Guess I'm a Warrior intermittent faster

I didn't know it had a name. I didn't really care what it was called as I'm not following a system, just following a way of eating that works for me after years and years of tweaking. And oh my goodness it's wonderful! I have never had it feel so easy to lose weight and not feel deprived. Might not work for everyone, but totally works for me!

So, this Warrior Intermittent Fasting Diet. Here's what I found out after someone on a forum said that was my approach - which made me look it up. From The Daily Burn.

The Warrior DietStarted by: Ori HofmeklerBest for: People who like following rules. The devoted. 

How It Works: Warriors-in-training can expect to fast for about 20 hours every day and eat one large meal every night. What you eat and when you eat it within that large meal is also key to this method. The philosophy here is based on feeding the body the nutrients it needs in sync with circadian rhythms and that our species are “nocturnal eaters, inherently programmed for night eating.” 

The fasting phase of The Warrior Diet is really more about “undereating.” During the 20-hour fast, you can eat a few servings of raw fruit or veggies, fresh juice, and a few servings of protein, if desired. This is supposed to maximize the Sympathetic Nervous System’s “fight or flight” response, which is intended to promote alertness, boost energy, and stimulate fat burning. The four-hour eating window — which Hofmekler refers to as the “overeating” phase — is at night in order to maximize the Parasympathetic Nervous System’s ability to help the body recuperate, promoting calm, relaxation and digestion, while also allowing the body to use the nutrients consumed for repair and growth. Eating at night may also help the body produce hormones and burn fat during the day, according to Hofmekler. During these four hours, the order in which you eat specific food groups matters, too. Hofmelker says to start with veggies, protein and fat. After finishing those groups, only if you are still hungry should you tack on some carbohydrates. 

Pros: Many have gravitated toward this diet because the “fasting” period still allows you to eat a few small snacks, which can make it easier to get through. As the methodology explains (and the “success stories” section of The Warrior Diet website supports), many practitioners also report increased energy levels and fat loss. 

Cons: Even though it’s nice to eat a few snacks rather than go without any food for 20-plus hours, the guidelines for what needs to be eaten (and when) can be hard to follow long-term. The strict schedule and meal plan may also interfere with social gatherings, which can be tricky for some. Additionally, eating one main meal at night — while following strict guidelines of what to eat, and in what order — can be tough, especially for those who prefer not to eat large meals late in the day.

Wow... that's a whole lot of stuff about why it's good to eat at night... isn't that like anti everything we've ever been told about eating at night - that it's better to eat the first part in the day.

I used to do that. Eat the bulk of calories in the first four hours of the day upon waking and then lunch, and then nothing the rest of the day. I could do that now too, but I actually find that harder to do when around other people, and well, harder to do overall.

Supposedly what I'm doing, based on old research is that I'm not boosting my metabolism and then eating a lot at night (though typically 5 hours before going to bed). This supposedly is how you gain weight or inhibits weight loss. Maybe not?

Like with everything - I'm taking all this eating stuff with a grain of salt. This works for me, so I do it and do it successfully.

OK, so let me do some more poking around. Who is this Ori Hofmekler? I've never heard of him, so to Google I go. Huh, I just found this article on Muscle and Fitness: Become a Modern Day Warrior: The Diet that Broke All the Rules. And I laughed at the first sentences as it about stated what I just said above - I'm breaking all the rules I learned about eating!

Always eat breakfast, eat every 2 - 3 hours, and avoid hunger: these are three diet rules you never violate—at least, never on purpose that is. For example, we accept that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, that eating frequently boosts our metabolism, and that hunger pangs lead to overeating.

Yet, in the late-1990s, one diet broke all those rules and encouraged you to skip your hearty breakfast, stop spacing your meals, feast at night, and, oh, under-eat all day, too.

Surely, you can’t thrive with this diet—let alone gain muscle—right? Nutritionists have long warned us about skipping meals and starving ourselves. How can you succeed by committing diet heresy? Over time, however, something interesting happened:

The diet grew. What’s more, it pioneered a new genre of diets called “intermittent fasting.”

It’s all thanks to the Warrior Diet. Created by Ori Hofmekler, it introduced fasting and under-eating as method of fitness by itself and demanded the discipline to treat your nutrition like training. “The Warrior Diet focuses on total human fitness,” says Hofmekler, “not partial.”

So, it's been around since the first time I started to try to lose weight, yet, this is the first I've really heard it by name.  Andy OMG!!! It's basically listing my diet - that I discovered on my own!!! I drink coffee with half and half, then have a whey protein bar for lunch and then for dinner a low carb, high protein and lots of veggies dinner (no grains or low grains).

During the day, food choices shift from light-and-fluid to dense. For example, start the day with water, vegetable juices, coffee, or tea. (Anything watery and thin.) As the day continues, have light snacks like whey protein, berries, yogurts, etc. Finally, at night, have large, dense, and cooked meals that your ancient ancestors would’ve recognized as food. 

Now, his method was for building muscle, but it burns fat.. And, I can see it does.  It also says you can eat freely in this method. Obviously, this man hasn't ever met a person who can pack away as much as I can when I want to. Now, when I eat low carb and high protein and fat and lots of veggies, I do fill up and don't get hungry. However, I could eat double what I do in the day - especially if I had a 4 hour window instead of the 30 minute window I usually have (which is really just 15 minutes - the amount of time it takes to eat dinner!).

So, see I am following a diet and I didn't even know it! There's a book and everything!

And as I'm in the big loss part of the month:
Reboot: 5/18/15
Amount lost since then: 28.3 pounds