According to a Chinese proverb, it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. This means that it is better to be overprepared than underprepared. As a fitness enthusiast, that kind of ethos can help you to be more successful in the gym and, especially, when it comes to eating healthy.
The Warrior Diet has nothing to do with ancient fighters, despite what it may sound like. The Warrior Diet, advertised as a simple dietary approach that can improve your health, performance, and preparation for anything life throws your way.
What Is the Warrior Diet?
The Warrior Diet is not about surviving on scraps of food on a battlefield or eating only what you can find in the wild.
The diet is based on a 20-hour daily fast, with the remaining four hours used as an “unlimited” feeding window.
During 12 of your 16 waking hours each day, you are fasting. This includes the time you spend sleeping, so you are effectively fasting for a majority of the day.
Hofmekler argues that his approach to meal planning, which is outlined in his various books and online content, can have a range of benefits for athletes, including making them more resilient, improving their hormones, and more.
Though the Warrior Diet is not a set-in-stone diet plan meant to help you gain or lose weight, it can help you to better understand how your body responds to food. This is not a diet that tells you what you can and cannot eat, but rather a way of eating that may have some benefits.
How Intermittent Fasting Became Popular
The Warrior Diet was the first to introduce and make popular the new fasting craze due to its rapid results and health benefits. Hofmekler was convinced that the ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyle, which included eating small meals during the day and one large meal at night, was the way to go.
He believed that the stress on the body from not eating would eventually lead to a healthier mental and physical state, although few of his claims were backed up by science.
However, more recent studies about fasting have shown evidence that it may help with Type 2 diabetics, obese people struggling to lose weight, and people who deal with insomnia.
People like me love the warrior diet because it has shown to be beneficial, not just for fasting.
Why the Warrior Diet Is the Best Intermittent Fasting Method
The Warrior Diet is an effective way to lose weight and gain muscle quickly. It involves cutting calories and exercising regularly.
IF isn't as restrictive as other types of fasting because you are allowed to eat more during your eating cycles. I would save the junk food for later if you want to lose weight quickly.
It is more difficult to refrain from eating for 20 hours than 16 hours, so it will take some time to become accustomed to. You should take things slowly when starting any diet, especially one that involves fasting. If you have any concerns about your health or possible eating disorders, speak to your doctor before starting this weight loss program.
I cannot stress enough that not everybody will see success with this fasting method, and Type I diabetics or pregnant/nursing women are strongly advised not to try it. The Warrior Diet may offer a way to live better, but it is not always a healthy diet.
Benefits of the Warrior Diet
Hofmekler's diet claims are just an enhanced version of intermittent fasting.
There is still debate about whether intermittent fasting, where you eat controlled amounts at certain times, is beneficial for health or performance.
It May Help You Lose Fat
The latest dieting trend is to focus on special diets that promise to help you lose weight. Different diets claim to have found the key to managing energy levels.
One-meal-per-day protocols are more effective than multiple meal protocols for fat loss, according to some literary sources. Although this finding has not been replicated widely, it is still important.
It Might Be Effective for Countering Obesity
Diets work differently for everyone. There is evidence that dietary interventions are more effective for people who are overweight or obese, compared to people who are a healthy weight and may not receive the same benefits.
Intermittent fasting has been shown to effectively curb uncontrolled eating habits and other negative behaviors associated with obesity. This is likely because it helps to regulate blood sugar levels, which can impact how much we eat. (2) However, these claims are far from comprehensive.
It Could Improve Your Memory
What you eat affects more than just your weight.
Some researchers have found that restricted feeding windows might help to prevent negative effects on the brain such as decreased cognitive function, memory problems, and even Alzheimer’s disease. (3)
Note that many of these studies are conducted on animal subjects and may not be directly applicable to human beings.
It May Reduce Inflammation
Not all inflammatory responses are bad, as some inflammation is needed to help heal certain tissues. However, there are some negative effects to inflammation as well.
Fasting for long periods of time may help reduce inflammation in the body by limiting the accumulation of markers like IL-6 (interleukin-6) and homocysteine. (4)
These biomarkers can indicate an increased risk of inflammation or even cardiovascular disease.
The study found that those who practiced Ramadan had similar results to those on the Warrior Diet, even though the two protocols are quite different.
It Saves Time
You can't avoid the fact that meal prep takes time. If you prefer to eat three or more whole-food sourced meals per day, you may spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals. This can take time away from other activities you enjoy.
The Warrior Diet is strong because it is simple. If you only allow yourself to eat during a four-hour window, you will probably have more free time during the rest of the day.
This means that instead of doing unhealthy things during your break, you should do something active.
It Allows You to “Indulge”
If you’ve ever gone on a diet that is very restrictive, you know that it can be just as difficult mentally as it is physically.
The Warrior Diet has some similarities to this diet. Restricting your food intake to a four-hour window may make you feel like you're “indulging” in more food by eating it all at once.
If you find that you're always hungry or frustrated when you eat small meals throughout the day, you might have more success sticking to your calorie goal if you eat fewer, larger meals.
Drawbacks of the Warrior Diet
Eating like a warrior will not make you look like one. The Warrior Diet comes with a set of benefits, but it falls short of what it promises.
It’s Not Conclusively Supported by Science
The academic community has not yet come to a consensus on the matter of the acute effects of intermittent fasting protocols such as the Warrior Diet.
The literature on the Warrior Diet is mostly “suggestive,” meaning that more research needs to be done before the diet can be taken seriously. Many studies echo the importance of conducting more comprehensive, science-based experimentation before anything can be concluded about the diet. (1)(5)
It Doesn’t Work Better Than “Regular” Diets
The Warrior Diet is not only a weight loss tool, but also a way to stay healthy. A lot of talk in the scientific community focuses on how intermittent fasting affects weight loss.
So far, there isn't much evidence that suggests eating one meal per day is any better for weight loss than eating three or five times per day, as long as the number of calories consumed is the same. (5)
This means that the benefits of the Warrior Diet, which is a fasting protocol, are more likely due to people following the diet than anything else.
It Can Increase Blood Pressure
Your response to a nutritional protocol may be different from others, so what is suitable for you may not be good for your gym partner, coach, or spouse.
The Warrior Diet protocol has been shown to lead to increased levels of cholesterol and blood pressure. If you are concerned about your overall health, you may want to avoid this protocol.
It Could Hamper Your Workouts
You can feast all you want, but you still need to cut back on calories for about 12 hours every day.
This diet might not be compatible for you depending on when you like to go to the gym. Eating before and after training is important no matter what sport you're doing.
You Might Miss Out On Essential Nutrients
Although it is not guaranteed, it is worth considering if you can get all the micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need while following a diet such as Warrior.
