"Warrior Diet" Log (w/ Synopsis)

[Simian358]

I have read the book Maximum Muscle Minimum Fat by Ori Hofmekler; it is an in-depth discussion of the applications and effects of his "Warrior Diet" as they relate to bodybuilding efforts. I have yet to read his orignal and more broadly encompassing book "The Warrior Diet"... but I have a basic understanding of how, and supposedly why, the diet works.

To summarize...The diet requires you intermittently fast for (approx.) 20 hours of the day (including sleeping) and then within/throughout the last 4 hours of the day feast as much as you want or can...furthermore it suggests emphasizing a "Paleo" diet approach when it comes to food choices...natural, pre-agricultural foods: wild seafoods, natural lean meats, natural dairy, nuts/seeds and legumes, eggs, fruits/veggies...for bodybuilding it wouldnt disapprove of including a post-workout protein drink even though this is of course a very processed item...furthermore it allows for consuming agricultural foods like rice (pizza, pasta, etc) if you need/crave more carbs but suggests filling up on protein and veggies first in your feasting phase (it does assert that carbs are essential for muscle growth and performance). Obviously this diet is going to be geared toward if you tend to perform your workout in the evening time...i suppose you could still be employing it if you simply consumed a post-workout protein after a morning/early day workout. The explanations as to why this method promotes lean muscle gain and fat loss
is explained very thoroughly in the book- I truly dont have the patience at this moment (or the book handy) to try to do it justice lol, but in the briefest of nutshells- it supposedly takes advantage of the bodys natural negative bio-feedback loops (alternately catabolic and anabolic processes...directly relating to the under and over-eating phases in conjuction with eachother) and it is also essentially based on the notion that humans evolved hunting/gathering/working/eating/sleeping in this pattern and that we are meant to eat and relax nocturnally... and fast during the day as we move and work/play...this is aided by the natural release of substances called catecholamines that boost energy, focus and fat burning. Intermittent fasting has been studied and shown to effectively boost GH levels most notably, and it can help detoxify the body like any form of fasting (im sure many of our livers wouldnt mind).

The challenges will be to discipline myself and override the habit of eating throughout the day... and of course consuming adequate calories by the end of the day. Protein/calorie utilization is supposed to be increased by these alternating phases so hopefully this can compensate for the fact that inevitably i will fall short on calorie/protein intake some days.

Tomorrow I will begin the diet and proceed with this log, hopefully I benefit as I hope to and hopefully it will help any of you interested or curious about this unique regimen.

[TheHunter09]

I have read the book Maximum Muscle Minimum Fat by Ori Hofmekler; it is an in-depth discussion of the applications and effects of his "Warrior Diet" as they relate to bodybuilding efforts. I have yet to read his orignal and more broadly encompassing book "The Warrior Diet"... but I have a basic understanding of how, and supposedly why, the diet works.

To summarize...The diet requires you intermittently fast for (approx.) 20 hours of the day (including sleeping) and then within/throughout the last 4 hours of the day feast as much as you want or can...furthermore it suggests emphasizing a "Paleo" diet approach when it comes to food choices...natural, pre-agricultural foods: wild seafoods, natural lean meats, natural dairy, nuts/seeds and legumes, eggs, fruits/veggies...for bodybuilding it wouldnt disapprove of including a post-workout protein drink even though this is of course a very processed item...furthermore it allows for consuming agricultural foods like rice (pizza, pasta, etc) if you need/crave more carbs but suggests filling up on protein and veggies first in your feasting phase (it does assert that carbs are essential for muscle growth and performance). Obviously this diet is going to be geared toward if you tend to perform your workout in the evening time...i suppose you could still be employing it if you simply consumed a post-workout protein after a morning/early day workout. The explanations as to why this method promotes lean muscle gain and fat loss
is explained very thoroughly in the book- I truly dont have the patience at this moment (or the book handy) to try to do it justice lol, but in the briefest of nutshells- it supposedly takes advantage of the bodys natural negative bio-feedback loops (alternately catabolic and anabolic processes...directly relating to the under and over-eating phases in conjuction with eachother) and it is also essentially based on the notion that humans evolved hunting/gathering/working/eating/sleeping in this pattern and that we are meant to eat and relax nocturnally... and fast during the day as we move and work/play...this is aided by the natural release of substances called catecholamines that boost energy, focus and fat burning. Intermittent fasting has been studied and shown to effectively boost GH levels most notably, and it can help detoxify the body like any form of fasting (im sure many of our livers wouldnt mind).

The challenges will be to discipline myself and override the habit of eating throughout the day... and of course consuming adequate calories by the end of the day. Protein/calorie utilization is supposed to be increased by these alternating phases so hopefully this can compensate for the fact that inevitably i will fall short on calorie/protein intake some days.

Tomorrow I will begin the diet and proceed with this log, hopefully I benefit as I hope to and hopefully it will help any of you interested or curious about this unique regimen.

Good luck with that. Sounds like a load of bolloks to me though.

[longboarder89]

Greetings,

I tried the Warrior Diet- the first week or two is very difficult. If you make it through, it reaps great benefits. I didn't get to single digit body fat (due to personal life and other excuses I made to myself to stop working out/dieting for a while)- but the few months I stayed on a 4 day split with LISS cardio, I lost 4%-5% body fat, and I felt great once I got into the 'groove' of fasting. You'd be surprised how well you understand your hunger signals as you get used to it- I wouldn't advise 'eating anything', but Ori recommends a salad first (greens to get the most nutrient dense/fiberous food), then protein and carbs last. I split my 4 hour window into 2 big meals, one was a giant salad with EVOO, lean protien, tomatos, cucumbers, broccoli...etc), then my second was a portion of brown rice, or wheat bread with more protien with a little fat source (EVOO, 2 tblspns peanut butter...etc)

If you have any questions from a former (and avid IF'er), please don't hesitate. I'd love to help out others experiment with IF- ever since trying forms of it for the past year, I haven't gone back to the feeding frequently through out the day. It's impossible for me, and impractical for my goals (i'm not attempting to go pro, just to live a healthy lifestyle).

Hope the best for you, and to hear more about your log, and progress.

-Tim

[Own3r]

Hello fellow IFer, the worrior diet is a great approach. Though not the one I take
I have a 19hour fast everyday and a 5 hour window, during which I actually have a set ammount of calories to consume without any actual ratio within the macros, I do however count the protein intake to make sure that I am hitting the requirement.
Best of luck to you and IF is a great approach to dieting and a great change from the 6 meals a day nonsense!


"Good luck with that. Sounds like a load of bolloks to me though."

What do you base your assumption on?

[Frooshy186]

This diet sounds INTENSE, I'd love to hear how it works out for you! Good luck!

[Simian358]

Sorry all for my absence here on my thread/log,...been pretty occupied and havent enjoyed much computer time. Unfortunately i havent taken it upon myself to focus on carrying out the diet... though i have applied it on multiple days-scattered here and there. Obviously im not yet qualified to offer any real feedback but I can say that its surprising how it doesnt sap strength or lean weight on the days i have applied it; this is surprising cuz i have a fast metabolism. Anyway im happy to see the responses and the input from experienced IF'ers...thank you for it and im glad this generated discussion on this topic, hope to actually add some real input of my own here soon~

[conflictsd]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=113418581

[Simian358]

Hmm the thread linked above was interesting so i appreciated it bn posted. However I should clarify that im not necessarily promoting the Warrior Diet, i just figured that was the most recognizable name for this method... the method in its broader sense (IF) is what im trying to explore and it does have scientific support as well empirical support as shown here by some of the folks posting. Yes Ori Hofmekler does take his own license on the subject and expresses his own interpretations which may or may not be valid but the book i read was mostly comprised of scientific data and explanations, combined with references to studies that have been conducted...probably the WD book is more his own ramblings and ideas. Anyway...what attracts me is the simplicity and it is well-documented that short periods of fasting have a myriad of health benefits, regardless of what its potential benefits for strength trainers might be.

Okay with that out the way...today was my first day ive chosen to log...I fasted from 11pm on friday night until about 10pm tonight, I didnt indulge as much as i should or could have but i got pretty full...I stir-fried an entire block of tofu, a huge portion of broccoli and a can of beans with some teriyaki and nibbled on some cheese slices as i cooked. My energy felt good throughout the day and i actually felt better than usual, despite the calorie deficit ive incurred today my muscles feel hard and full and no fatigue- and i worked a double shift today off only about 5 hours of sleep. So far so good, though will hunger pangs hit me early tomorrow? lol

[Simian358]

Well as of now im not sure this eating plan will be used by me on a regular basis...i will say however that sometimes its helpful, if not necessary, to do mini-fasts when your body feels like it, and/or eating a huge meal at the end of the day when that seems to feel right. I'm thinking though that thats the idea- when your body feels like it. "Eating instinctionally" would mean on some days eating frequently throughout the day and others eating less frequently or in varying amounts at a time. What I realized recently is that the morning after a training day my body is hollering at me to down a protein shake or scramble some eggs and pop some toast when i wake up. Also some mornings you wake up and your stomach is sunken in and your muscles look flat and thats telling you to ingest something soon (thats at least in my case as i said my metabolism is fast as **** usually). Forcing yourself to eat every few hours may be helpful at times but from a purely practical standpoint its not what your body needs all the time and in some cases could be counterproductive...maybe a middle path approach here based on reading the body's signals one day at a time is the best and simplest way to go. Forcing yourself day in and day out to eat any type of regimented way is probably not the optimal way to go and your body will find it stale at some point just like not mixing up your workouts ever... being flexible and adaptable is important and is definitely how we evolved to eat and survive/thrive. Not proclaiming these ideas as expert ones at all (lol) just thinking out loud