[6] For about eight years, Humphrey wrestled a number of matches, some of them televised, often against Haystacks Calhoun who regularly weighed over 600 lb (270 kg) himself.

As a result, Humphrey was obliged to lie naked on the ground while Race would apply liquid soap to his body, scrub him with a mop and then rinse him off with a garden hose.

[6] Towards the end of his regular career, he recognized his problem and had an operation to remove 100 lb (45 kg) of fat from his body; however, he gained the weight back soon afterwards.

The regimen included strictly measured amounts of food and water, with about 1,000 calories total per day and a rotation in 56-day cycles.

The first cycle consisted of high-protein foods, including eggs, skim milk, ground beef, margarine with toast, tomato soup, ketchup, green peas, and applesauce.

[7] According to the two-year study headed up by Unit Director Dr. Wayne Greenberg, Humphrey's weight loss on each of the three diets was approximately the same; however, the nature of the actual body matter lost during each differed significantly.

The vast majority of the weight lost on the high-protein diet was body fat and Humphrey's hunger was satisfied for longer periods between meals as well.

On the high-fat regimen, about two-thirds of the weight lost was body fat with the rest being water, with an undesirable side effect of high blood cholesterol.

Greenberg noted at the end of the study that dieters who only use a scale as a means of determining weight loss cannot tell how much of what they lose is body fat and how much is water and muscle tissue.