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Nutrition Warrior Diet

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...When trying to gain I eat more at night.
I know a lot of research shows no real correlation vs total calories over a day, but if I go to bed hungry I seem to have no problem losing weight.
This is the conclusion I have recently reached for myself too. My biggest meal is in the night between 8-9 PM which is an hour or so after my training and I usual am famished. I have been eating clean-enough and still not losing weight. I am going to give this a try. Eat a nice big breakfast and go light in the night.
 
Poor Richard's advice and I still use it, especially when trying to lose weight. When trying to gain I eat more at night.

I know a lot of research shows no real correlation vs total calories over a day, but if I go to bed hungry I seem to have no problem losing weight.
Not according to reddit, maybe the other fine institute of knowledge Wikipedia could back it.
 
Not according to reddit, maybe the other fine institute of knowledge Wikipedia could back it.

I was careful with my wording when I shared that. I said there was a discussion. And there was. And I found it interesting. I would agree with you that neither of those sources are definitive. I admit that I don't buy that there is a "metabolic kickstarting" effect that comes with breakfast - so perhaps I came across too strongly. Apologies if you felt flippantly dismissed with a reddit thread. I was more interested in the idea that different macronutrient ratios and dieting strategies can vary between individuals.

Here are some credible sources that I find interesting:

The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in obese adults
Breakfast: To Skip or Not to Skip?


Just sharing some articles. One is a very small study and one is an opinion piece. They can be debated. There are contrarian articles too. But my main point, as it was before, is that the OP will have to figure out what works for him.

Diets and dieting strategies are funny things in that no one thing works for all people. I don't believe there is a "perfect human diet" because of the amazing biodiversity that we have. Try stuff out and see what works for you.
 
No worries @Groove Greaser , I was just irritated at the “oh man, the old jumpstart the metabolism argument” comment. Felt like you were giving me a massive eye roll, then backing it up with a reddit article. So I chose the higher road & done something really mature & teased you, very adult of me I thought . I was trying to keep my original post as simple as possible, & as the OP is overweight & doesn’t eat breakfast I thought a healthy breakfast would help stave off the urge to eat crap later in the day. I see a lot of overweight people chasing various diets when often the problem could be something much simpler. Like not eating breakfast then filling up on junk later when craving, saves following a stricter diet that a high percentage of people can’t stick to anyway.
 
No worries @Groove Greaser , I was just irritated at the “oh man, the old jumpstart the metabolism argument” comment. Felt like you were giving me a massive eye roll, then backing it up with a reddit article.

Yeah, not my best moment of thinking how something will come across on the internet. I know it was my fault too - because everyone on this forum has been nothing but decent and helpful. Stay strong!
 
Guys,
if you like breakfast then have it. If you do not like it then skip it. It is all rather a choice of preference...the nr. 1 rule remains calories in vs. calories out.
Do not expect something magical to happen if you have breakfast or do not have it.
Eating only 1-2 big meals a day can be pretty satisfying because it allows you to kinda feast.
Also there are a ton of reasons to cease eating for the biggest part of the day.
But again, probably none of those strategies is a real game changer.
The most important thing is to find the one regime one can easily stick to and finds enjoyable.
 
I have been skipping breakfast and eating in an 8 hour window the last 2 months. First time I tried it, and seems to work well for me. I lost 2 cm waist without much effort. I do feel like eating a buffalo by lunch and later, which I sometimes do.

I haven't read the book yet
 
The warrior diet has become 100% more effective for me when I started counting calories. I still eat to my heart but it's nice to see where you fall. Chances are if you're eating extremely healthy, you're not eating as much as you think you are. I found that after I get done with the vegetables and protein. I still have about 2,000 calories left until my goal of 3700. It's not a big deal if I don't hit it though. Always the majority of my calories is in the form of fuel foods like carbs or fats.
 
I'm intrigued by The Warrior Diet and it certainly seems to be a popular choice with members of this forum.

Is the advice contained in Hofmekler's book compatible with a vegetarian and/or vegan diet or would those of us who subsist primarily on plant foods be better off looking elsewhere?
 
@Chrisdavisjr - I follow a whole food/plant based diet and have been intermittent fasting (IF) since May. I've had no issues and like the approach. I typically eat between Noon and 7PM. I got started not through the Warrior Diet book, but rather through the work of Mark Mattson, an NIH researcher who had done much of the basic research on IF.

Here's a link to a podcast with Mark Mattson that got me started . Episode 7: Mark Mattson talks about benefits of intermittent fasting - IHMC | Institute for Human & Machine Cognition
 
I'm intrigued by The Warrior Diet and it certainly seems to be a popular choice with members of this forum.

Is the advice contained in Hofmekler's book compatible with a vegetarian and/or vegan diet or would those of us who subsist primarily on plant foods be better off looking elsewhere?
Chris, I have been eating mostly vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan for the last 3 years, and adopted IF 8/16 hours lately the last 3 months, meaning I eat during and eating window from 13 to 21 hours. So far so good, I lost a few cm of waist and I enjoy it.
 
Great responses; thanks guys!

Edit: Just ordered a copy of the book.

Let us know how it goes. I‘m vegetarian myself and following a loosely on the warrior diet based IF since around two years. I have never read the book, only several articles on this topic and maybe there is further potential, but right now it works fine. I didn‘t lose much weight, but in sum I recognized a leaner shape and more energy during the day. It suits me well since I tend to overeating and so I have a large meal in the evening to which I can look forward. Also keeps the head clear since you can focus the calory counting on two meals.
 
@kennycro@@aol.com, let's give @Marc's comment a little more of its original context:

As for food choice: I would not subscribe to any fad. Every reasonable adult knows what is healthy and what is not. Do not turn into a broccoli nazi. If you get to eat, say 2500 calories per day, and you ate 2250 from healthy foods, reaching for a snickers @~250 cals will not do any harm (in fact it rather will keep you mentally sane)

I think it's a fine sentiment, and in the context of avoiding fad diets, it makes perfect sense.

-S-
 
Let us know how it goes. I‘m vegetarian myself and following a loosely on the warrior diet based IF since around two years. I have never read the book, only several articles on this topic and maybe there is further potential, but right now it works fine. I didn‘t lose much weight, but in sum I recognized a leaner shape and more energy during the day. It suits me well since I tend to overeating and so I have a large meal in the evening to which I can look forward. Also keeps the head clear since you can focus the calory counting on two meals.
Apologies for typos etc.; I'm posting from my phone.

I'm about half way through the book so far and there are a number of things that have impressed me about It: Firstly, it's clearly explained but not rigid, taking the individual into account; secondly, Ori relates the potential benefits and pitfalls of both meat-heavy and animal free diets with no apparent bias, which I really respect (again, taking the individual into account) as well as recommendations on how to avoid deficiencies; thirdly, it's a genuinely practical way of eating, which is unlikely to compromise even the busiest of schedules, unlike other diets advocating eating patterns that are difficult to adhere to when working etc. and fourthly, for a book with 'Warrior' in the title, it's surprisingly lacking in 'macho nonsense'.

It's already started to have an effect on the way I eat and I'm already feeling better for it. I used to suffer from a kind of calorie anxiety and would become rather stressed if I wasn't eating regularly throughout the day. Now, it's less of a concern and I'm able to put more energy into preparing and enjoying a high quality evening meal rather than constantly 'topping up' on sub-par or prepared convenience foods throughout the day.
 
The warrior diet is really great in terms of convenience. I am using myself as an example here:

-it is 20:14 o'clock right now
-I had my last meal at ~1:00 o'clock at night
-I am having coffe and two apples right now
-I will train in a few minutes
-after that I will eat a big meal and a smaller one before bed

--> zero stressing out over food throughout the day
 
I think all things can be worth a shot if the diet doesn't directly conflict medical advice. I recently posted my experience elsewhere, but I was a big ESE style of If and many times skipped breakfast. My level of fat has stayed consistent no matter what I've done. I think part of it was my problem was hormonal imbalance and possibly a down regulated metabolism.

Ive been exploring the relationship between leptin, cortisol and testosterone. I believe I am in an elevated cortisol state base on sleep disturbances, stress management, and underlying feelings of anxiety. IF has been proposed it increase cortisol temporarily and if you are already in an elevated cortisol state, you may not be able to take advantage of the potential fat loss, HGH and insulin sensitivity. From what I've read, leptin is considered the master hormone to regulate appetite and fat storage.

So for me, I've been focusing the rules of the leptin diet until I feel like my stress is managed better. The basic premise is 3 meals a day, 5-6 hours apart, protein rich breakfast, no snacks. Eat slowly and finish eating before actually being full. Finish eating a couple hours before bed. I've been doing this for almost 2 weeks and I am experiencing a better sense of well being. No fat loss yet per se, but I think gradual results are easier to maintain in the long term.

Eating a few meals a day at regular intervals with no snacks seems pretty easy to do, and at this point I'm not micromanaging my macros, except not being stupid and overeating any one nutrient.

Best of luck and if you feel comfortable, post your progress towards your goals!
 
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