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.

Despite research telling us that long laborious cardiovascular isn't the way to get fit and healthy, many of us still believe its the only way to get the body we desire.  For example, marathon training along with a low calorie diet tends to have the effect that you'll either gain weight or not lose weight due to a depressed metabolic rate effect. You may lose some weight but this is typically just muscle loss which isn't what you really wanted was it?

To fix this you would need to raise your calories gradually, allowing your body fat to gradually drop as your metabolic rate increases. Sadly to those indoctrinated with the move more, eat less fairy tale its a hard move to make. Usually they would rather struggle on in an attempt to reduce calories even more while upping the cardio output.

A great example is the older post-menopausal woman, taking anti-depressant medication, with a very low self-reported food intake, complemented with a high body fat measurement that they detest. During my time at "The Gym" it wasn't uncommon to consult with menopausal women surviving on 400 - 1000 calories per day, whilst engaging in a class schedule that included everything from zumba to yogalates. What did they do when this didn't work? They came an asked me to burn them into the ground. Despite this living hell they looked shocking, felt shocking, and often acted shocking. None of them ever got that cover model look they desired, despite surviving on dust and training hard enough to make a marine burst into tears. Did they ever listen when I pointed out the reason it wouldn't work? Of course not.

Over my few years working at gyms, I literally begged people to cut down activity levels, and/or raise calorie intake to a safe level (this ultimately got me the boot from the gym as it goes against the revenue goals). Many refused but a few listened and went onto develop a healthy lean body, with a healthy attitude to food and exercise. The amount of times people came back from holidays lighter and healthier, due to less exercise and more energy intake is almost unbelievable. They get back and engage in their caloric deficit and over-exercising routine and watch it all pile back on.

So, the secret to a healthy weight and a healthy attitude to food is;

DON'T DIET & DON'T ENGAGE IN OVER EXERCISING!!