An Eating Strategy For Exuberant Health And A Lean Spartan Body
(I have used a picture of Sylvester Stallone from Rambo because I truly believe that the eating strategy I am about to share with you is how a warrior would eat)
I have spent the past few years testing out many different diet/eating strategies to find out which method works the most effectively and efficiently at burning fat, promoting lean muscle and maximum health. I am confident to say that I have come across an eating strategy that has blown me away with its benefits. In this post I am going to share with you this strategy.
The Kinobody Eating Strategy for Exuberant Health and a Lean Spartan Body
Eat Sparingly During the Day for Maximum Energy and Fat Burning
I have become a big believer in eating very modestly during the day. By doing so I have noticed that I have way more energy, I am more alert, more creative and I am more focused. In addition by allowing myself to be hungry during the day I feel so much tougher and stronger. I truly feel like a warrior ready to take on anything that is thrown at me. When I used to eat heavy meals during the day I felt very relaxed and complacent.
Powerful Immune System and Constant Fat Burning
Since I have been eating light during the day I have also noticed that my immune system is much stronger. I never get sick and I believe this to be for two reasons. By eating light during the day I am able to keep my insulin levels low and my growth hormone levels elevated. This allows your immune system to function at peak efficiency and it allows your body to burn fat constantly throughout the day.
Improved Insulin Sensitivity for Maximum Muscle Minimum Fat
When we fast or eat sparingly during the day our body improves its insulin sensitivity. This way when we have our main meal at night more calories get deposited into our muscles and less into our fat stores.
Ultimate Detox
Another benefit of eating light during the day is that my skin has cleared up tremendously. Ever since the age of 14 I had suffered with acne and regular breakouts. Once I started eating light during the day and using intermittent fasting my acne has literally disappeared. I feel this is because when you give your body a break from digesting large meals your body has a chance to detox itself.
Crave Healthy Foods
Another major benefit of eating light during the day is that you start to crave healthy foods like meats, vegetables and fruits. When you are constantly in a fed state and eating every few hours these healthy foods have much less appeal.
The final benefit I have noticed from eating light during the day is that I have started to enjoy cooking for the first time in my life. I thought this day would never come but it finally has.
Foods to Eat During the Day
The best types of foods to eat during the day are ones that don’t tax your digestive system or cause a spike in insulin levels. These happen to be low glycemic fruits and vegetables as well as small amounts of whey protein and nuts. Fruits and vegetables are great at further detoxing your body and providing you with plenty of nutrients. I stick mostly to berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) during the day as these are the most nutrient dense fruits. Fruits contain fiber which slows down digestion keeping the insulin response low.
Whey protein is the absolute best protein source to consume during the day. It is easily absorbed and thus doesn’t tax the digestive system. In addition whey protein is very high in the amino acid leucine which has an integral role in muscle protein synthesis. In other words by consuming adequate amounts of leucine you will be able to rebuild muscle faster. I recommend a high quality whey protein powder with a superior filtration process for maximum nutrient retention. In addition I am strongly against artificial chemicals found in most commercial protein supplements.
I use Prograde Whey Protein which is my favorite protein supplement on the market.
Sample Day
Upon Waking: 30 grams of whey protein (mix with unsweetened almond milk) and Prograde Metabolism or Coffee
Noon: 1 cup of berries and 10 walnut halves
Early Afternoon: 30 grams of whey protein (mix with unsweetened almond milk) and Prograde Metabolism or Coffee
After Workout: 30 grams of whey protein (mix with unsweetened almond milk) and 1 apple
Main Meal
What about doing a complete water fast during the day?
Instead of eating small amounts of protein and fruit during the day some people choose to consume nothing but water, coffee or tea. They allow themselves a condensed 4-5 hour eating window. Example 5-10pm.
This strategy is called fast-five diet. I have tested this method out and I feel that it is not optimal especially for active people who burn a lot of calories and require a lot of protein. What happens is that by restricting your meals between a small eating window you develop what is called compensatory eating. Meaning you will eat more food then you normally would because you know you won’t have a chance to eat until the next day at 5pm.
Optional 24 hour fast 1-2x per week
A better strategy would be to do a complete 24 hour (eat-stop-eat style) fast 1-2x per week. Example – Stop eating at 7pm on Tuesday, resume eating at 7pm on Wednesday. You would have a normal size meal before the fast and after the fast. Because you are only doing a full 24 hour fast 1-2x per week there is no need for compensatory eating. The next morning after the fast you get to have your protein shake.
What to eat for your main meal?
The main meal should consist of meat, vegetables and a salad. It is also wise to add some healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado or nuts. I also like to have a small portion of carbohydrates at the end of my meal. I have found that when I restrict my carbs at dinner I find it very difficult to relax and wind down. By rewarding myself with a serving of potatoes, rice or even a few gluten free cookies at the end of my meal I reach a much greater level of satiety. This is because carbs trigger the release of serotonin in the brain which make you feel happy and relaxed. It is very important to exercise some restraint with carbs as its easy to overeat them.
Sample Main Meal
Grilled Chicken, Steak or Fish x 12-16 ounces
Spinach Salad with cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes and brown rice vinegar
Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower
2 rice cakes with almond butter
How to eat the main meal
Slow down. Take small bites and chew your food fully. Focus on the texture of the food. Stop eating once you feel satisfied, not stuffed. If you are having some carbs at the end of your meal then it is very important to exercise some restraint. After having your serving of carbs you will likely desire more and more and more. Don’t fall into this trap. Wait 20 minutes after the carbs and you will usually feel satisfied. I like to have a cup of tea and the cravings usually goes away.
Sample Day
Upon Waking – 30 grams whey protein, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Noon – 1 cup blueberries and 10 walnut halves
Early Aft – 30 grams whey protein, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
After Workout – 30 grams whey protein, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 apple
Main Meal – Grilled Chicken Breast x 14 ounces, spinach x 2 cups, cucumbers, raw mushrooms, brown rice vinegar, brown rice cakes x 2, almond butter x 2 tbs
TOTAL = 1517 calories, 174 grams of protein, 41 grams of fat, 88 grams of net carbs.
Conclusion
I strongly urge you to try out this eating strategy. It will take some getting used to but I am confident that once you get a taste of the benefits you will never look back. You will save time and money on food. You will become more ambitious. You will be happier, healthier, leaner and stronger.
My Refeed Day
Once per week I give myself 24 hours (from Thursday at 6pm until Friday at 6pm) to eat whatever I want. I’ll have brownies and pancakes and all sort of delicious foods. After the cheat day I am so eager to go back to my normal ways of eating because I am addicted to the way I feel from under-eating during the day and feasting at night. I truly feel this is the way humans are programmed to eat. During the refeed day I feel foggy and sluggish. I accomplish very little all day and spend most of it eating food or thinking about food.
Shouts Out to Ori Hofmekler
I want to thank Ori Hofmekler for helping me discover this style of eating that has improved my life. His book the Warrior Diet is one of my favorite nutrition books I own.
28 Comments
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Hi,
I am 16 and play high school lacrosse and was wondering if I ate the “sample day” diet above everyday and maybe even did a fast once per week how fast I would lose weight. I am 5ft 8, 188 pounds and 14-15% bf. i just want to be more cut. I have come a long way but need something more structured.
On this diet you should lose fat pretty quickly! 2 lbs per week is very common. I don’t think you need to do a full fast day, since your calories are already really low. If you want to do a full fast day then do it after a big cheat night.
Hey Greg,
Just want to say – lovin’ the site. I always come back here for when I’m in need of extra motivation or some guidance when it comes to fitness and health. You do an awesome job. keep it up!
Also want to ask, do you think the sample of the Warrior diet you included would be ideal for building muscle? I’m already pretty lean but I’m looking to build about 10 pounds of muscle. I’ve just seriously begun training. What do you think?
Cheers
@Ryan
The warrior diet is a pretty low calorie diet so it is for losing weight. I would recommend eating higher calories. You can try the gain muscle and lose fat diet – https://kinobody.com/1354/how-to-build-muscle-and-lose-fat/
Hey man do you think ice hockey for 1 hour and a half per day with some cardio and wheight training 3-4 days a week, along with your diet will get me shredded in about 4 months?
@Ricky.
Ice hockey is a great workout and will definitely burn tons of calories. No need to add cardio on top of this.
If you want to get lean you’re going to have to hone in on that diet. You can lose 6-10 lbs per month of fat.
Greg does boxing or any other fighting sport like kickboxing, taekwondo etc count as a ”intenste muscle workout” or does it count like more of a cardio?
cause on my low calorie diet i know that i only do a couple of sets to maintain my muscle, but can i do my boxing instead of it? i train like 1,5 hours a day from boxing, ccan i use that on a low calorie diet or will it use my muscles as energy during the boxing session?
btw: we also do push ups etc during the warmup like 50-60 or so and i do around 10-15 pull ups at the end of each session.
cheers
@Onur
Boxing, mma, martial arts…… counts as cardio/intervals. Strength work is where your lifting with a rather heavy load in the 2-10 rep range.
@ greg thanks allot greg my workout plan would go like
Pushing 1# close grip Bench press
Pushing 2 incline dumbell press
pulling = Pull ups
Shoulders = lateral raises
Curl = the bruce lee style of bicep curls ;D
@Onur
That looks awesome. Great workout.
@Greg
wow does it really work that well? never would have thought so!
i am still gonna lift heavy and was wondering how long my workouts should last, cause training my entire body with heavy weights and taking 2-3mins rest PER set wouldnt it take long?
so how many sets should i do per body part? or do i need to stick to compound movements?
(i have never done 3 training sessions per week so i really wanna get the right info about it, and my source of reliable information is you :)
cheers
@Onur
it works very well. Only do 5-6 exercises per workout. 3-5 sets for main exercises and 2-3 sets for isolation exercises. I usually do two pushing movements, 1 pulling movement, 1 shoulder isolation exercise and 1 curling exercise. If you want to build your legs you can add a leg exercise or two.
Hey greg i have a question
normally i train 6 times a week (monday – saturday) and go play squash every wednesday and friday.
me and some friends are going to do MMA and thats 4 days a week (monday – thursday)
now i can’t do it all cause i dont have enough time for it so i wanted to ask your help
i won’t cut out the squash but maybe if i could i would lower the amount of days that i work out in the gym .
so basicly i would like to do the both days of squash and all 4 days of MMA
but i love my physique right now and wouldnt want to lose it, if i would lower my days of going to the gym to like 3 days would i suffer results loss in a big way or wouldnt be that much of an issue?
so basicly i cant do weight-lifting 6 days a week anymore and was wondering how many times i should go to atleast maintain or even build up the physique i have right now.
cheers
@Onur
Honestly 3x full upperbody sessions per week is ideal. I have switched from 5 strength training sessions per week to 3 strength training sessions per week and I have gotten better results. Rest is very important. You will feel a lot stronger.
In addition 3 sessions per week is more then enough to maintian.
The warrior diet rocks!
Aside from the benefits with body composition the benefits you mentioned such as being more alert and improved skin are huge bonuses I’ve experienced too. Your pics are testament that it works, well done.
Michael
@Michael
Thanks man! Yah it is highly effective. A very natural way for me to eat and so freaking rewarding.
@Greg How big are your arms flexed cold?
@Black Mamba
15.5″
I’ve been on the Shake/Salad diet for a week or so and I really got amazing results! I like this one even better and will begin with it next week. My question is: Aren’t 3 protein shakes a day aren’t a little too much? I mean on the Shake/Salad diet I had 2 and it already felt like alot to me. Thanks again for the good tips!
Hey Mitja.
If three feels like too much then just stick with two. With that being said the protein shakes are small (30g or 1 scoop).
Great tips for eating and almost identical to the approach I try to maintain. A little fasting, a little healthy eating, and a little refeeding. Seems to be a great way to burn fat and maintain muscle.
Greg,
I can personally vouch for this eating plan. This is very similar to the diet I follow and I maintain sub 10% body fat year round. For breakfast and lunch, I’ll have fruit, nuts, coffee, or a protein shake. I try to take in a decent amount of protein at each meal. For dinner, I’ll have something like beef stew or a very large salad and green tea after dinner. Very low calorie, but it works amazingly well for fat loss and keeping my energy levels high without feeling sluggish. I also do the cheat day once per week.
Alykhan
Hey! I was wondering about breakfast. It’s not mentioned here because you have a warrior diet thing. I don’t typically function that way though I may try, but what would you consider good breakfast foods as not to bring insulin high? Would it be nuts and berries as well?
@Trent
Hey Trent. Read the sample day again. I recommend having a small protein shake and coffee upon waking. This should help you. If this doesn’t work you can add some fruit.
My final push starts tommorow.
Tommorow i’m going to start shedding of the last pounds of fat which cover my six pack i have calculated and should probably lose 10pounds of fat for a visible 6-pack and a single digit body fat.I’m giving myself 3-4 weeks to accomplish this and i will use THIS method to reach my final result.
(you think it is possible to lose the 10pounds in the amount of time?)
Greg, you literally made me reach my goals, i cannot thank you enough mate..
Keep up the fantastic work
@Onur!
Awesome man! Yeah you can lose 10 lbs in 3-4 weeks. You will have to be very strict on the diet though and average a large 1500 calorie daily defecit.
Excellent post, was on the standard shake/salad but this seems more manageable. Question about the brown rice cakes and unsweetened almond milk, are these a common thing in most stores?
@Ryan.
Yes. Almost all grocery stores carry almond milk and brown rice cakes. If not then try a local health food store.