There’s only one sport where athletes try to gain weight and shed as much body fat as possible: sumo wrestling. Size is a distinct advantage for sumo wrestlers, so they really do everything they can to pack on the pounds.
We thought it would be interesting to look at what sumo wrestlers do to get fat so you can learn how doing the opposite will help you lose fat.
1. Skip breakfast. Depriving their bodies of food after an eight-hour fast during sleep causes their metabolism to work at half the speed it does while still asleep, so they burn fewer calories during the day.
What you can learn from this: If you’re trying to lose weight, eat breakfast as soon as you wake up. Eating “wakes up” your metabolism and powers your body’s fat-burning engine.
2. Exercise on an empty stomach. With no food for fuel, a sumo wrestler’s metabolic rate remains low so they burn fewer calories while exercising. Any type of exercise can quickly deplete the available sugar (your body’s source of energy) in your bloodstream. When your blood sugar level drops, your body thinks you are starving and tries to conserve fat by shutting down your metabolism.
What you can learn from this: If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important that you eat before and after a resistance workout. Always eat a meal or a good snack 30 to 60 minutes before working out and again within an hour after working out to avoid a drop in blood sugar.
3. Eat only twice a day. A famous sumo wrestler is reported to eat 10 bowls of stew, eight bowls of rice, 130 pieces of sushi and 25 barbecued beef… all in one meal, and still have room for desert Is. Since their bodies can only process so much food at a time, the rest is stored as fat.
What you can learn from this: When you pack all your calories into a few large meals, you’ll get fat. If you’re trying to lose weight, a better approach is to spread your calories throughout the day by eating three or four meals and snacking in between. This prevents dips and spikes in blood sugar, keeps your metabolism in high gear, and keeps you from getting so hungry that you’ll overeat.
4. Take a nap or sleep after eating food. After their “big” meal of the day, sumo wrestlers always lie down for a long nap or a long night’s sleep. This is because when a sumo wrestler’s body is in sleep mode, all of its functions slow down, including its metabolism. So all the food sitting in his stomach gets stored in the form of fat.
What you can learn from this: If you’re trying to lose weight, wait at least an hour after eating before going to bed.
5. Consume alcohol in excess. To pack on the pounds, some sumo wrestlers drink beer by the caseload, often drinking 50 or more bottles at a time. This causes their adrenal glands to dump a hormone called cortisol into their bloodstream. Cortisol works by slowing metabolism and increasing fat storage.
What you can learn from this: If you’re trying to lose weight, cut down on your alcohol consumption. When you start to feel the “buzz”, you’ve had enough.
Source by Jana Gill
