The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler |
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| Written by Selina Rifkin |
| April 16 2009 |
A Thumbs Down Review
Let’s be clear, the purpose of The Warrior Diet is not to lose weight. This way of eating is largely directed at people who are already very active, and is about their feeling great and having their edges honed sharp. That being said, the overweight person who chooses this diet would probably lose some of the extra pounds. But it’s not easy. Hofmekler was a member of the Israeli Special Forces and still works out hard every day. His methods are demanding even by the standards of experienced trainers and weight lifters, and he goes for the long, lean, functional body, rather than bulk. His exercise routine is detailed in the book, but is not required for the diet. The diet itself revolves around the idea that our ancestors did not eat three square meals a day. Hofmekler gives detailed accounts of what and when the Romans and Greeks ate, and their attitudes about food. He points out that hunter-gatherers would have feasted on meat when available, and that many generations of humans have experienced cycles of abundance and scarcity as far as food is concerned. The warrior diet makes deliberate use of this pattern to stimulate the body to heal and rejuvenate. The pattern of eating is as important as the food choices. The eating cycle Hofmekler advocates seems at first to be in opposition to common dietary advice: One eats very lightly during the day and heavily at night. The day-time regimen can be a pure fast of water only, but Hofmekler himself considers this to be extreme. One eats lightly enough to still experience hunger, however; and unless one is an extreme athlete, carbohydrates are not allowed. During the fasting period, one is urged to consume vegetable juices either from a juicer or blender and light proteins, such as yogurt, kefir or whole eggs. Live foods are emphasized for their enzymes, but Hofmekler never mentions the enzyme inhibitors found in some raw foods. Coffee is fine, as is lots of water. While he calls this fasting, one could also view it as a series of small meals, which is often recommended for weight-loss. The evening feast has specific rules:
Hofmekler’s diet choices are generally WAPF-friendly, but with some glaring exceptions. His “avoid” list includes refined flour and sugar, margarine and hydrogenated oils, soy powders, commercial whey powders, too much polyunsaturated oil, and synthetic supplements, but includes exaggerated concerns about mercury in fish oils. He loves juicing, but is clear that some vegetables need cooking—particularly the cruciferous ones. He believes that meat should also be cooked for better assimilation. Except for salads, all evening vegetables should be cooked. Hofmekler highly recommends fermented foods of all kinds for their enzyme benefit, and is also fond of bone broth. He has nothing nice to say about pasteurized dairy and cites raw milk as beneficial. He has no objection to salt, but says that sea salt is vastly better. However, Hofmekler also recommends raw nuts and seeds and loves to eat unsweetened dry cereal at the end of the meal. And while he gives a qualified plug for saturated fats and approves of butter and cocoa butter, all the recipes at the end of the book are low-fat, calling for lean cuts of meat, skinless chicken breast, non-fat cheeses and non-fat dry milk powder. Hofmekler says his diet will work without the workout, but it is unclear how his method of eating is terribly different from calorie restriction, or simply eating more healthy, nutrient-dense food. While his method could benefit an overweight, but otherwise healthy person, it could mean trouble for someone with unstable blood sugar, or a family history of diabetes. He correctly states that during fasting, insulin levels go down and growth hormone is released. But he incorrectly states that insulin resistance is reduced during fasting, when in fact, numerous studies show that fasting increases insulin resistance. Overall, the diet is interesting, but seems of limited value to anyone who actually wants to lose weight. Furthermore, for those of us not in the business of waging war, but, say, raising children, it is a distinct advantage to nourish ourselves and our families with three or even four satisfying meals during the day. Being slightly hungry all day is a good way to stay lean, mean and aggressive. . . and anti-social. For those who are healthy and looking for an edge, this diet could be modified to include high quality saturated fats and soaked seeds, while omitting raw egg whites, but for the rest of us, it gets a thumbs down.
This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Winter 2008. About the Reviewer Selina Rifkin is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and Licensed Massage Therapist. She lives in CT with her husband, step-daughter and two cats. Comments (6)
ALL PRAISE
written by carlos kessler, Aug 24 2010
i was doing a kind of "freestlye" warrior diet myself for the last 2 years - just because i felt much better by eating less and just specific things during the day and the bigger meal at the end of the day. but this was more based on a "feeling" not so much on a scientific approach. earlier this year i found the page (and read the books) of jĂĽrgen reis (an austrian professional climber and freak ;-) who follows this diet. after reading all his books and hearing all his podcasts i switched totally to the warrior lifestyle - in fact, it is much more a lifestyle than a diet... and what can i tell. it woirks like HELL. you feel just GRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT. really.
5 weeks ago i just came back from a 4 month trip from southamerica where i lost 7 kilos (we were backpacking all the time) but during the last 4 weeks of this trip i stood with my family in lima (peru) and again gained a "lot" of fat - thanks to my peruvian family and their style of "cocina criolla" which includes countless meals, lots of carbs, lot of meat and basically no vegetables or salads... its like fueling yourself for and endless hardcore work (which of course never takes place ;-)... well, back again in berlin (germany), the town i live (i'm half german, half peruvian) i instantly began with the warriorstyle... and like i mentioned before. i just had to wait 2 -> T-W-O weeks (!!) before i saw the first incredible results in the mirror. i really couldn't believe that, but it fortunately is like it is :-) and of course i'm just in the beginning... i'm doing a lots of sport and loving the lifestyle! i can only say "all praise to this form of living" (not dieting)! (and just to make this clear: i'm not paid ;-) and i love eating meat, organic of course and fish and all that yummi things... at the end of the day). and: if you combine this with an exercise you will even get a greater result. to all: give this style of living a try if you really want to see substantial change in your everyday-allday! greets from berlin, germany! carlos
CFT, SPN
written by Jamaal, Aug 03 2010
I currently follow the Warrior Diet with a few modifications. Overall, I find that the eating regimen provides many, if not all of the benefits Hofmekler touts in his controversial work. I will admit, however, that my initial attempt, that is the first time I tried this method of eating, I suffered persistent hunger pangs and eventually bailed out with no quibbles. What brought me back to the program was my constant (and still extant) frustration with the chaotic and contradictory field of nutrition. I decided to fully engage myself in this so-called "primitive" way of eating and I must say I haven't a single complaint. Hofmekler's "philosophy" is certainly not "mainstream," an element I'm sure many Weston A. Price'rs can appreciate (not to suggest that going countercultural automatically makes one correct).
It does work
written by Dom, May 28 2010
I stumbled onto this concept from a Good Friday fast and found that I was quite alert all day as Hofmekler states. I remember reding about Hofmekler's concepts some time ago. I tried the Warrior eating method to drop weight for soccer and it worked like a charm. I dropped ten pounds easily and I was training with weights 3 times a week with running only at the game. (I was too sore in the legs after games to do any running during the week!) I became quite lean which is needed for speed on the field. As a trainer, I used the method on a dozen clients with fantastic results. It seems that the body learns a new set-point and gaining the weight back is very, very difficult. The women I placed on the diet lost in the range of 12-16 pounds. After they went off it, they still kept a good 10-12 pounds off and kept it off. I experienced the same thing. One of the Zerox reps that comes by the office swears by this method and he's trim and fit at 46. He's been using the method for 12 years or so. The 2-3 evening meals are truly a celebration and it's a pleasure to eat as much as you want. It goes against all nutrition principles but it does produce results. Of course, I used the Westin Price principles in my meal preperation and still do. I can't speak highly enough of this method, especially for busy people that have difficulty trying to make time to eat. I would not recommend this for collegiate or professional athletes such as football or volleyball nor for strength athletes but everyone else should give it a try.
The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler
written by john coughlan, Mar 26 2010
The problem with this Diet is the diet itself.
although Mr Hofmekler is good at reading materials has he done any clinical trials?NO,has he even bothered? NO.As an ex soldier myself I already knew that calorie restriction throughout the day is good but only because I don't have to eat K rations!.In the army you eat when your told too! eating,breakfast,lunch and dinner of high calorie and HIGH FAT FOOD. However we burn it off!(have you seen fat soldiers?)(or for that matter body-builder soldiers NO because they are useless.we urn calories through natural exercise.Climbing,running and some weights(but not body-building)in fact body-builders always failed the basic fitness test,they are a joke. If we did not eat breakfast we would faint!.Now if you look at SAS personal etc,yes they are lean,why? I tell you, because obviously they starve themselves for the main purpose that they can survive on low rations,they need to,as they are in the field hidden with hardly any support and no supply's handy.But do they keep this up?hell no way!,when those guys are back on base they stuff their faces,with good food,not cookies!as soon as possible. So if you eat,eat low on the food chain(I agree with him there)but eat regular meals of good solid food AND BUY A DOG!!!  . jOHN 45 YEARS OLD and still lean and mean.
summation? written by Jason, Mar 07 2010
The majority of this "review" is a straight summary. After 5 paragraphs validating sound advice presented in this book, the last 2 paragraphs contain predominantly subjective opinions that view the book only as a fad diet approach or weight loss scheme. Then the reviewer states the potential danger in regards to blood sugar and diabetes relative to controlled fasting. The reviewer states: "... incorrectly states that insulin resistance is reduced during fasting, when in fact, numerous studies show that fasting increases insulin resistance." The reviewer uses the unnamed studies as evidence to support this quoted claim. Indeed many studies exist to support the thought that fasting increases insulin sensitivity or reducing resistance.
-http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2009/01/intermittent-fasting-improves-insulin.html -http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/99/6/2128 I propose that this uninformative and highly subjective review be removed, or another reviewer be given an opportunity to formulate an opinion and construct a new and objective informative review; thumbs down, or up.
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, April 04 2012 09:03 |
The Warrior Diet: Switch on Your Biological Powerhouse For High Energy, Explosive Strength, and a Leaner, Harder Body
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I have done this for months at a time and I feel amazing on it. I have lost weight, and felt strong, with the edge he talks about.
Another thing, look up how Herschel Walker eats. He says he has eaten ONE meal a day since College(he one the Heisman). Now, sometimes his one meal was 10 snicker bars he said, BUT the point is: The Warrior Diet works, for me, and for top athletes.