How Much Food Does a Sumo Wrestler Eat a Day?

December 21, 2025 •

3 min read

Professional sumo wrestlers typically consume between 7,000 and 10,000 calories a day to maintain their colossal physiques. This extreme calorie intake, combined with intense training and a structured lifestyle, is key to how much food does a sumo wrestler eat a day to succeed in their sport.

Quick Summary

A sumo wrestler's diet centers on two huge meals per day, strategically eaten to maximize weight gain. Their caloric intake is massive, fueling their intense training and promoting growth for competitive advantage.

Key Points

High-Calorie Intake: Sumo wrestlers typically consume between 7,000 and 10,000+ calories per day, concentrated in two massive meals.
Strategic Schedule: They skip breakfast and train rigorously in the morning to slow their metabolism, maximizing calorie storage from later meals.
Chankonabe is the Core: Their staple food is chankonabe, a high-protein, nutrient-rich hot pot stew eaten in huge quantities, along with copious amounts of rice.
Post-Meal Nap: A long nap is taken immediately after their large midday meal to aid weight gain and store energy.
Visceral Fat Protection: Intense training helps them avoid the dangerous visceral fat found in many obese individuals, but this protection often disappears upon retirement.
Community Eating: Wrestlers often eat together in their stables, and communal eating can encourage higher food consumption.
Retirement Risks: After leaving the sport, wrestlers must drastically change their diet to avoid serious health problems.

The Strategic Diet of a Sumo Wrestler

For a sumo wrestler, eating is a crucial part of their regimen to build and maintain size and strength. Their diet follows a pattern designed to promote weight gain: intense training on an empty stomach, followed by a large, calorie-dense meal and a long nap. This cycle slows metabolism, aiding in maximum weight accumulation.

Morning Training and Metabolism

Sumo wrestlers start their day early, training intensely without eating breakfast. This practice is deliberate; skipping the morning meal slows their metabolism, making it more efficient to store calories consumed later in the day. The rigorous workout, which can lead to significant sweat loss, builds a large appetite for their first meal.

Chankonabe: The Core Meal

The staple of the sumo diet is chankonabe, a protein-rich hot pot stew. This dish, served in vast quantities, provides significant calories and nutrients. The base is often dashi or chicken broth, seasoned with sake or mirin. It includes various meats (chicken, pork, beef), fish, tofu, and seasonal vegetables. Large amounts of noodles or rice are also consumed to increase carbohydrate intake. Some stables follow specific traditions, like eating only chicken on tournament days.

Post-Meal Rest and Evening Eating

After their large midday meal, wrestlers take a planned nap. This rest period is vital for the weight-gain process, further slowing metabolism and helping convert consumed calories into weight. The day concludes with a second large meal in the evening, structured similarly to lunch, maximizing calorie intake and minimizing energy use outside of training.

Sumo Diet vs. Average Diet

A comparison highlights the extreme nature of the sumo diet:


Feature	Sumo Wrestler's Diet	Average Adult Male's Diet
Daily Calorie Intake	7,000 to 10,000+ calories	2,000 to 2,500 calories
Meal Frequency	Two large, daily meals	Three meals and snacks
Breakfast	Skipped to slow metabolism	Typically consumed to start metabolism
Main Protein Source	Abundant quantities of chankonabe (meat/fish/tofu stew)	Varied sources, moderate portions
Carbohydrates	Large bowls of rice, plus noodles	Moderate portions of rice, bread, or pasta
Post-Meal Activity	Immediate nap to aid weight gain	Active to sedentary, but not a planned nap
Empty Calories	Regular consumption of beer with meals	Moderate to no consumption

Health Aspects and Conclusion

Despite the massive size, sumo wrestlers' intense training builds muscle alongside fat. Professional wrestlers often have lower levels of visceral fat and good cholesterol due to their training. However, this balance is fragile, and retirement often brings serious health risks if diet and weight are not reduced. The sumo diet is a strategic lifestyle demanding balance between high intake and extreme exertion.

For more on sumo training, visit the USA Sumo website: https://www.usasumo.com/learn/sumo-training/

Conclusion

The amount of food a sumo wrestler eats daily is a calculated part of their career. Skipping breakfast, intense training, and consuming two enormous meals, primarily chankonabe, followed by naps, builds the mass needed for the sport. It's a strategic nutritional approach for peak performance where size and strength are key. This lifestyle requires balancing huge calorie intake with extreme exercise, creating a unique physiological state. Retirement necessitates significant dietary changes for long-term health.

Is the Sumo Diet Healthy?

It's a misconception that sumo wrestlers are simply unhealthy. Their training and eating schedule help minimize dangerous visceral fat accumulation compared to the general obese population. However, this lifestyle has long-term health consequences, and many face issues after retirement.

The Sumo Wrestler's Daily Life

The structured routine, from training to napping, is crucial for a sumo wrestler's size and performance. This disciplined life, where every activity supports their competitive edge, shows that diet is just one part of a demanding commitment.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main meal for a sumo wrestler is chankonabe, a hearty hot pot stew packed with protein (like chicken, fish, and tofu) and fresh vegetables, served with large bowls of rice.

No, sumo wrestlers typically eat only two large meals per day. They skip breakfast, training on an empty stomach in the morning, which is a strategic choice to help slow their metabolism.

Wrestlers take a long nap immediately after their large midday meal to aid in the weight gain process. This rest period further slows the body's metabolism, helping it store the consumed calories as fat more efficiently.

A professional sumo wrestler typically consumes between 7,000 and 10,000 calories per day, and sometimes even more, to maintain their large size.

While the high caloric intake is extreme, the diet itself is often nutritious, focusing on protein and vegetables from chankonabe. However, the eating habits are only viable alongside their intense training regimen, and the lifestyle poses significant health risks after retirement.

Yes, it is common for sumo wrestlers to drink beer with their meals. Beer provides additional 'empty' calories, contributing to their total daily intake.

While their primary diet is based on the traditional chankonabe, some wrestlers are known to consume other foods, including fast food and sweets, particularly outside of their main structured meals.