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HELPING YOU GET STRONGER SINCE 2004

Parth Shah and The Warrior Diet
Posted By Parth Shah
Ori Hofmekler

Creator of The Warrior Diet, Ori Hofmekler.

I recently began reading a blog called the IF life (Intermittent Fasting). The blog brought me back to the days when I was doing the warrior diet religiously. I’ve written about this before on my own blog. I went back and re-read the blog post. I’d like to re-quote some of my own stuff and give further comments now that I am eating 4-5 times a day, with an increased protein intake.

Every time I went on the diet, I lost weight instantly and had tremendous energy during the day. But maintaining the diet was very tough. Hunger pangs are not fun, and most people can’t eat 2000 calories at one meal like Mr. Ori can.

Ori Hofmekler must be one tough cat. Anyone who follows the Warrior Diet is tough. Maybe I’m just not as tough. But then again, it’s hard to eat 6 times a day. I’ve basically come to the conclusion that it really doesn’t matter how many times a day you eat, but instead what you eat. The funny thing is that both the Warrior Diet and the 6-times a day eating philosophy revolve around one thing: increasing your metabolism. The Warrior Diet claims that under-eating will detoxify your body, making your body run more efficiently; then when you do eat your evening meal, your body will be able to use those nutrients more effectively. Makes sense. But what’s the use if you can’t stick to it? I think eating 2000 calories throughout the day is a much better idea than eating 2000 calories in one sitting.

But Under eating, from what I’ve discovered, doesn’t mean that you starve yourself. It means that you eat less than you normally do to prevent a tremendous increase in insulin. Ori goes on to talk about the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and how the SNS is what wakes us up and the PSNS is what puts us to sleep.

Those insulin spikes are the real enemy, in my view. What I discovered through following the Warrior Diet was that I was extremely carb-sensitive. It was the carbs that were making me fat. I decided it was better to control my carbs rather than not eat anything through out the day and then eat what I crave (carbs) at night. I was probably only eating 1000 calories a day on the diet, but the percentage of carbs were huge. Further more, it did not solve the fact that I needed to eat more protein in my diet. Before the warrior diet, I was eating approximately 80 grams of protein a day. Yes, I know, not optimal, but on the Warrior Diet, that number would often drop down to 50 grams.

I’ve done 6 or 7 times a day before and ended up gaining a tremendous amount of fat. This was due to the fact that I was spending too much time miscalculating. I tried to get my protein without really seeing what I was eating.

The basic idea here is to eat healthy. If you’re not eating 90% healthy, then you shouldn’t even be thinking about calories or macro nutrients. One of my protein sources was a Toasted Egg and Cheese Bagel from Dunkin Donuts. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I did it because eggs aren’t allowed in my house (religion). So I tried to find another source, and ended up going to Dunkin Donuts. The only time I go to Dunkin Donuts is if I’m not dieting or if I want some coffee.
I know a lot of people out there who jump from diet to diet. I used to be one of them. The main idea is to start from one place, and gradually find what works for you. Both the Warrior Diet and the typical bodybuilding diet work great for different people. But if your goals aren’t the same as Ori’s, or a typical bodybuilder, then what do you? Find your own path.

Incidentally, if this has got you thinking about your own diet, you might like to swing by Examine.com. Fantastic site.

Over to you. Drop us a line on Twitter ( @scottbird ), or add a comment below.

Cheers.

 

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Written By Parth Shah
Parth Shah is a Strength Consultant based in New Hyde Park, New York and is currently going through his own personal physique transformation. Find out more at Shah Training.
Drawing of Scott Andrew Bird performing a deadlift. Artwork by Vince Palko.