Ori Helfkmer On Intermittent Fasting The Warrior Diet

“No man is free who is not a master of himself.” — Epictetus

One meal per day, preferably at night, without any restriction of calories or macronutrient content. This sounds similar to how our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. The Warrior Diet is broken up into two phases: an under-eating phase and over-eating phase. The unorthadox nature of the warrior diet makes it attractive to the conventional belief that three-six meals a day is the way to go. A diet is a way of eating. Even if you aren’t “dieting” per se, you are still on a diet because it is the way you eat.

The one meal per day approach is very attractive because it is far easier to fit into our lives than a six meals per day approach. A lot of people are not hungry in the morning and feel the need to eat because fitness outlets say so. The notion that breakfast gives you energy is more a personal choice than it is fact. Also suggesting not eating lunch, or rather a very light lunch, can cause hysteria. Lunch often induces the feeling of lethargic and tiredness, and eating a very small lunch or skipping it all together actually gives you more energy and focus.

This of course comes after a few days. Skipping lunch for the first couple of days will make you feel tired and hungry because the mind has created a habit of expecting food at noon time. However, after a few days, you won’t feel hungry and fruit, vegitables, and light protein will suffice during the day.

Ori Helfkmer’s approach is based on the numerous benefits of intermittent fasting. He states that

When you fast, insulin drops and the hormone glucagon increases, to ensure a steady supply of energy to the body. When glucagon dominates, most of the body’s energy is derived from glycogen reserves and fat stores. Also, the drop in insulin allows the growth hormone (GH) to peak.

Elevation of GH increases the body’s capacity to rejuvenate, repair tissues, and burn fat. A natural elevation of GH on a daily basis, I believe, should help slow the aging process. Unfortunately, GH is generally inhibited during the daily hours. Chronic low GH levels are also associated with sluggish metabolism, high insulin levels, and aging. Most people suffer from a sluggish metabolism as a result of over-consumption of chemical-loaded processed foods, a lack of digestive enzymes, mineral deficiencies, and physical or mental exhaustion.

The under-eating phase serves the purpose of detoxifying the body. The enzyme pool of the body is reloaded which accelerates fat-burning and insulin drops or is stabilized. The fat-burning hormone known as glucagon increases during the under-eating phase and growth hormone increases (tissue repair and fat burning). During this phase, the only food that should be eating are fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, and light proteins (such as yogurt, kefir, or boiled eggs).

The big concern with an intermittent fasting way of eating is starvation mode. Brad Pilon, in his book Eat Stop Eat, cited a study that showed the cannibalization of muscle and lean tissue — starvation mode — only begins after a period of 72 no eating. Helfkmer states,

There is a significant difference between fasting and starvation. Fasting is the art of manipulating the metabolic system; it is controlled, and for a limited time. When you reach this peak time period, and then eat a large meal, your body will compensate and your metabolism will be boosted higher than it was before. Conversely, with starvation, the fasting is not controlled. The body is forced to slow down its metabolic rate and start to “cannibalize” muscles and lean tissues.

One of the big benefits of an under-eating phase and then an over-eating phase is the bodies increased ability to assimilate nutrients. The under-eating phase consists of little nutrient intake and the over-eating phase — the big meal towards the later part of the day — is where the primary intake of nutrients enter the body. Protein utilization during the over-eating phase is a major component. Helfkmer states,

Principles of Protein Utilization The principal rule for protein utilization appears as a triangle. The top point is protein. On the lower left point of the triangle are enzymes and probiotics (the friendly bacteria in your intestinal tract), and on the right side is the live-food factor (which gives protein its integral structure). In this case I am referring to un-denatured protein (which has not been denatured, broken, or twisted). Protein should be minimally processed and sustain its integral composition of amino acids. The “triangle” is an organic structure, and each of the angles needs the other to be complete. Protein can never be fully digested without the help of enzymes, and enzymes cannot be completely potentiated without probiotics. To fully utilize protein you must optimize all three factors: enzymes, probiotics, and the live-food factor.

At the end of the under-eating phase, your body is depleted of carbohydrates and your homonal levels are at their peak. Growth hormone has picked up and your insulin level is at peak sensitivity — a big advantage of the warrior diet. The over-eating phase begins here. There are three basic rules:

The Overeating Principles are based on Three Rules of Eating: Rule #1: Always start with subtle-tasting foods and move to the more aggressive. Rule #2: Include as many tastes, textures, colors, and aromas as possible in your main meal. Rule #3: Stop eating when you feel much more thirsty than hungry.

The goals of over-eating is to enhance recuperation (repairing tissues and building muscles), boost metabolism, replenish energy reserves, nourish the body and mind, and actually enjoy the pleasures of eating without feeling guilty. Nutrients assimilated at a greater rate after a controlled fast.

Nutrients is really important in this phase. Ori Helkmer recommends started off with raw veggies and then moving into cooked foods where protein is a core component. He states that

Human beings can survive without carbohydrates, yet cannot survive without complete protein. “Complete” protein foods contain all the essential amino acids. The body can synthesize carbohydrates from protein or fat; however, the body can’t produce essential amino acids without ingesting it from outside sources.

The American diet has far to much sugar, salts, fried fats, and overly processed foods. These aggressive tastes that overstimulate our taste buds make it hard to enjoy natural foods that are more subtle. The human body is built for subtle, natural, whole-food tastes and that our taste buds today are being dulled by the aggressive overly processed diet.

The warrior diet isn’t dogmatic. A pizza or cake every once in a while is fine. Starting the warrior diet may be difficult for the first few days. Our minds have been accustomed to eating breakfast and lunch every day and switching that habit is difficult. Helfkmer suggests starting off with smaller lengths of fasts where you would skip breakfast at first. And then after you get used to it, start skipping lunch as well. The increased energy levels and focus will become apparent very quickly. When under-eating and over-eating are practiced regualrly, the body’s metabolism will remember and adapt to the daily big meals and derive the majority of the nutrients from them. Ori Helfkmer suggests starting off by over-eating at an earlier time of the day and then progressing to later periods.

Originally published at seekingintellect.com on December 1, 2014. Subscribe to the Seeking Intellect Newsletter