New Warrior!! Excited to give this a try.

[milone]

Hello, I am a 31 yr. old male..I play competitive soccer on two teams..aside from playing soccer 3 times a week I train at the gym 4 days a week lifting weights and lots of cardio work in between. I was a teenage competitive bodybuilder who won a few titles before getting a desk job that saw me plummet into the worst physical shape of my life. Shortly after returning to soccer after 13 years of not touching the ball I was playing competitively again. Back in February I decided that I was going to get into the best physical shape of my life in my 30's so that I would still look and feel great in my 40's, 50's and beyond...I cleaned up my diet, got back to lifting weights and doing lots of various forms of cardio. I was following a high fat high protein diet that consisted of 3-4 meals a day...super clean food, organic whenever possible.

I stumbled upon the WD and Ori's videos on youtube by chance. I couldn't believe how much sense everything he said and everything that I read regarding this lifestyle seemed to make to me. I became instantly convinced that this was the way I should be eating and living.

 I am starting as of tonight and am super excited to give this way of life a try. I have the fridge stocked with everything I will need for the next little while and have started taking a daily log of my meals.

I will attempt to document through my log and through daily photos my progress to share with you all. I am very curious to see how well I adapt to this way of living as I am already starting off in very lean very fit condition. Basically I want to see if I can get to that next level...to get super ripped and still maintain my muscle size and strength. I will also be noting the detox effects that this diet should promote during the under eating phase during the day. I hope to lose about 5 more pound which isn't too much but will truly take me from where I am too a level of conditioning that I have never experienced before. I am going to try to get seriously ripped....wish me luck fellow warriors.

[fdnyceguy]

Milone:

Glad to see your enthusiasm, as well as your approach, towards the Warrior Diet. Though I have kept a log, I wish I had taken photographs as well. Undoubtedly, that would've been the best responses to skeptical threads on this site.

In any case, as I always seem to do, I'd highly recommend you get a copy of one of Ori's E-books. The Warrior Diet Fat Loss Program is my favorite. In addition to providing a three-week program for beginning the Warrior Diet approach, the E-book provides templates for Detox, High Fat, High Carb, and Low Carb eating (which is a bit vague in the text). This should provide all the information you need to begin and maintain the nutritional approach.

Over time, you may want to look at the other E-book, The Stubborn Fat Solution, as this will provide specific information for your athletic lifestyle.

Good luck with your progress, I look forward to your results.

[milone]

Thanks for the advice fdnycguy. :-)

Day One... All I can say is WOW!!!

Under-eating Phase: Woke up 6:00am (about an hour earlier than usual but felt really well rested.
SIDE NOTE***For he past several weeks I say to myself "today is gonna be a great day and I am going to look and feel strong all day" before my feet touch the ground while getting out of bed..I believe these positive thoughts (affirmations) or whatever you want to call them start my day off on the right note...and I swear it actually works..

6:30am Shot glass of pure organic apple cider vinegar, One large glass of water, tbs. of hemp seed oil, multivitamin,espresso coffee,

10:00am Espresso coffee

12:30pm small handful of black berries

2:30pm  small organic apple

3:30pm  small organic banana, multivitamin

6:00pm Workout at the gym. Light cardio..weights..cool down cardio, stretching.

O.k. now the eating begins...lol Warrior Time!!!

7:30pm  Whey protein with coconut water and 1 tbs. of Coconut Oil

Large organic baby spinach salad with half a red pepper chopped up, baby organic carrots,spices (always include cayenne) olive oil and balsamic vinegar,

Chicken breast in coconut oil and curry spices...rappini steamed and topped with olive oil and hot pepper flakes. 4 free range whole eggs in coconut oil.

3/4 cup of organic oatmeal with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Multivitamin,

Handful of pistachio nuts.

Organic yogurt with 2 tbs. or Chia seeds and small handful of blueberries.

1 more scoop of whey protein with 1 tbs of coconut oil in water with ice cubes.

Its now 10:00pm and I stopped eating about half an hour ago so total eating time was about 2 hours...I would eat one course while I started to prepare the next...everything flowed well and it was actually so fun preparing, cooking and cleaning after my little feast. After a balls to the wall workout at the gym I felt like a warrior chowing down on such great quality foods. So far I have consumed 3 litres of water all day which is a bit more than I usually drink.

Felt so different at work today...kind of more connected to my body feeling..I was definately focused and sharper, Usually I have four eggs for breakfast and I wasn't even hungry at work having skipped that today...by 12:30 I still wasn't hungry....is this possible?? :-) I snacked on a small handful of blackberries only because I was going to kick the soccer ball around for half an hour at lunch and thought I could use the small amount of carbs to fuel my mini work out and want to eat most of my fruit during the under-eating phase.

I had the apple after my meeting with my boss this afternoon and it tasted great...I still wasn't really hungry but felt like my brain actually needed nourishment and the apple in my cooler was calling me. :-)  About an hour after that I ate the banana.....I had also packed a small salad, coconut water and pistachio nuts just in case but didn't have to even eat any of them....I actually can go through a whole day at work without eating and still feel great...guess what no afternoon crash feeling wither which I usually get..

In the gym I was actually stronger..my reps and weights both went up...I actually felt fired up at the gym today and got "mad" at the weights for the first time in years....I pushed myself extra hard today and it paid off in the return of a great workout. Maybe a mini testosterone boost from my new way of eating?? lol not sure but it felt great.

I am going to fix myself a favorite night time treat in the form of a green tea with cinnamon sprinkled on top..then 15-20 minutes of meditation listening to "binaural beats" on the internet...I discovered it after reading about it in a magazine and find I sleep like a baby after a short meditation and light stretching stint right before bed. I guess its part of preparing my mind and body for sleep and all of the digestion and tissue repair ahead of me for the next 7-8 hrs of sleep.

My first day on the warrior diet was great...this is totally the diet/lifestyle i was searching for...NO MORE 5-6 meals a day...this feels so much more natural....I think the warrior within has definately been awoken. I just have to figure out how to post pics of my progress on here so I can share....




 

[milone]

Day Two;

Again woke up earlier than usual but I'm thinking this has more to do with the changing of the season and the longer days. Could I be coming more in tune with my "warrior instincts" ? lol

Feel well rested and awake...not half asleep still or wishing I could sleep in a bit longer.

Large glass of water..Apple cider vinegar..hemp seed oil...multivitamin..(forgot to mention in yesterday's log that I also take probiotics twice a day)
Espresso coffee

10:30 Coffee

12:00 Handful of blackberries

12:30 half hour of kicking around the ball in the park.

2:30 feeling a little dizzy when i get up from my desk but I was sitting for several hours straight...sometimes I forget to get up and walk around (especially when I'm surfing the net reading everything I can about the warrior diet and nutritional information in general) I took this as a hint that my body needed something so I fed it an organic grapefruit and a small organic banana.

5:30 Gym--Cardio day...I noticed I ran my usual speed, my usual distance, but I didn't sweat as much and I breathed through my nose the whole run (this is new for me) ..Interesting...

6:45 Overeating Phase.Warrior Time   ..It's funny even after eating hardly anything all day long...after running my butt off at the gym and working my abs I am still not super hungry...my stomach hasn't growled all day and I haven't experienced the typical moods I used to get when I was "starving" for food...

Protein shake in coconut water and 1 tbs coconut oil.

Organic baby spinach salad with half a red pepper, mixed olives, artichoke hearts, baby organic carrots, aged organic cheddar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices.

Tonight's "cooked vegetable" organic broccoli..steamed, drizzled with olive oil and chili pepper flakes..salt and pepper..cayenne

Currie chicken breast...in coconut oil

4 whole free range eggs in coconut oil
Handful of pistachio nuts...I was feeling a bit full and wanted to enjoy this warm weather so I went for a 20 minute "relaxing" walk around the neighborhood...came back and decided I wasn't finished fueling up for tomorrow..

Oatmeal and cinnamon with pineapple..

Protein shake with water

Organic yogurt with 2 tbs of chia seeds, blueberries

Since doing the WD I have noticed my water consumption increase..I am drinking just over 3 liters a day.

It's now 10:21 and I am finished eating....I feel full...satisfied and ready for rest....I can definatley recognize the parasympathetic nervous system kicking in when I start feasting now...the good thing is I am not getting that feeling in the afternoon at work anymore.. :-) Time for my stretches, meditation and green tea with cinnamon before bed. I Wish I could figure out how to post pics to chart everything and show some of the delicious meals I am making...its like a ritual when I come home and prepare the food cook, eat, clean up, prepare some more..cook some more...eat some more...Looking forward to tomorrow..I have 8:30 soccer practice which means I wont be able to eat until 10:30....this is gonna be tricky...I may have to snack on fruits and a protein shake during the day to compensate...ÉÉÉ

[milone]

Day Three:  Woke up feeling a little tired but once my feet hit the floor I was good to go.

Large glass of water, 1 tbs. hemp seed oil ( I plan on cutting this out tomorrow as I read that I should avoid the fats during the under eating phase?? Plus I wanna see if dropping 120 calories makes a difference in my appearance and strength)..shot of apple cider vinegar, espresso coffee, multivitamin, probiotics

9:30 Small handful of blackberries

10:00 coffee

12:30 organic apple right before lunch break where I kicked the ball around in the park with my friend again.

3:00 organic grapefruit..multivitamin

5:00 small handful of pistachio nuts and protein shake...I knew I had soccer practice at 8:30 and my feasting phase was gonna be late tonight so I wanted to get a few more calories into me during the day...

6:00 coconut water

7:30 espresso coffee

Practice was from 8:30-10:00,,,I totally rocked tonight!!!..I was on fire and so full of energy...could not believe it when I stopped to think about it after wards..so little food yet so much strength and endurance...I was sharp and my head was totally into it tonight...playing on an empty stomach is really the way to go!!!

10:15 Feast time...so late but I knew I had to fuel myself up for tomorrow and a big chest and triceps day at the gym after work tomorrow evening...

Protein shake in coconut water, 1 tbs. coconut oil

Spinach salad with half a red pepper, olives, artichoke hearts, half of an avocado, aged cheddar, olive oil and balsamic and a few organic baby carrots.

Chicken breast in coconut oil and curry spice with steamed broccoli and olive oil again...same as last night..

Oatmeal with a teaspoon of honey and cinnamon on top...another protein shake in coconut water (vanilla protein this time) :-)

one organic banana..slice of fresh pineapple

yoghurt and blueberries with 2 tbs. of chia seeds

Done!!!! I skipped out on the 4 eggs tonight partly cause I was feeling full and partly cause its so late already that i just wanted to type this and hit the sack...I drank about2.5 litres of water today slightly less because I was worried I may be peeing out too many electrolytes (maybe I'm just being paranoid?)

[milone]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49543028@N03/sets/72157623916344818/http://

[milone]

Day Four:  Large glass of water, apple cider vinegar, multivitamins, I skipped the hemp seed oil reducing my daily calories by 120. Espresso coffee

9:30 small organic apple

10:30 Espresso coffee

12:30 Handful of blackberries

Half hour of kicking the ball at lunch...this small amount of cardio is enough to get the heart rate elevated and actually work up a sweat...its a nice break from my desk job that has me sitting for most of the day.

3:00 Grapefruit

4:30 small handful of pistachio nuts

5:00 Gym- Chest and Triceps day...my dumbell incline presses super set with incline dumbell flyes went up in weight for the first 2 sets but I gad to go back to the weights I used last week for the last set...strength was good for everything else in the workout and surprisingly with how few calories and carbs I had in my system I got a really good pump in my muscles..

7:00 Protein shake..I took a scoop and a half today in coconut water with 1 tbs of coconut oil

Salad same as yesterday

Team meeting 20 minute drive away from home..I ordered the grilled salmon steak and mixed veggies...carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow beans...mmm almost forgot what butter tasted like since I have been on such a coconut oil kick for the past several months :-)

10:30 returned home and fried up 1 pound of fresh shrimp in the wok with curry spices and coconut oil

steamed rappini

Oatmeal with cinnamon and a drop of honey..

3 whole eggs

Another scoop and a half of protein in coconut water

cup of blueberries. I cut out the yogurt and chia seeds because I feared I may have been eating too much fiber and was passing the food without fully digesting it as my bowel movements were a little soft the past few days...(kinda gross topic but very important to take note of)

Parasympathetic nervous system is kicking in good...I almost feel stones from all the food I ate..lol  I feel like Ii ate like a champ tonight....tomorrow morning I will do 30 min. of cardio at the gym bright and early then its off to physiotherapy for a massage and acupuncture. Evening workout will be Back day at the gym..dead lifts (I can't wait) Also for a change at the gym today I did hanging leg raises with a small 8 pound dumbell between my feet...was a very nice change.

I am loving this new warrior lifestyle....after I eat it seems like my muscles are getting fuller and even more lean than they are during the day...I can see veins coming out in my quads and lower abs.

Sleep time. ;-)

[Dano3000]

Yeah dude, be careful with water loading. It can drain your minerals pretty quickly.
Your legs look like they could kick a soccerball through the goal, btw.

[milone]

LOL!! thanks you very much for the kind words..there is no excuse for squats at the gym...I love leg days even though they hurt they give me the most satisfaction knowing I'm working so many muscle groups at once and stimulating the metabolism at the same time like no other exercise will do.  yes I have reduced the water intake and also reduced the fiber intake and I already noticed a difference....Dano how does everything else I'm doing look?? any other advice or does it seem om on the right track? All advice is much appreciated.

Day 5; same as usual except I went for a 30 minute walk this morning and had an organic grapefruit when I got back

9:30 organic apple

12:30 Handful of pistachio nuts

3:00 Slice of grapefruit

4:30 Coffee

5:00 Back day at the gym...Dead lifts super set with bent over barbell rows...strength felt great...lat pulldowns I was actually 10 pounds up from last week..is the WD actually making me stronger...incredible!! pullovers and abs then 10 minutes walking on treadmill to cool down followed by 10 minutes of stretching....I feel great at the gym and am energized throughout the entire workout.

6:30 WARRIOR TIME!!!  I really look forward to these feasts and am experimenting with cooking now more than I ever have in my life.

Protein shake in coconut water with 1 tbs. of coconut water.

Huge salad as usual.

Chicken cutlets fried in butter and olive oil this time (giving the coconut oil a bit of a break simply for some variety in flavor and to give my body various sources of fats.. I spiced them up with oregano and some fresh rosemary from the greenhouse...cooked in a pan on medium heat they turned out very juicy and tasty. Steamed rappini then fried for about one minute in olive oil and fresh garlic with pepper flakes...love my greens

1 banana..since its higher in sugar than most fruit I eat I took the advice of some other fellow warriors and tried adding it to my overeating phase as opposed to during the day like I was earlier in the week.

5 egg omlette with fried onions and organic cheddar in butter...MMMM so much tastier than my usual fried eggs in coconut oil...variety is nice..

organic oatmeal with a dab of honey and cinnamon.....

organic yoghurt with blueberries

Protein shake...

Overall I feel very satisfied...I'm full now and starting to get sleepy again...

tomorrow night I have a 8:00 pm game to my feast will be slightly postponed again..will let you all know how it goes.

[milone]

Day 6;
Apple cider vinegar, multivitamin, probiotics, water, espresso

grapefruit

slice of pineapple

apple

handful of blackberries

coffee

pistachio nuts  all evenly spaced throughout the day

protein shake...I decided to have a protein shake during the under eating phase because I had an 8:00pm soccer game and figured I needed some extra nutrients in my system.

It was a pretty lazy day today I watched the games on T.V. and stuck around the house since it was raining all day...it was good though as it allowed me tonnes of time to rest and focus on my game tonight.

GAME TIME 8:00...we went down 1 goal...we tied it up one one right after the half...I fired in the 2nd to put us up 2-1 then I scored again to secure us the win 3-1  I was hardly breathing heavy the whole game and I noticed very little lactic acid buildup in my legs...this must be from the WD....awesome!!!one thing I noticed above all this past week was the lack of pain in my whole body from both soccer and weight training at the gym..I have been recovering much faster than usual....this is very exciting...

9:45 Warrior Time!!!  again much later start to my feast than usual but better late then never..

Protein shake in coconut water with tbs. of coconut oil

Spinach salad as usual with all the works.

Chicken breast in coconut oil with yogurt and curry sauce...just winged it and it turned out really good.

Steamed broccoli with one tin of anchovies in olive oil and some chili flakes.

5 eggs omlette with onions and cheddar.

Oatmeal with cinnamon and a dab of honey

blueberries with organic yoghurt

protein shake in water.

feel pretty full now and ready for bed....I think starting tomorrow I am going to reduce my daily coffee intake since I read it raises cortisol levels...I will drink my initial one in the morning then stick to green tea for the rest of the day to see how that works for a few days...I have reduced my water intake by about half a liter during the day and I actually feel a bit better....still cant believe that I am able to go so long without eating a solid meal and still feel so strong and energized during the day...this has been one of the coolest things I have experienced.

[milone]

:-( not sure what I did wrong last night but this morning my lower abs look worse than they have for the past week...I think it may be just water that I'm holding..maybe too much sodium yesterday?? damn!! I know the body will fluctuate from day to day but I was just getting the lower abs to where I liked how they looked and now its like I took two steps backwards...

[bearpaws1973]

Your legs are looking in top shape!!! Great job... "I remember when..." looks away wistfully LOL.

It is good to hear that there is also a carry over to your soccer game, using the WD!

[milone]

Thank you very much..yes I found that during last nights game I was so focused and could antcipate where the ball was going to go on the field so much more...its like I was in better tune with all of my instincts or something...

[Dano3000]

 I would suggest you work on your food sequencing. I can see that the protein shake with oil at the beginning of the meal would be adding unneeded calories, fat and protein. Does "the works" in your salad include things like croutons and bacon? if so, remove them. Be careful with things like cheese and sauces, they are still pretty dense. Nuts are not really recommended for undereating as they are so dense in calories.
 Mixing fruit and grains is almost guaranteed to create a hormonal condition that prefers fat gain. Honey, on top of this, will definitely make a difference. If you want to eat oatmeal, ditch the honey and fruit.
 Try and pick a theme in your meal. Protein, Carbs, or Fat. For this, we all recommend the fat loss e-book, as it goes into detail about amounts and such.
 
 Think of it this way: If spread out in a day, would you eat
 A grapefruit, apple, for breakfast and protein shake for breakfast
 Salad and chicken breast with coconut oil, yogurt and blueberries and blackberries for  lunch
 another protein shake
 5 egg omelet with the cheddar for dinner
 and a bed time snack of oatmeal and another protein shake

That seems like a lot of food to me. Probably because I'm skinny, but still...
 

[milone]

Yes the protein shake is how I start the overeating phase as it follows my workout at the gym and that is the kwy time to ingest whey protein..I have the fats with it because some fat is needed for optimum protein absorntion from what I was told...no by works in my salad I mean everything I listed in my previous posts...no croutons etc..I am eating zero grains really...I will take your advice on ditching the honey..even though it was less than a teaspoon..lol...I will also quit snacking on the pistachios during the undereating phase to see how that works. So fruit only during the undereating phase then??