The Warriors Diet

[oakspringer]

Is anyone else on or has tried The Warrior's Diet?

I have been on the diet for two weeks and so far I like the changes I've experienced.

The basic concept is you go through a period of undereating during the day and overeating at night.

The benefits are you get to each as much as you want to at night, which is great for me because dinner is my favorite meal.

The book proposes that you lose fat more easily because during the day you work off of fat storage and fruit or veggies.

So if anyone else has tried it, let me know about the results you've experienced.

Thanks,

Ben

[rrandolph]

That sounds a bit off to me. Is vigorous exercise part of the plan?

According to Deepok Chopra in his book Perfect Health, he talks about the best times to eat in accordance with your circadium rythm. He says that breakfast is a time for very light foods, like fruits and water, since your body is detoxifying. Lunch at noon is when your digestive fire is at its peak and you should eat your biggest meal then.

He then recommends that at 6-7pm you should have a small dinner. He recommends that you eat 3 hours before you fall asleep. He also highly recommends against eating large portions at night because if your body is overloaded with food and can't digest it all, during the night time it stagnates as your body's systems are resting during sleep, which turns the food into toxins.

The digestive systems are weaker at night so by eating less, you are keeping your body in balance.

[oakspringer]

With all due respect to Deepok Chopra ; I do know he is a doctor, and he has probably a great deal of training in medical sciences. But simply compare the physique of Mr. Deepok Chopra and the author of this book. Its night and day! The author is nearing 50 as well and he has an excellent physique.

I personally am very thin, I usually work out twice a day. I don't have a problem with fat because I have a high metabolism. But I wanted to simplify my life, and get off the eating 6 times a day thing, similar to burn the fat, feed the muscle diet. I tried it for a while and I just started to loath eating.

Now I feel energized, I still eat, you eat fruits and veggies and juices during the day, and feast at night. Its really great to actually look forward to eating again! I plan my meals, enjoy my food completely, have dessert, and eat as much as I want. Its really a great diet for the lifestyle I want.

I have lost a bit of body fat around my stomach, I must have like 8 or 9%, so I'm not really a good gauge of how well someone can lose fat on this diet.

I have also noticed that I am stronger. There is a section on fitness as well. I combine some of what he suggests and lots of body weight exercises. I swim alot and occasionally do yoga.

So what I was hoping is to find if someone has been on this diet longer, if there were any side effects or anything I should be made aware of. So far, its been invigorating.

[eblight]

I've read in many books to eat lightly in the evening. I find if I eat a heavy meal at night I never sleep that well. Be interested in how you go on this diet.

[oakspringer]

I'll keep updating as I go I was very excited to start it.

[rrandolph]

Cool, well give it a shot and let us know how it works out.

[kpreston]

I've been on this diet for en experiment for a full week today. I've never read the book, so I may be doing it incorrectly, but I try make my one meal as balanced and as healthy as possible.

So far, I've noticed no change in energy or awareness, as some people say, however, my mood and stress levels have declined, which is always nice, considering I'm in the home-strech of finals week in college. I don't weigh myself, so it's hard to know if I've lost any weight, but I can say with complete confindence that I havn't gained any either.

I plan to continue eating like this until the end of the month, to give my body a full 30 days to adjust to the changes (it's only been a week now), before I make a full judgement.


However, on the bright side, what I enjoy most about eating like this is that I've regained my love for eating and cooking again. Before I was so worried about making sure the meals were light and healthy enough that I never enjoyed them. Now I can spend all day preparing roast chicken, rice, vegetables, all kinds of food, and just know that in a few hours I can sit down and eat until I feel like stopping.

I've found that one of the greatest feelings in the world is being completly full and content after a long day.

[oakspringer]

Originally Posted by kpreston

I've been on this diet for en experiment for a full week today. I've never read the book, so I may be doing it incorrectly, but I try make my one meal as balanced and as healthy as possible.

So far, I've noticed no change in energy or awareness, as some people say, however, my mood and stress levels have declined, which is always nice, considering I'm in the home-strech of finals week in college. I don't weigh myself, so it's hard to know if I've lost any weight, but I can say with complete confindence that I havn't gained any either.

I plan to continue eating like this until the end of the month, to give my body a full 30 days to adjust to the changes (it's only been a week now), before I make a full judgement.


However, on the bright side, what I enjoy most about eating like this is that I've regained my love for eating and cooking again. Before I was so worried about making sure the meals were light and healthy enough that I never enjoyed them. Now I can spend all day preparing roast chicken, rice, vegetables, all kinds of food, and just know that in a few hours I can sit down and eat until I feel like stopping.

I've found that one of the greatest feelings in the world is being completly full and content after a long day.

I completely agree.

It is so nice to actually look forward to eating at the end of the day. I've noticed I get excited about it, planning, thinking about what I want to eat. I let myself have whatever I want, and you basically eat until you are full.

Its such a nice feeling!

And I treat myself to lots of dessert too

[bdp]

I have tried eating on this schedule fairly consistently for a couple of months.

I have not experienced any significant changes in body composition (at least nothing that I attribute to The Warrior Diet). I feel more energetic and focused during the day when I eat only fruit and veggies before dinner. It is easier to avoid overeating this way.

There are some useful related resources:

The Fast-5 Diet and the Fast-5 Lifestyle (a similar diet)
Caveman Power - fit, healthy, energetic, mentally sharp, emotionally potent and wonderfully creative.
The Warrior Diet
Bodybuilding.com - Mike Mahler - Conversation With A Modern-Day Warrior : The Warrior Diet!
Fitness Tips To Get Lean and Toned, Not Bulky! | The Fitness Black Book (this guy has a number of posts on this topic, and many comments from people who have good results)

[mlc82]

This is my first day of trying this out, and so far, I love it...

I initially figured it was either quackery or a money-making gimmick, but after reading up on the WD on bodybuilding.com and checking out some posts from bodybuilders who eat similarly, I decided to give it a shot.

So far today, I've had only water, coffee, some whey protein, and fruit, and I feel incredible. I normally do the usual bodybuilding 7-8 meals a day, am never hungry (I'm usually force-feeding myself all day), and constantly having my energy levels going up and down- from lots of energy to total crash several times a day. Today it's been a steady day of feeling great, and my mood in general feels better than usual. I'm looking forward to eating a big meal tonight and going to sleep afterward, which is what I always want to do after eating (and wreaks havoc with my productivity if eating 6-8 times a day).

The only thing I'm worried about is going in the gym this week (I lift weights 3 days a week currently) and getting my butt kicked by much less weight than I'm used to from an overall lack of carbs/calories. I"m not sure if this will occur or not (I like to have an apple and a scoop of whey pre-workout, which seems to fuel me pretty well and would fit with the WD just fine).

Not spending half of the day wishing I were asleep, or feeling like a zombie is amazing though! So far, I really like it.


Edit- It'll be nice to see if I can lean out a little from this while still at least maintaining my muscle mass and strength. I'm 5'10 and weigh about 220lbs not bad for someone who started out as a 145lb weakling ), mainly muscle but I do have a little gut from "bulking" as well- I think it's mainly excess water but there's definitely some fat there as well. I'd guess I'm at about 15-16% bodyfat right now but not totally sure.

[oakspringer]

Hey I'm glad to hear you're giving it a shot!

My goal is two fold, eating more for my one meal, and also gaining lean muscle.

Other than that, I don't forsee a reason to switch back to aregular muscle building diet.

I remember what it was like to eat 6 times a day. Truthfully, I began to loathe it. This diet is such a breath of fresh air.

I'm a bit lean to start with about 6'2 155 approx, probably about 7% body fat, but I'm going to take this lean build and now just add muscle to it. I'm excited with the results so far

[mlc82]

Originally Posted by oakspringer

Hey I'm glad to hear you're giving it a shot!

My goal is two fold, eating more for my one meal, and also gaining lean muscle.

Other than that, I don't forsee a reason to switch back to aregular muscle building diet.

I remember what it was like to eat 6 times a day. Truthfully, I began to loathe it. This diet is such a breath of fresh air.

I'm a bit lean to start with about 6'2 155 approx, probably about 7% body fat, but I'm going to take this lean build and now just add muscle to it. I'm excited with the results so far

I got to where I hated eating... When even beer and pizza stop sounding good, you know it's time for a change. And I'm naturally a skinny little guy, so I've always been terrified of cutting back.


I'm in the middle of my big meal tonight- I usually can't force feed myself brocolli for the life of me, and tonight I just ate a whole "family sized" bag of it Then a handful of nuts, and I've got a big chunk of protein (either eggs or tuna, I haven't decided yet) coming up next with a small amount of starchy carb (rice, toast, or something) on the side. I'll probably go to bed an hour later, and might have a shot of whey before bed as well. So far, I'm liking this.

[Haurum]

I was on in for a year but got to skinny, and my goal is to gain muscle. I liked it very much though. Very convinient and a nice light feeling during the day.

[oakspringer]

Originally Posted by Haurum

I was on in for a year but got to skinny, and my goal is to gain muscle. I liked it very much though. Very convinient and a nice light feeling during the day.

I think that is going to be my main challenge. How do you gain muscle while staying on a warriors diet?

I'm also veg so eating meat is not an option. But I'm up for the challenge and I'm sure there is a way

[Ninja]

I like the idea of large evening meals... I need to eat a lot in the evening because if I don't, I wake up lightheaded and dizzy. That sick feeling will only go away once I have breakfast. I think my bloodsugar has something to do with it, as the 'hunger hangover' is much worse if I eat fastfood or other foods (like whitebread) that don't last you very long.

[oakspringer]

Originally Posted by Ninja

I like the idea of large evening meals... I need to eat a lot in the evening because if I don't, I wake up lightheaded and dizzy. That sick feeling will only go away once I have breakfast. I think my bloodsugar has something to do with it, as the 'hunger hangover' is much worse if I eat fastfood or other foods (like whitebread) that don't last you very long.

I might be creating a misleading impression about the diet.

You don't only eat once per day.

You eat your main meal at night, and you eat small meals, fruit and veggies, throughout the day.

So its not that you only eat one meal. You have a period of overeating, and you have a period of undereating.

I drink alot of tea and coffee and juice, and that sort of thing. So I do eat, just specifically light things.

[mlc82]

Originally Posted by oakspringer

I might be creating a misleading impression about the diet.

You don't only eat once per day.

You eat your main meal at night, and you eat small meals, fruit and veggies, throughout the day.

So its not that you only eat one meal. You have a period of overeating, and you have a period of undereating.

I drink alot of tea and coffee and juice, and that sort of thing. So I do eat, just specifically light things.

Same here, I'm eating on fruit and protein during the day, protein mainly from whey protein shakes and some fish, nothing very heavy. I honestly COULD go all day long without eating and not even notice if I wanted to though. I've always complained (while trying to eat 6-8 meals a day) that I'm never hungry at all during the morning/day, but once about 9-10pm hits I could eat every scrap of food in my fridge/pantry. This works out well for me.

[Ninja]

Originally Posted by oakspringer

I might be creating a misleading impression about the diet.

You don't only eat once per day.

You eat your main meal at night, and you eat small meals, fruit and veggies, throughout the day.

So its not that you only eat one meal. You have a period of overeating, and you have a period of undereating.

I drink alot of tea and coffee and juice, and that sort of thing. So I do eat, just specifically light things.

Then I guess I'm already following the diet I eat a light breakfast (two slices of bread with a piece of fruit and some tea) and a light lunch, but at dinner, I go wild.

[oakspringer]

Its been about 3 weeks now that I've been on this diet and wanted to post an update for my experiences.

No hunger cravings: In the book the author detailed that hunger cravings go away after about 3 weeks. This is indeed true, as my hunger craving seem to have subsided or I just don't notice them anymore.

Weakness: I had, off an on, been feeling a little woosy and light headed, usually when I worked out. This was easily corrected by increasing my total caloric intake for my meals and started eating more. Alot more. So my body is now able to reserve its energy and I don't feel the lightheadedness. Training yourself to eat around 2,500 or more calories in one meal takes a little getting used to.

Love of Food: I can't begin to tell you the euphoria that food brings to me now! I completely look forward to eating. Its like food tastes better, I can sample more foods, have more variety, and eat whatever I want. That freedom is delicious! I can polish off a whole pizza, brownies, pot stickers, tempura veggies, and still lose body fat.

Overall, I love this diet. I have regained my love of eating, and my body is looking better than ever. My only concerns now are: gaining lean muscle mass, and uping my meal size at the end of the day.

Stay tuned

Ben

[LMVector]

Hey warrior dieters...

I was wondering, does eating too much at night affect this diet?

This is my secnd day trying it, and I just had heaps for dinner. I had nothing but water with lemon until 6pm, when I ate 2 apples, and then at 7.30pm I had soup, then about 2 plates of broccoli, fish and meat. I feel comepletely stuffed now, I fear I wont loose weight with this.

Thoughts?

[MartialDev]

Although I haven't tried this diet, I will note that warriors were not at any point expected to live long and healthy lives.

[Elrond]

^ Doesn't war always affect health and lifespan negatively?

EDIT: or is it just that the way they exercise promotes warrior conditioning but not graet health, just as athletes compromise their health in order to become nr. 1?

[BalancedExistence]

I've tried this diet and while I only did it for about 6 months I did loose weight consistently over that time. And just so you know I don't have much weight to loose.

I think the benefits go well beyond weight loss. For one I had (and still have) a lot more energy during the day. I was studying very intensely at the time and I was a lot more awake. Before I would have to re-read long wordy paragraphs which took more time. The warrior diet really helped me to be focused and awake during the day while studying. I attribute that to not eating starchy carbs such as bread, pasta, etc at all during the day.

Also I was working out hard with kettlebells, running, swimming and teaching boxing which means sparing with students. After training I would have some protein and raw veggies as a recovery meal. I didn't have any problem putting on muscle and getting stronger. And I can say that having a long history of weight lifting and competitive contact martial arts to compare.

Do it. Don't do it. But you can’t really comment unless you've tried it and stuck with it for a while. Maybe it won’t suit your body. One single diet will never suit everyone in the world. Which is why I like metabolic typing. Now I eat according to how my ancient Irish ancestors ate. Which means I'm eating what my body is genetically adapted to eat and I'm doing better then ever.

Stephen