Are you wondering how to do the Warrior Diet? Well, you’re not alone. There are endless choices of diet plans available that all promise weight loss. Ultimately, it can be difficult to decide what might be right for you because all diets are not the same. In this article, we’ll break down the ins and outs of the Warrior Diet to see if it might be right for you.
What Is The Warrior Diet?
Back in 2001, this diet was developed by a past Israeli Specials Ops guy named Ori Hofmekler. He later branched out into the field of health and wellness.
This diet could be classified as a type of intermittent fasting because it revolves around eating most of your daily calories during a 4 hour window each day. The idea is to undereat during 20 hours a day and overeat during 4 hours per day.
The concept of the Warrior Diet evolved from the way our prehistoric ancestors used to eat. Thousands of years ago, people would hunt during the day and only eat at nighttime around the fire. So this way of eating goes way back in history and is really not a new concept.
According to Hofmekler, this way of eating is meant to “improve the way we eat, feel, perform and look.”
The goal on this diet is promote fat and weight loss through eating in the 4 hour time frame.
Does The Warrior Diet Work?
There is very little scientific evidence that supports the Warrior Diet as a successful weight loss method. However, research does support intermittent fasting for better health.
Intermittent fasting involves not eating any food during the fasting time frame, which differs from this technique.
Reasons Not To Do The Warrior Diet
This method of weight loss is not right for everybody. In fact, the restrictive nature of the plan may actually be harmful to certain people, especially those with specific medical conditions, children, people who are underweight / having eating disorders or pregnant / nursing women.
Additionally, some critics argue that this method could lead to disordered eating as well as other health concerns such as:
- low blood sugar
- insomnia
- constipation
- anxiety
- irritability
- fainting
The Warrior Diet Original vs. Its Modification
There are a variety of specialists who successfully practice this diet but on a stricter 20:4 concept, where 20 hours of the day is fasting.
To learn more about Ori Hofmekler’s original Warrior Diet versus how to do this method with modifications, you may enjoy watching this video which explains it further.
How To Follow This Diet
There is a 3-week, phased plan that Hofmekler recommends to those who want to try this method for weight loss to “improve the body’s ability to utilize fat for energy.”
Phase 1 “Detox”
This phase of the diet in the 20 hour undereating period involves snacking on veggie juices, dairy, hard-boiled eggs, clear broths and/or raw fruit and vegetables.
A large meal may be eaten during the 4 hour overeating window. This would consist of a salad (with oil and vinegar) and a meal based on beans, wheat-free grains, cooked veggies and a tiny portion of cheese.
Phase 2 “High Fat”
The same principles are involved for the undereating window. The only difference in the overeating window is the addition of a lean animal protein with a small portion of nuts.
Phase 3 “Concluding Fat Loss”
This week of the plan revolves around carb cycling and high protein. Ultimately, the days rotate between high carbs and high protein / low carbs.
After the initial 3-week phase, dieters can eliminate the specific phases and just follow the basics of the diet.
You may be interested to know that there is no calorie count or specified portion sizes on this diet.
The creator also suggests taking a multivitamin along with supplements like amino acids and probiotics.
Exercise is also recommended, but again this is fairly vague in terms of detailed instruction.
The Warrior Diet Final Analysis
This weight loss method incorporates some elements of intermittent fasting during a 20:4 time period.
Although no research can conclusively back up the success of this plan, research does support the healthy benefits of intermittent fasting.
This diet may work for some, but it may also be difficult to follow or sustain. Worse yet, it may even be dangerous for others.
Ultimately, if you want to lose weight for good, you need to find a way that is realistic and sustainable. Regular exercise, good sleep and unprocessed foods are always the best options to try that can work for everybody.
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