Sumo Champion's Ridiculous Diet is 10,000 Calories of Awesome

Sadly, some of us have failed to get into proper shape for beach season. Fortunately, we now have a game plan to go the other way and eat like a professional sumo wrestler.

Vice’s Munchies (h/t Digg, Daily News) recently posted a captivating video profiling the reported 10,000-calorie diet of Byamba Ulambayar, the current world sumo champion.

However, the star of the near 12-minute video may just be the chankonabe, a Japanese stew that is one part satisfying meal and another glorious gut bomb.

For most, maintaining your healthy weight is about cutting carbs or eating sensible portions. When you are a sumo wrestler, it’s all about stuffing your face with as many calories as possible. We may have missed our calling.

Thankfully, there is one go-to dish that seems to sate the hungriest of athletes. The stew is chankonabe, and it seems to include a wide swath of substantial fare, including meatballs, fish broth, tofu and vegetables. And, as Byamba states in the video, the stew is known to cause an immediate and worthwhile nap after eating.

The New York Daily News quotes Byamba who explains the need to chow down on the delicious chankonabe, which seems to come in swimming-pool portions: “If you want to be a sumo wrestler you have to be able to practice, you know? And then after that the body is going to be tired, right? And then it has to eat healthy and take a lot of portions.” This quote may prove useful the next time you head out to a buffet.

Byamba is eager to impart his wisdom upon sumo enthusiasts, like those who showed up to the three-day sumo seminar that took place this May in Van Nuys (Calif.).

There the 29-year-old gave lessons on technique as well as diet, even accompanying the crew to Shin Sen Gumi (Gardena, Calif.) for a taste of the good stuff.

That’s where Byamba gave his verdict: a yummy sound followed by a smile and hearty, “delicious.”

Those around the table seemed to enjoy the taste, texture and above all portions of the chankonabe being ladled out en masse. While brief, Byamba’s cameo at the seminar delivered a crucial aspect to becoming a sumo wrestler: putting on weight.

Now it may be too late for you to put on similar mass for the same U.S. Sumo Open these wrestlers were preparing for, but you can certainly enjoy the upcoming spectacle.

The event’s official page has more information on the Open, which takes place at Cal State Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Sept. 20, airing on Universal Sports Network on Oct. 14.

Until then, feel free to test out your own recipe of chankonabe. Just make sure you are heavy-handed with the ingredients and you should do just fine.

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