The Warrior diet - normal?

[Demetriowasthere]

I'm trying the Warrior diet, that is eating nothing all day and eating after work at around 7pm - 10pm then zero food the rest of the time. I drink black coffee, herbal teas and take vitamins etc.

I then don't have to think about menu planning etc or weighing food as I can pretty much eat what I want and enjoy a glass or two of wine. I'm still eating really healthily at my one and only meal.

AIBU = to think this is a great way to lose weight?

It's basically intermittent fasting or OMAD (one meal a day). The problem is that you have to fit a lot of calories into your tiny eating window. It's almost impossible to do that and if you are too low calorie for too long you're metabolism will slow down.

The best way to do it is to have 2 or 3 days "off" where you eat as much as you can. Fasting has to be balanced with feasting to be healthy.

That doesn't sound convincing to me. Does it work?

I'm not overweight, although I have acquired a few additional curves since having DS (who was enormous) and some days this is pretty much what I do, either because I don't feel hungry or forget to eat.

Haven't managed to shred the post-pregnancy weight after over a year! I'm guessing that your only meal must need to be nutritionally balanced, which is where I'm going wrong?

I follow this (I know it as OMAD though) but only 4 days a week. I found 4 days a week sufficient to meet my goals.
I love it. I lost the baby weight and have been doing it for well over a year. I find it a very easy way to reduce calories seeing as I can't be arsed with counting anything.

Is this just short term ? it doesn't sound sustainable. Also vitamins should come from food, if you need supplements it's not a balanced diet.

If it works for you I would crack on with it. I've been doing intermittent fasting for about 10 years. It works for me. I dont get issues with blood sugar (hangry) that I was getting before and my weight is spot on. I think some people have a metabolism that suits this way of eating, they are not snackers.

It would make me anxious & obsessive but glad if it works for you.

I’m doing 20:4 and I find it quite easy. The worst I used to do was 36 hour fasts. Couple of hours off then straight back on to another 36 hours. The weight fell off but the insomnia was horrendous.

Ha ha. Crack on with your disordered eating, OP. Enjoy putting all the weight back on (and more) when you inevitably give up on this stupidity.

Educate yourself. I've 8 stone lost and kept it off for 4 years and there's nothing disordered about it. If I was having coke and a doughnut for breakfast would you call me stupid? THAT'S disordered eating ffs

I could get into this as I already do LCHF and 16:8. For me it would depend on time of the month, activity levels and tiredness.
I’ve done 24hr fasts before and would again.
Certainly frees you from thinking about food!

I love the way this is “disordered eating” when 67% of people in this country are overweight and in ten years time I bet it’ll be nearly 80% yet thats not anything to do with disordered eating 🙄

It is 100% disordered eating, look up the definition ffs. I really hope people aren't passing all this crap down to their children, there is absolutely no excuse for this fatphobic diet culture bullshit in 2020

@beebee8
Who is being fat phobic?
Fasting has loads of health benefits and it might not be for everyone.

Woah @Beebee8. I’m guessing your feeling a bit sensitive at the moment?

Not wanting to have excess body fat isn’t fat phobic. Until fairly recently most people were slim-now most people are fat and it has been completely normalised not only to be fat but to be constantly eating processed food and drinking sweet drinks.

I did intermittent fasting recently. It actually really suits me. I cannot eat three meals a day because I'm an all or nothing person. If I don't eat in the morning for example, I'm fine but as soon as I eat one thing, the floodgates open and I can't stop eating all day. I also liked the way I could eat more of less anything once I'd fasted for long enough.

I do OMAD 3 times per week too. I do 18:6 or 20:4 the rest of the week, depending how I'm feeling or if it's the weekend. I follow a keto way of eating.

It's no real effort - I do a busy, physical job and don't feel hungry. It's sorted my snacking right out, as I'm one of those who seems to eat breakfast and then the food floodgates open!

I did a LOT of research on IF/keto, to make sure it was safe and sustainable. My eating most likely WAS disordered in the past, but now I no longer obsess about food intake and calories and it's such a relief.

If I feel tired or unwell, which isn't 'normal' on IF, I break my fast and eat something. The fast length isn't set in stone and the importance of listening to your body first and foremost is emphasised above all else.

Also, electrolyte tablets are very useful on OMAD, OP!

I'm by no means an expert, but would it not make more sense to eat earlier in the day so you can burn off calories whilst up and about then fast in the evening?

If you want to be healthy, you need to eat healthy food regularly throughout the day. Your body cells and systems can regulate the energy they're supplied this way. You may lose weight eating once a day but it's not healthy.

I believe it to be a completely healthy way of being, assuming your meal is balanced and when you want to stop losing weight you increase the fats in your one meal.

This way of eating is made much easier if you are eating high fat and low carb.

Dr Jason Fung, a nephropogist has some great info in intermittent fasting.

I thought the concept of fasting as a way to optimise health and lengthen life had made its way into mainstream culture now, but 🐝 response above has shown this not to be the case.

Biologically humans are not meant to be constant grazers.

@frustratedfrog have a look at the process of autophagy and how it is optimised in periods of fasting. That is how your body regulates cell health.

I find if I eat breakfast it opens the floodgates and I am then picking at food all day. That then becomes a will power issue. As we all know, will power is finite-for instance it runs out pretty quick if you’ve had no sleep.
The beauty of fasting (plus HFLC) is appetite reduction and therefore willpower just isn’t required anywhere near as much as before

Totally agree @Siameasy

Well I note all the comments but so far I'm finding it easy, by having zero all day I'm reducing choice/risk/temptation and looking forward to my evening meal, tonight I think I'll have avocado for starter with olive oil dressing, a glass of white wine, then a decent portion of home made lasagne with a large, varied salad, plus a glass of red wine, and some garlic bread. Then I'll have some melon and raspberries with cream.

I can track the calories on My Fitness Pal for free to see out of interest how many calories I have eaten and to ensure I get the fat/carb/protein proportion ok, I've drunk a shed-load of water and coffee and herbal teas.

I know not everyone agrees with this diet but I think it could work.