology in the health industry is that through a variety of methods (dieting, exercising etc), one can "burn fat", or turn oneself into a "fat burner". To some degree this is true, but, and it is a big but (no pun intended) every organ is fuelled uniquely. This isn't some weird article about sci-fi diets like blood typing, or the metabolic typing diet, it is a brief explanation about the varying metabolic needs within the body.

Before we go any further it is imperative that you understand that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the currency of life, the biological source of energy. Not ad is assumed, calories, carbs, fats or protein.

ATP is generated via oxidation of various metabolic fuels, namely;

• Glucose (that nasty substance that Jamie Oliver and various others currently hate)
• Fatty Acids (fats), that substance they hated in the 80's.
• Amino Acids (proteins), the current darling of the macro-nutrients.

Your Brain
It is beyond doubt that the Brain is the most important organ you have, and glucose is the most important fuel it uses. It can use ketone bodies for fuel, but this happens during prolonged starvation, so it may be a worthwhile point to consider if you are engaged in a diet attempts to utilise ketone bodies or one that leave you with bad breath. Your brain is not able to store fuel, therefore relies upon a consistant supply of glucose (that nasty stuff remember). Your brain is quite gluttonous, and on average consumes around 120g of glucose per day (approx 400+ calories). For your brain to work properly it needs a glucose concentration of around 1mM, ultimately if it drops below that we can expect to see coma and brain death.Whilst fatty acids are not able to be utilised during starvation, the previously mentioned ketone bodies can act as a source if the brain is under a great enough degree of stress (starvation).

Your Heart
Your heart muscle is able to function aerobically and primarily uses fatty acids, but ketone bodies may used if needed.

Your Muscles
Muscle on the other hand is able to utilise glucose, fatty acids or ketone bodies, and it also has the ability to store glycogen, that can then be converted to glucose when energy is needed. As mentioned in the main article, during resting state, 85% of your muscles fuel needs are met by fatty acid catabolism. Which really makes you wonder why so many are draining themselves at the gym trying to burn fat.

Some of you may already know that I'm writing a book, if you didn't then you do now. It's not far of being finished, but I need some help. I want to include some client data based upon how they came to me initially, and how they progressed throughout the sessions. I could use one of my current clients and I'm sure they'd all be happy to let me use their data. However, some of the things that I want to include aren't things I/we normally record. As I'm sure you can imagine the book has to cover more than the basics of what I usually do and I'd like to cover all bases.

So if your happy to have your data used in my book (nobody will be named or harmed) then please apply by commenting below. I'd like to see at least 3 days worth of your current diet to help me pick who the successful person is.

The only conditions are that you genuinely need to lose weight (doesn't have to be a massive amount but I don't want people who are trying to shift that last pound), that your happy for me to use your data without naming you, and finally that you will follow the plan.

For your efforts you will get guided through the experiment/programme and if you follow it you'll get your weight-loss.

Ta

Term and Conditions Apply (not sure what they are yet) and my decision is final :-)

My last post the No Diet Diet talking about how to eat yourself slim caused quiet a fevered conversation on various online forums, some good, some bad as usual. Not since the days of Weird Diets - Concentration Calories and Masturbation have I seen such hysteria around a topic. The bad comments centered around various diet club forums keen to dispel the idea that low calorie might not actually work. Well the evidence doesn't lie, low calorie can only work short term (i.e very intermittently) in those with undamaged metabolisms, judging by the fact that your reading this, one would assume that is not you! The other thing low calorie works for is bringing repeat trade back to diet clubs with the "oh I'm so weak willed, its all my fault" attitude I've heard too often from dieters. Its not your fault, your being conned...

Ted Walther made a valid comment of FaceBook asking if the No Diet Diet is how Sumo Wrestlers get gihuge (yes that does say gihuge, its my mum's made up word, a combination of gigantic and huge that she genuinely thinks exists).

To get that big a sumo wrestlers diet and lifestyle is critical but despite what people think its not just eating lots that creates the results, its how you do it and the other things you do as well. It is achieved via vigorous training, eating and sleeping strategies rather than just a mass indulgence in food.

So, what do they do? Unlike my suggestions they try to consume as much as possible whilst damaging the metabolism as much as possible (they want to slow everything down so they can store). 

The largest meal is eaten prior to sleeping

Sumo wrestler's consume 20,000 calories a day, which they split into two supersize meals of 10,000 calories. Remember I found it oh so hard to manage 6000 and it sent me hyper (both hyper thyroid and hyper active as I just couldn't stop moving). By sleeping after a meal of 10,000 calories a sumo wrestlers body is able to process them slowly and is unable to burn of the energy via movement, heat and all the other things associated with a high metabolism.

They skip breakfast (like many of you no doubt)

Dr. Wayne Callaway, an obesity specialist at George Washington University confirms that skipping breakfast both triggers overeating later in the day and also causes a drop in metabolism. Remember I said the body needs a consistent supply of energy not large gaps.

The drink beer with meals

The good old empty calorie, masses of calories that not only add up the total but also spike hunger (yeah that's why they often offer you a free drink in restaurants while you wait for your table. If they're cheapskates they'll do the same trick using bread)
Not only do they have no nutritional value yet provide a mass of energy (which the sumo will attempt to store by sleeping), it also depletes they body of minerals (particularly calcium) meaning that hunger is yet again spiked as they body scavenges for the missing minerals. When you eat a food your body expects the minerals to be there, if they aren't then it sends a message asking for more food. This is how food processors get people consuming lots of junk. Drop a few minerals out and watch them chow down. The same applies to artificial sweeteners, the body registers sweetness but can't find anything so sends a message for more. Genius if your selling processed food, not so good if your attempting to cultivate a healthy body. One food company even brags about this in their tag line..."once you pop you can't stop".

They exercise in the morning before eating.

Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before, "exercising on an empty stomach burns fat". How idiotic does that sound? You take an unhealthy body that has a lowered metabolism to protect itself from the uncertainty it faces with regard to food intake. Suddenly you decide that jogging before breakfast is a good idea, and you think that your body will release those precious fat stores that its been keeping ready for when you do something this stupid. Wrong wrong wrong!! Exercise does increase metabolism, but and its a big butt, without the energy required to do this movement it will lower your metabolic rate in the long term. This is because your body tries to conserve as much fuel as possible by rationing what's available. Make sense?

Nap time after lunch

Now I'd happily have a nap after lunch like little Daisy my daughter does, but if I managed to eat 10,000 calories in one meal I'd hope that my healthy metabolism would be fired up and have me hyper active trying to burn of what it didn't need. Sumo wrestlers reportedly sleep for four hours post lunchtime.

How do they consume 20,000 calories a day?

Chanko-nabe is a Japanese stew and contains large quantities of protein sources such as chicken, fish and tofu. Interestingly I've had a Paleo dieter recently who started of well on his diet initially but in the two years following as his metabolism started slowing he became a mini sumo, not good considering he was a PT. Protein in excess has an effect of slowing the metabolism (especially muscle meats). However theirs no doubt it takes dedication to eat this much food. 6000 was a lot for me and the effects weren't great but I doubt even I could manage 20,000. We don't need 20,000 a day and our bodies would struggle to process it all, but equally we need more than 1800 or whatever is recommended by the low calorie club. What  you need is exactly or slightly more than your requires.

Hopefully this little post may make it more clearer if your current lifestyle has aspects of sumo training in it. Do you skip breakfast, drink empty calories, exercise when you're clearly not ready for it or even eat your largest meal just before bedtime.