all posts post new thread

Nutrition Warrior Diet

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)

Adam R Mundorf

Level 6 Valued Member
Hello All,

I just wanted to get a thread started on the Warrior Diet, I'm extremely familiar with the eating style but wanted to get some other opinions about it.

  1. What did you think of the eating style?
  2. What worked for you and what didn't?
  3. Did you undereat or fast all together?
  4. Any other comments?
  5. I have an ongoing dialogue with Ori, if there are any questions you guys have in regards to the diet, I'd be happy to schedule a consultation to ask.
81iPTS-LonL.jpg

Thank you, Adam
 
Great topic.

I'm nowadays doing something in between warrior diet and Leangains 8/16. If I'm hungry at noon, I do 8/16. If not, I eat little something in the afternoon and then dinner ala Warrior diet.

A big issue I have with warrior diet is dinner timing. I assume he follows the typical American or European timing for dinner, at about 6 pm or 7 pm. Here in Argentina we have dinner at 9 pm. I can make it to 6 or 7 pm fine, but by 9 pm I'm starving. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to, but so far I'm struggling. And eating a little something at 6 or 7 pm only opens my appetite more. Any thoughts on this?

About undereating or fasting, I have mostly fasted. I have attempted undereating, but only opened my appetite more. Many days I open the eating window with some fruit in the afternoon and then have dinner at night. But the idea of eating a little fruit during the day has not been easy to follow for me.

A topic to discuss with Ori is something we have talked about in other threads. I'll try to find the post. The thing is that some studies came to the conclusion that eating enough protein to trigger muscle growth at dinner is one of the reasons of reduced muscle in elderly people, and proposed to increase protein intake in the other meals as well. This seems to be at odds with WD. So is one big meal a day enough to have muscle? Or only a slender body can be obtained?
 
Last edited:
I had good success with 20/4 strict fasting (water only) during the weekdays, basically OMAD (main dinner, with breakfast-food-for-dinner at the end of 4 hours).
 
@Adam R Mundorf, I don't know if Ori will remember me but we spoke on the phone a few times perhaps 15 years ago, maybe more. I am a long-time fan of, and advocate of, Ori's approach to eating.

[RAMBLE]

For me, over the years I have learned to sense what I need to eat and when. I think, in a nutshell, I've learned the difference between eating by habit and eating when I'm hungry. So I consider my approach to be a WD approach. My usual morning is black coffee with cinnamon first, mid morning a coffee with heavy cream and a protein bar, and then nothing but coffee until late afternoon.

I find I'm happiest if I have two dinners, neither terribly late, so I tend to have something at 4 or 5 pm, and then something again at 6 or 7, and that's it for me. If I'm still hungry an hour or two after dinner, I'll have another protein bar.

I am also quite willing to be a social eater, e.g., if my sister is visiting and she wants to go out to breakfast, I'll do that. I don't think WD eating should be like one is a substance abuser and food is the substance, with one mistake and all of a sudden you're in trouble. If I have a big breakfast out one day, I'm fine not to do it the next. E.g., I played a concert last Wednesday evening and didn't really have dinner, and at the reception afterwards, I had big chocolate brownie on an empty stomach, and then something more substantial and better for me when I got home.

Ori's idea of juicing didn't work for me - fruits and vegetables and I don't get along terribly well, and fruit/veggie juices always felt like a sugar rush followed by a fairly urgent need for a toilet, so coffee and protein bars are my under-eating period material.

[/RAMBLE]
 
@Adam R Mundorf, I don't know if Ori will remember me but we spoke on the phone a few times perhaps 15 years ago, maybe more. I am a long-time fan of, and advocate of, Ori's approach to eating.

[RAMBLE]

For me, over the years I have learned to sense what I need to eat and when. I think, in a nutshell, I've learned the difference between eating by habit and eating when I'm hungry. So I consider my approach to be a WD approach. My usual morning is black coffee with cinnamon first, mid morning a coffee with heavy cream and a protein bar, and then nothing but coffee until late afternoon.

I find I'm happiest if I have two dinners, neither terribly late, so I tend to have something at 4 or 5 pm, and then something again at 6 or 7, and that's it for me. If I'm still hungry an hour or two after dinner, I'll have another protein bar.

I am also quite willing to be a social eater, e.g., if my sister is visiting and she wants to go out to breakfast, I'll do that. I don't think WD eating should be like one is a substance abuser and food is the substance, with one mistake and all of a sudden you're in trouble. If I have a big breakfast out one day, I'm fine not to do it the next. E.g., I played a concert last Wednesday evening and didn't really have dinner, and at the reception afterwards, I had big chocolate brownie on an empty stomach, and then something more substantial and better for me when I got home.

Ori's idea of juicing didn't work for me - fruits and vegetables and I don't get along terribly well, and fruit/veggie juices always felt like a sugar rush followed by a fairly urgent need for a toilet, so coffee and protein bars are my under-eating period material.

[/RAMBLE]
Similar to you i have my coffee in the morning no matter what. I have tried fasting on water only and its just not worth it or even possible for me. I need to get my diet in check but i have found my brain craves bread and potatoes even after cutting them off for months at a time. I often wonder if thats my body genetics telling me to run on carbs or just a trick of the gut biome
 
  1. I think this is a very convenient eating style : it let me plenty of time, and I love eating a really big meal at the end of the day, when I'm no longer stressed. And taking time to cook one big meal is something like a transition between day time and night time. And I feel free to eat lunch in some social occasions.

  2. It worked very well for me during the last 4 years. WD and S&S gave me strength, muscle and energy. Since September (first job, new home, a lot of stress in the beginning), I had to make adjustments : more protein, more calories, more sleep and relaxation.

  3. I prefer fasting from 21:00 to 18:00-18:30. Just after my S&S session I "undereat" with a fruit and whey protein shake, then eat at 19:30-20:00. I sometimes eat a fruit at 16:00 if I'm really hungry.



  4. Same question as @Oscar. What is Ori's new approach with "pulse feeding", leucine, muscle preservation, etc. In The Seven principles of stress, he seems to recommend small whey meals for very active people but doesn't seem to say it's necessary for everybody. I'd like to know if the post-workout protein shake and a big meal is enough for maintaining muscle mass in long time.
 
Similar to you i have my coffee in the morning no matter what. I have tried fasting on water only and its just not worth it or even possible for me.
It's good to cycle back away from coffee from time to time. I am fortunate that it seems to happen for me naturally. For unknown reasons, some days I just don't want a cup of coffee when I wake up, and it's usually like that for a few days, perhaps as long as week. I don't generally completely eliminate coffee, but I might be down to one coffee midday for a little while.

I recall reading that bicycling randonneurs, those people who ride upwards of 1000 km in 4 days, have learned to stop coffee for a week before their event so that it hits them afresh while they're out riding on a few hours sleep.

Edit - add link: Randonneuring - Wikipedia

-S-
 
It's good to cycle back away from coffee from time to time. I am fortunate that it seems to happen for me naturally. For unknown reasons, some days I just don't want a cup of coffee when I wake up, and it's usually like that for a few days, perhaps as long as week. I don't generally completely eliminate coffee, but I might be down to one coffee midday for a little while.

I recall reading that bicycling randonneurs, those people who ride upwards of 1000 km in 4 days, have learned to stop coffee for a week before their event so that it hits them afresh while they're out riding on a few hours sleep.

Edit - add link: Randonneuring - Wikipedia

-S-
I have used this technique on significant climbs. It really does work.
 
I feel like I naturally gravitate towards some kind of intermittent fasting or at least eat mainly in the evening. I have not read the books.

I go between fasting and undereating mostly by feel. The undereating is typically a quart of milk or such, often quite early, but it can carry me very far. I also often drink lots of black coffee, though the amounts vary a lot naturally.

When it comes to the eating at night I sadly have a tendency to overeat at times. It is something I would like to get rid of.

I would like to hear how, if at all, Ori would change his recommendations for competitive athletes, specifically strength athletes like powerlifters, weightlifters and strongmen.
 
Thanks Adam

My question: How can one gain weight with OMAD and chewing properly?

Background: I used to be pretty underweight (BMI of 17 as a male) and I try to gain lean body mass while following S&S. So far I need 3 meals plus a protein shake to actually gain weight (done 16/8). Less meals and I stop chewing properly and feel tired from eating.
 
Thanks Adam

My question: How can one gain weight with OMAD and chewing properly?

Background: I used to be pretty underweight (BMI of 17 as a male) and I try to gain lean body mass while following S&S. So far I need 3 meals plus a protein shake to actually gain weight (done 16/8). Less meals and I stop chewing properly and feel tired from eating.
I think it's important to realize that the Warrior Diet isn't OMAD. It's a 4 to 6 hour feeding window. You could pulse feed some mini fast assimilating protein meals throughout the day. Every few hours have a 20 to 30 grams of protein shake/yogurt with some fruits or vegetables. If you had three of these meals you'd already have 60 - 90 grams of net protein utilization before even worrying about dinner. Then since you've already take in some calories and protein you don't need to shove in freaky amounts of food. For your evening meal, you could finish the meal with some calorie and nutrient dense food like nuts and/or seeds.

I understand the pulsing of meals isn't true fasting but if you're struggling to gain weight, there is always a trade off to be had. Nature is paradoxical, what may be good for athletic performance/body composition might not be the ideal for longevity.

Hope this helps!
 
Question to Ori:
"When did you start the warrior diet and what was your inspiration? Started the Warrior Diet during my military service, motivated by survival necessities"
For me, over the years I have learned to sense what I need to eat and when. I think, in a nutshell, I've learned the difference between eating by habit and eating when I'm hungry.
I think these 2 pretty much describe the core of it all. Learn what you need, driven by necessity. This is how you form a nutritional habit. At least, this is how it works for me. Soldier's approach it is - eat light but fuel yourself to be easy and capable for your mission, recover with good meal at the end of the mission.
Funny, typical breakfast in the israeli army for decades was (well, still is) cottage cheese, boiled egg and coffee - enough protein, essential fats and energy to drive you through the day, with eventual snacks, which called "manot krav" - "battle portions" - canned beans, canned meat, nuts, halva (sesame/nuts paste).
 
Ive been trying to implement some of these ideas but have a few questions.
1. I got some plain whole milk greek yogurt and absolutely can’t handle the taste of it. Are you all mixing it with something, buying a flavored yogurt, or just like the unflavored as is?
2. I do need to eat more veggies but they often go bad before i can force myself to eat them. What are some veggies that last in the fridge longer than the premixed salads in a bag i buy?
3. As far as the green smoothies what are some good ideas to start with here?
 
2. I do need to eat more veggies but they often go bad before i can force myself to eat them. What are some veggies that last in the fridge longer than the premixed salads in a bag i buy?
3. As far as the green smoothies what are some good ideas to start with here
Forget salads unless you really like them. Whatever vegetables you eat in salads you can drink in smoothies. A few ideas:

- spinach goes well with everything. You can put as much as 2 bunches in any smoothie, but start with half a bunch. It works with orange, banana, orange and banana, strawberries, melon, and the list goes on.

- beetroot and carrots govery well with citric and ginger.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom