Are you following the "Sumo-Wrestler's Diet"?

Do you know what Sumo wrestlers do to gain weight? You'd think they'd eat burgers, fries, cake and soda pop all day long. But this is not the case. Their frequency of eating is equally important in their weight gain as their quantity of food.

How To Eat As Often As A Hobbit And Stay As Slim As An Elf. In "Lord of the Rings," the hobbits (a race of short men with hairy feet) have "first breakfast" early in the morning followed by second breakfast two hours later. Then there's first lunch and second lunch. First dinner and second. Most hobbits are a tad overweight. This, however, is not because of the frequency of their eating habit, but because of what they eat. Your choice of snacks can make all the difference between gaining or losing weight. Hobbits snack on pastries. Scones. Breads. Cakes.

Elves, on the other hand, look thin and athletic. I'd guess this is because they live in the woods and feast on fresh fruit and nuts from the trees when they need a break from shooting arrows. Yes, I admit, I'm a natural elf, myself, at 5'8" (173cm) I weigh only 150 pounds/68 kilograms (maybe 153 after the holidays). I've never had trouble with excess weight, no matter what I'd eat. Yet, I've had the problem of losing too much weight. What causes me to lose weight is often what causes others to gain. I went down to 130 pounds when I went through Naturopathic College. It was a gruelling 4 years. I had four hours and 10 minutes of travelling time each day (in a car, train & subway) with 13 classes per semester and 39 hours of class time a week!
Yet, for others, the same situation would probably have put on the pounds. Stress affects different people in different ways. A lot of people start over-eating and over-indulging in the wrong foods as a way to deal with stress. The holidays often come with a lot of pressure. For example, Christmas can be a rough time for those who've lost loved ones.
Finances, also, can be a big cause of emotonal stress. In case you're living in a bubble, our economy isn't doing that great right now. Plus, the lack of sunlight doesn't help. It's been quite gloomy the last couple of month's here in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Many people get onto some kind of fat-burning program come spring and summer. Fall and winter is the time we slack off the most. Cold weather makes exercising out-of-doors less inviting. So the pounds start coming back because of lack of exercise, holiday feasting and a bit of emotional eating.
Now, a common mistake many people make when it comes to losing weight is that they try to skip meals. Some may only consume one meal a day. That works great for a sumo wrestler, but for the rest of us it's not the solution. Instead of LOSING weight we GAIN weight.
The "Sumo Wrestler Diet"
Sumo wrestlers typically eat only twice a day, but they eat very large portions of a type of beef stew with white rice and beer. And the key to their successful weight gain is this: they go to sleep after eating. They nap during the day and they eat right before bed. Many people unknowingly have been on a diet similar to the Sumo wrestler diet - skipping meals and eating a large meal of high glycemic index foods (like potatoes, breads, pastas, sweets, etc.), especially late at night before bed. No wonder they have such a hard time losing weight!
This is because the body starts storing food (as fat) once you eat it instead of burning it as fuel. This is a natural precaution. The body doesn't know how long until the next meal, so your metabolism slows down. The fat is often stored in the mid section. Perfect for a sumo wrestler -- not so good for you.

Don't Eat and Store, Instead... Eat and Burn, Eat and Burn!
Far better is to eat like the hobbits. Have a small meal (a.k.a. snack) between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner and then a light snack in the evening. Smaller meals, more often, convinces the body to go ahead and burn it off -- instead of storing it as long term energy, fat. Now, here's the tricky part... if you'd rather be slender like an elf, then a donut is not a good snack. Here's what I typically suggest to my patients...

Ever Seen a Fat Squirrel? Try mixing up a bag of nuts and seeds from the bulk section at the supermarket. They're easy to carry around. Plus, their high protein content will help cut unnatural cravings for sugars and starches. Stick with almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds. Unless you're eating a barrel full of them, don't worry about the fat content. Many of them contain healthy fats.
Mobile Protein: Like the nuts, you might also try protein bars (at least 15 grams of protein) which will help absorb sugar more slowly, allowing your body time to burn it off.
Old Fashioned Fruit: Fruit makes the perfect snack. It won't ruin your appetite and can give you a quick energy boost. Just avoid bananas and dried fruit if you want to lose weight fast. Save the dried fruit as a secret weapon to fight off sugar cravings (a handful of raisins or dates are a far better move than a chocolate bar).
The Healthy "Milkshake": This is the liquid variation of the protein bar. Add some protein powder (I prefer rice protein powder over soy or whey) to some fruit, natural yogurt, water or unsweetened fruit juice and blend. Not as creamy as Mickey Dee's but more energizing, for sure.
Do Not Sleep After Eating!: Instead, get up and move! With as little as 10 - 20 minutes of walking after eating, your blood sugar levels will decrease and less will be converted to fat.
Kitchen Madness: If you really want to follow this type of lifestyle change, it must be easy. All the above may sound great, but if you're in a rush, you may not have time to clean the grapes or sort the nuts. You need to have it ready... beforehand.
Every week, when my family brings home the groceries we sort everything out before storing it away. Reminds me of when pioneers have the entire family in the kitchen canning for the winter. My kids love getting involved. We pick all the grapes, chop the carrots, clean the apples, wash the salad. Doesn't take long and then everything's easy to grab at will.
No Need To Fill Up Your Tank
The other advantage to snacking is it stops you from eating too much at one time. Your meals become smaller. You're not worried about keeping the tank full until the next meal.
That's your Get Slim Mission for the next couple of months. Give it a try, and let me know how it's going by emailing me at care@thenaturopath.ca

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