Warrior Diet Log

Diet and Nutrition
1

Disclaimer:
I talk a lot. If you want to know what this is actually about without having to read a full page of writing, go ahead and skip to the bottom where it says, “In Conclusion”. I don’t want to scare people away because I talk too much :wink:

First things first: Hey everyone, I’m Faenon and I’m new to T-Nation, although I’ve read a bunch of articles here and stuff in the past. Just as a quick background, I’m 16 years old, 5’10", been training for around 6 or 7 months, and currently playing rugby with my high school.

I love learning as much as I can about physical fitness and related topics, and I spend many hours on the internet finding out what research I can. I have quite an interest in bodybuilding, but mainly just the aesthetic type of bodybuilding seen in Stan McQuay and the kind seen back in the day. I also have an intense interest in generally being in good shape for all physical activities, as well as just having large muscles.

Ok, now that the introduction is out of the way, I want to say first of all, before anyone starts flaming me or flaming the diet, let me say this: Yes, I know that many people think it is full of crap, and yes I know that many people on T-Nation have discussed it, and called it crap. However, after looking into this I decided I couldn’t just write it off until I’d tried it myself, and so I’m going to test out this diet and see how it works.

Basically, I looked at this diet and went, “Woah, this guy is balls-out crazy. No way can this work.” But then I looked up a bunch of crap on the internet, and although I’m not exactly the most knowledgeable person in these areas, Ori Hofmekler’s science behind his diet seems to hold up reasonably well, and I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s worked for them, meaning it can’t just be some stupid hoax-type scam. So I decided to try it for myself, and make a detailed log of my results.

I intent to take various measurements once a week (waist, hip, arm, chest sizes, as well as weight and pictures), as well as chronicling my feelings on the diet, each day. I also decided to make this information available to the general public, because so far I haven’t seen anything done on the Warrior Diet where actual measurements and pictures and stuff were taken, and I am very interested in making this as scientific a research as possible, through use of measurements and such.

I’d like to make it clear, however, that I’m not looking for feedback on how good you think the diet is, why you think it doesn’t work, why you think it’s retarded, or even if you think it’s retarded. What I would appreciate, however, is any feedback on what methods I could be doing in order to properly record the results of this diet, as well as encouragements and general thoughts about my specific experiences with the diet, rather than general theories.

So basically, I started up a blog. The URL is warriodietlog.blogspot.com. I know I talk a lot, so I include a “Concluding Thoughts” section at the bottom of each blog post, in order to summarize what I’ve been rambling on about for the past page or two. If you’re interested in the blog, but you look at it and go, “Woah this guy is way too talkative, I can’t be bothered to read all that,” then you can just go ahead and read the “Concluding Thoughts” section instead to get a general idea without having to read too much.

In Conclusion: [If you haven’t read anything up until this part, here’s the summary ;)]
I set up a blog to record my progress while undertaking the Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler. If you’re at all interested in knowing how the Warrior Diet works out for someone, and having measurements and stuff to back it up, drop on by my blog (warriodiet.blogspot.com) and take a quick look.

Feedback is welcome on my methods of observation, and my experiences with the diet itself. Questions are also very welcome. Your opinions on the theory of the diet, however, are somewhat less interesting to me, particularly if you’re just going to bash the diet.

Thanks for your time, and I’ll see you all around!

-Faenon

2

I’ve read about this diet as well, and it’s interesting. Ori is pretty ripped and used to be in the Israeli Special Forces, so he knows what he is talking about.

In fact, TC did an interview with Ori back in 1999. Here is the link if anyone is interested.

http://www.T-Nation.com/findArticle.do?article=body_64war

3

[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
I’ve read about this diet as well, and it’s interesting. Ori is pretty ripped and used to be in the Israeli Special Forces, so he knows what he is talking about.

In fact, TC did an interview with Ori back in 1999. Here is the link if anyone is interested.

http://www.T-Nation.com/findArticle.do?article=body_64war [/quote]

Yeah, reading that article was one of the things that got me more interested in the warrior diet.

I apologize to everyone, however, since I didn’t say what my goals are, and I’ve seen several posts where people got flamed for not stating their goals. So here goes.

Essentially, I’m looking to lose a lot of fat on this diet. I’ve never seen my abs in my life, and although doing cardio in preparation for rugby dropped down my fat levels enough so that I can sort of see them under the right lighting conditions and on an empty stomach, I can’t train at the moment so I want to try something else to get rid of that fat.

I also want to make sure I don’t lose a lot of muscle, because I spent six months building up muscle, and muscle is very important to me in rugby. Once the summer starts and rugby season is over, I will also add the goal of trying to put on some muscle while still losing fat.

4

[quote]Faenon wrote:
However, after looking into this I decided I couldn’t just write it off until I’d tried it myself, and so I’m going to test out this diet and see how it works.
-Faenon[/quote]

I can respect this. I did the diet for about a month. It wasn’t good. But you are young enough that you’ll be able to recover from the resultant muscle loss.

5

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Faenon wrote:
However, after looking into this I decided I couldn’t just write it off until I’d tried it myself, and so I’m going to test out this diet and see how it works.
-Faenon

I can respect this. I did the diet for about a month. It wasn’t good. But you are young enough that you’ll be able to recover from the resultant muscle loss. [/quote]

Did you see a significant muscle loss, then? And were you trying to keep your protein intake and such high while on the diet?

-Faenon

6

Maybe he does know what he’s talking about, but the fact he may be ripped and was formerly in the Israeli Special Forces doesn’t necessarily give him any credibility.

7

I have no desire to bash this diet. Hell, it may even work for you. However, if you’re serious about losing fat and maintaining muscle you might want to try a diet based in science, not romanticism.

If I wanted to have someone lose muscle and gain fat, I’d probably start by having them follow the principles of the Warrior Diet.

There’s nothing wrong with trying something crazy. It just doesn’t make sense to follow something that isn’t logical.

8

[quote]ChrisKing wrote:
tmoney1 wrote: Ori is pretty ripped and used to be in the Israeli Special Forces, so he knows what he is talking about.

Maybe he does know what he’s talking about, but the fact he may be ripped and was formerly in the Israeli Special Forces doesn’t necessarily give him any credibility.[/quote]

Right. But at the same time, there’s argument to be made for a guy who follows a certain diet, and is ripped. You can tend to assume that the diet works (for those specific results, at least) if the guy who created it, and follows it, sees results.

And being in the Special Forces gives him somewhat more credibility than if he was say, a computer programmer. Not that there’s anything wrong with computer programmers, but a former member of the Special Forces is more likely to have a better knowledge of training and nutrition and whatnot.

9

[quote]Faenon wrote:
ChrisKing wrote:
tmoney1 wrote: Ori is pretty ripped and used to be in the Israeli Special Forces, so he knows what he is talking about.

Maybe he does know what he’s talking about, but the fact he may be ripped and was formerly in the Israeli Special Forces doesn’t necessarily give him any credibility.

Right. But at the same time, there’s argument to be made for a guy who follows a certain diet, and is ripped. You can tend to assume that the diet works (for those specific results, at least) if the guy who created it, and follows it, sees results.

And being in the Special Forces gives him somewhat more credibility than if he was say, a computer programmer. Not that there’s anything wrong with computer programmers, but a former member of the Special Forces is more likely to have a better knowledge of training and nutrition and whatnot.[/quote]

Being active and physically gifted enough to be in the special forces would make him ripped regardless of his diet.

10

Yeah, if you survive this w/out adding fat or losing muscle, or even have any measurable positive changes in body comp., I think I would have to write it off to newbie gains… I don’t know how long you have been training but you are 16.

For the one guy that the warrior diet worked for, there are thousands upon thousands that achieve their (and your) goals using more conventional methods. I would recommend doing something a bit more time-tested at your age.

On the other hand, if you have an insatiable desire to try this, no one is going to change your mind… just don’t be afraid to nip it in the bud if your performance starts to slide.

11

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Faenon wrote:
However, after looking into this I decided I couldn’t just write it off until I’d tried it myself, and so I’m going to test out this diet and see how it works.
-Faenon

I can respect this. I did the diet for about a month. It wasn’t good. But you are young enough that you’ll be able to recover from the resultant muscle loss. [/quote]

In the initial stages thats what happens, I think its more of the water being lost from the muscular tissue, but I’m not sure. I’ve been on it for a year now, except you can say I alternate, I fast one day ,eat normally the next, and I’ve put on 10 lbs in the last 8 months.

12

Dumbest diet ever. I think the others have already summed up the problems. Muscle loss is a concern. SOme people progress in spite of what they do. I rmember awile back Thibs gave a good explanation of why this diet sucks.

13

While not discussed on this board, you’d be far better off following a quasi-intermittent fasting protocol. You in essence eat protein/fibrous veggie/bare essential Omega-3 fatty acids in your typical 2 - 4 hour interval to hit your protein reqs for the day. This prevents you from becoming INSANELY catabolic and will allow you to become anabolic when you refeed.

Your refeeds are centered in the five hours around your workouts. Hit a quality Protein + Carb meal before your workout. Hit the gym, and follow up with a feeding frenzy to hit your macros afterward.

Personally I think it’s a lot of unnecessary suffering. At the end of the day, calories in must be less than calories out. Find out whatever type of eating schedule/plan fits you best and hit your macros over a wide variety of nutrition getting in your protein, veggies, and 6g of fish oil. Everything else out there (especially this Warrior Diet) is theoretical wankery.

14

To finish my diatribe, I have a STRONG distaste for diets that don’t meet physiological need with proper fueling.

Everyone wants to look like an elite athlete. What do elite athletes do? When their body DEMANDS carbohydrate and protein, they SUPPLY it. Randomly eating shit tons of food irregularly (the Anabolic Diet is also guilty of this) with no consideration for your physiological state is just, well, stupid.

This is a diet for people who don’t want to think. Do yourself a favor and if, psychologically, you do better going for long periods without eating and then eating a poo ton (which some people do), try the intermittent fasting protocol I outlined above.

Oh, and by the way, no matter what diet you do, if you eat too much, you’re not gonna lose fat, no matter how creative the author.

15

The synopsis version of the warrior diet:

ANY/EVERY DAY:

AM - I starved.

PM - I ate everything I had in the house.

MIDNIGHT - I took the biggest shit in my life. Had to use the entire bottle of toilet unclogging solution.

The End.

16

I myself did the diet for 4 years and saw really wonderful results. I did have to modify it to prevent all of my hard earned muscle. I am naturally lean, so I did the diet more for it’s detox effect. Make sure to read his second book “Maximum muscle Minimum fat”. It’s basically the modified Warrior diet with more real science as appose to the “romanticism” approach.

you are allowed to have veggi drinks and low glycemic fruits along with certain proteins to help with muscle preservation. Basically sticking to raw foods throughout the day and having a large cooked meal of your choice except for junk food which I think he made a mistake in his first book saying that you could eat whatever you wanted and not gain fat.

This diet is not for everyone and nor are any of the other diets on this site. Everyone reacts different to each diet. It is about finding what best suits the science of your own body. Diets are merely a guide.

18

I appreciate the response that this thread has had. However, as I said in my original post, I’m not all that interested in people who just want to bash the diet - I could talk to a four-year old kid if I wanted smack-talk without anything constructive.

I’m interested in peoples’ experiences, not their theories. If you tried this diet, that’s great, I’d love to hear what you have to say about it. If you want to say that the diet sucks, that’s cool too.

Provided you do one of two things: you state your opinion based on the previous experience of having gone through the diet, or you provide constructive criticism, like zdrax did.

Seriously guys, it’s cool that you’re posting here, and I like that. But at the same time, it’s not a lot of use in posting if all you do is go, “dumb diet don’t do it” and leave it at that.

All that tells me is that you’re just judging it, and that you don’t know anything about it because you haven’t tried it, or that you don’t have any better solution you feel like giving me. Please, keep it to constructive criticism, not just criticism.

[quote]T Affliction G wrote:
Yeah, if you survive this w/out adding fat or losing muscle, or even have any measurable positive changes in body comp., I think I would have to write it off to newbie gains… I don’t know how long you have been training but you are 16.[/quote]

That’s great. It’s good to know that you have an open mind and that you’re able to take in what other people tell you and actual think about it and consider it, instead of writing it off right away because it goes against what you believe. I’ve been training for around 6-8 months now, by the way.

[quote]keaster wrote:
Dumbest diet ever. I think the others have already summed up the problems. Muscle loss is a concern. SOme people progress in spite of what they do. I rmember awile back Thibs gave a good explanation of why this diet sucks.[/quote]

It’s good that you’re telling me what you think, but again, it’s not all that constructive. How about giving me a link to where Thibs said this?

[quote]Shoebolt wrote:
In the initial stages thats what happens, I think its more of the water being lost from the muscular tissue, but I’m not sure. I’ve been on it for a year now, except you can say I alternate, I fast one day ,eat normally the next, and I’ve put on 10 lbs in the last 8 months.[/quote]

Well, if you drink plenty of water during the day (I’ve been drinking between 3 and 4 litres each day), are you still going to lose that water? And you say you’ve put on 10 lbs in the last 8 months, but is that mostly fat gain, or mostly muscle gain?

[quote]zdrax wrote:
Do yourself a favor and if, psychologically, you do better going for long periods without eating and then eating a poo ton (which some people do), try the intermittent fasting protocol I outlined above.

Oh, and by the way, no matter what diet you do, if you eat too much, you’re not gonna lose fat, no matter how creative the author. [/quote]

Thank you, zdrax, I’ll keep that in mind. If the Warrior Diet doesn’t work out for me, I’ll definitely think about the intermittent fasting protocol you suggested.

And yeah, if you eat too much you’ll gain fat, but I’d find it hard to eat more in one sitting than I would have in 4 sittings, so I think I’m fairly ok as far as eating too much is concerned (although I’m going to be counting up my calories etc. for my meal tonight just to be sure).

T-warrior - thanks for posting, it was good to read that. One question, though. How did you modify the diet in order to prevent muscle loss?

[quote]Mick28 wrote:
Cool, if you work really hard you just might end up looking like the diets creator, Ori Hofmekler. Ouch.[/quote]

I’ve not actually seen any pictures of him anywhere (unless the one on the cover of his book is him). How come you say ouch?

-Faenon

20

This diet used to appeal to me, because I could easily go through the day without much food, but no matter how much or little I ate, I was really hungry in the evening. So this diet seemed to make sense to me.

Funnily, now that I’ve started eating low carb and higher fat, I’m not starving in the evenings anymore, so I’m not considering the Warrior Diet anymore.

Bear in mind that people will bash many diets, but no matter how crap or weird a given diet may be, there will always be someone that thrives on it. Bottom line: Experiment until you find the diet that you thrive on.

Oh, and regarding the monitoring you want to do, I would take measurements of waist, quads, shoulders, etc.; skin pinches of the standard 7 sites; weight (of course); but most importantly, I’d get a blood test done before starting, and one after.

Good luck!