Warrior diet: main menu from Ori Hofmekler, how much weight you can lose, results

The author of this diet is Ori Hofmekler, a man who was not a professional doctor or nutritionist. A former special forces soldier who served in Israel became interested in the phenomenal strength and endurance of the Roman legionnaires, who trained for several hours every day and also participated in battles.

After his service ended, Ory delved into the study of military history, biochemistry of the human body, physiology, and nutrition. After several months of fruitful work, Hofmekler came to the conclusion that controlled fasting is an effective method for speeding up metabolism, burning fat and cleansing the body of toxins. This is how the warrior diet appeared, bringing its creator world fame.

What it is?

The Warrior Diet was developed in 2001 by Ori Hofmaker, a former Israeli special forces soldier turned fitness and nutrition instructor.

In essence, this diet is intermittent, or cascade, fasting. Only in its most severe form.

This dietary recommendation is based on the fact that warriors in the past, such as in ancient Roman times, trained actively during the day and ate very little during this time. But at night they feasted. And they were in excellent physical shape.

With this eating regimen, the human body goes through the stress of insufficient calorie intake every day, which triggers survival mechanisms.

Physical exercise

Ori Hofmekler's weight loss method is based on the diet of ancient warriors who spent their entire lives in battles and training. Without physical activity, the result will be achieved much slower, so it is important to exercise your body, but in moderation.

Every day you need to take walks in the fresh air. 15-30 minutes is enough to improve the tone of the body. Light running is suitable for people who want to improve their own endurance and also strengthen their leg muscles. The best option is to visit the pool, since swimming not only strengthens the entire muscular skeleton of a person, but also has a beneficial effect on the psyche and relieves stress.

Diet coupled with exercise helps people create their own schedule and also improve discipline. This is especially important for people running their own business, students, and high school students. The combination of psychological and physical training improves productivity at work and reduces the risk of neuroses.

General diet plan

Everything is very simple.

For 20 hours (morning, afternoon and night) you need to eat very little. Boiled eggs, some dairy products, raw vegetables and fruits are allowed. All in very small quantities. You can’t eat to your heart’s content at this time. Just have a little snack.
After 20 hours of such fasting (in the evening), you can break your fast. You can eat a lot. And it’s not just possible, but necessary. A variety of products are allowed, except industrially produced ones, fast food, plenty of sweets, and baked goods.

What's the benefit?

The Warrior Diet specifically has never been subjected to serious scientific testing. But intermittent, or cascade, fasting has been well studied. This dietary approach has been proven to have a positive impact on human health. And since the warrior diet is intermittent fasting, only in its extremely severe version, we can confidently say that it also has beneficial properties.

What benefits can a warrior diet bring to a person?

Help in losing weight. Moreover, body weight will decrease precisely due to fat, and not due to muscles.
Improved brain function. Suppressing inflammatory activity in the brain, which occurs with age and causes decline in memory and mental abilities.
A general decrease in inflammatory activity, which underlies almost all serious illnesses (cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis, etc.). It has been proven that cascade fasting can significantly reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interlekin 1 beta (IL-1β), interlekin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein, homocysteine.
Increased control over sugar levels. Intermittent fasting has been found to improve glucose control in type 2 diabetics.

Who is Ori Hofmekler

No, this is not a fashionable nutritionist or even a popular fitness trainer or blogger. Ori is an artist. And as a creative person, he approached the issue of nutrition from a perspective from which no one had previously considered it.

Hofmekler’s biography also included a fairly long period of service in special forces, which allowed him to learn and develop his body, taught him discipline and made him feel close to the real men of the past - warriors who saw their destiny only in battle and hunting. The desire to become like them and understand how they managed to maintain amazing physical shape prompted Ori to study the history and life of ancient peoples. The conclusions he made formed the basis of a new nutritional method that became a way of life for him.

Exploring the lifestyle of the famous Spartans, invincible Roman legionnaires, warlike Maoris and many others famous for their victories, Hofmekler noted that all these men with steely muscles never adhered to fractional nutrition - the cult of modern nutritionists. They simply had no time to be distracted from war, training and hunting in order to have a hearty breakfast and lunch, and they often had nothing to eat while their future prey was walking through the forests.

And so it turned out that the men, hungry during the day, returned home only in the evening and received their more than satisfying dinner, after which they went to bed, not caring at all about some kind of fat that allegedly settled on the sides of everyone who allowed themselves to have a snack before bed. There is nothing to settle down when there are long days ahead and behind, filled with physical activity.

As a special forces soldier, Hofmekler had the opportunity to observe how his own body responded to a similar daily routine. The results amazed him: by skipping daily meals, the man felt a surge of strength and lightness throughout his body, he could work more productively and think clearly. Thus, the “Way of the Warrior” diet was gradually born, which received such a poetic name from the artistic part of its creator’s nature.

Risks and side effects

Difficulty to follow

Most of the negative reviews of the Warrior Diet are due to the fact that people simply cannot follow it. They cannot bring themselves to fast for 20 hours.

Some people cannot cope with this task physically. However, most experience psychological difficulties. And they complain that this dietary regimen ruins their usual way of life and causes social problems (worsens relationships with loved ones, work colleagues, etc.).

Not suitable for everyone

There are population groups for whom the warrior diet is categorically contraindicated. This:

children;
pregnant and lactating women;
type 1 diabetics;
people with heart failure;
those who have or have had eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia);
people with low body weight.

Cancer patients and type 2 diabetics can follow the warrior diet only with the permission of their doctor.

Common side effects

Men tolerate this type of nutrition more easily than women. It’s not for nothing that the technique is called the warrior diet.

The following side effects may occur:

insomnia;
anxiety;
disruptions of the menstrual cycle;
weakness, lightheadedness and dizziness;
an irresistible feeling of hunger;
constipation;
irritability.

Eating high-quality natural products during the 4 hours allotted for eating helps to minimize all these unpleasant symptoms. No fast food or buns. Only nutritious food.

Who shouldn't try intermittent fasting for weight loss?

Fasting - however, like all other relatively strict and strict systems of food restriction - is better not to practice for the following diagnoses and conditions:

20% or more underweight.
Diabetes mellitus type I.
Toxic goiter.
Severe heart disease - node blockade, failure, post-infarction condition.
Chronic hypotension (when fasting, it is fraught with fainting).
Gallstones, peptic ulcer.
High level of platelets in the blood.
Hepatitis.
Tuberculosis.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding.

How to follow correctly?

The Warrior Diet is divided into several phases:

first phase of detoxification, duration 1 week;
2nd phase high-fat (2 weeks);
Phase 3 “fat loss” (3 weeks).

The stages differ from each other only in the list of foods that can be eaten during 4 hours of active eating. A 20-hour fast is carried out in the same way at all stages.

Within 20 hours from night to evening it is allowed to consume:

vegetable juices (beetroot, carrot, celery, etc.);
natural bone broth (chicken, beef);
yogurt, kefir;
a little cottage cheese or soft cheese;
1-2 hard-boiled eggs;
fresh fruits (apples, bananas, kiwis, peaches, apricots, pineapples, etc.), you can eat berries;
fresh vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, herbs);
coffee and tea without sugar (a little milk is allowed).

In the evening, during the first phase of detoxification, you can eat:

vegetable salads seasoned with olive oil;
legumes;
whole grain cereals, except wheat;
cheese;
vegetable stews and soups.

In the second phase in the evening the following are allowed:

vegetable salads with olive oil;
any lean meat;
vegetable dishes (stews, soups, etc.);
nuts (it is advisable to eat at least a large handful).

The evening meal in the third phase is a protein-carbohydrate alternation. One evening turns out to be high-carbohydrate, the second - protein. You can alternate after 2 days: 2 carbohydrates, 2 protein. But the number of both must match. That is, you cannot do 1 carbohydrate day and then 2 protein days.

On carbohydrate days the following are allowed:

vegetable salads and any other vegetable dishes (stewed, boiled);
some lean meat;
a lot of corn, potatoes, pasta, cereals.

On protein days you should eat:

vegetable salads and vegetables that have undergone heat treatment, with the exception of starchy ones (potatoes are not allowed);
a lot of any meat;
some fruit.

If after 6 weeks you want to continue on the Warrior Diet, you can start the entire cycle over from the beginning with the first detox phase. Or you can eat whatever you want, but only healthy natural foods and observe a 20-hour fast as required by this diet.

Smooth transition

Agree that the system in question differs from the usual diet of most people. It will take time to get used to it, so you should approach the issue smoothly, without excesses.

First, you need to give up breakfast and begin to gradually reduce lunch portions. The goal is to reduce these meals to a minimum - that is, to zero or, in extreme cases, turn them into snacks. Hofmekler claims that one to two weeks are enough for complete adaptation, but everything is individual; if you need more, it doesn’t matter.

Add-ons

The Warrior Diet does not involve counting calories. Doesn't indicate exact serving sizes. It is important to follow the principle itself: actually abstain from food for 20 hours, and then eat your fill and even more than just your fill.

Despite the fact that you can eat some foods within 20 hours, filling your stomach with them is prohibited. Obviously, hard-boiled eggs with soft cheese, vegetables and fruits can fill you up to your heart's content. But then it will no longer be intermittent fasting.

While on the warrior diet, it is advisable to take: