So after 2021 ended I decided to start losing weight since I’ve been struggling with it my entire life, So my new year’s resolution is for me to start losing weight! And a lot of it! I wanna be able to get into those xl t-shirts and hoodies instead of wearing the 3xxl, I wanna feel comfortable in my own body, and I really feel like I have the motivation to kick it into drive and chase the dream body I’ve always wanted! So I spent a couple of weeks of just pure researching to find a diet that would fit me and my phase, it was not easy to find one that sounded appealing just from the name, but then I came across this diet called the Warrior diet on Do Fasting ( Basically this type of intermittent fasting requires you to fast for 20 hours, and you can eat as much as you want in the remaining 4 hours however if you want to achieve the best results you should focus on healthy, unprocessed organic food, You can also have as much as black coffee as you want but avoid using sugar. I myself love coffee haha) This sounds crazy but I would really love to try this out! So I thought why not! I needed to decide on what to do or my motivation would just run out of the door! I did some heavy research on the Warrior diet but I think it’s really gonna fit me
Have you guys ever tried this? If so, how did it go? I would appreciate your responses
I’ve done this, and I’ve done alternate day fasting where I only eat every other day. It helped me so much and really made me mindful of what I was eating. Ultimately, I was way less hungry and had way less room for food overall, so I was wanting to eat better so I didnt “waste room in my stomach.”
I used to do intermittent fasting on and off and after getting this app I am finally able to stay determined. The timer really helps me to stay motivated not to end my fasts sooner. Such a simple gadget, but goes a long way. The push notifications also help a lot. It really feels like you have someone watching over you :)
I personally do OMAD (23:1) and switch to the warrior diet (20:4) for flexibility on the days that I need to as a backup fasting routine when life throws you a curveball. I start my eating window at 5pm and end at 6pm (OMAD) but sometimes I cannot meet that one hour eating window and expand it to 4hr window while still eating 1 meal.
> you can eat as much as you want in the remaining 4 hours
That’s not accurate. As others have pointed out, you still need to be in a caloric deficient for weight loss to happen. The warrior diet is just IF on a 20:4 ratio. Intermittent fasting is not magic. At the end of the day, it works because as you’re restricting when you eat, you’re restricting how much you eat at the same time and how many calories you intake. You tend to naturally stay in a caloric deficient simply because you only have a couple hours in the day to eat. Lowering insulin levels, atrophy, and ketosis play a part in all that, but at the end of the day less calories = weight loss.
Eating whole and unprocessed foods is definitely going to help stay you in a caloric deficient and keep you feeling full. Just make sure you don’t take the “eating as much as you want” literally.
Also, I wouldn’t necessarily jump straight in to a 20:4 ratio. There’s definitely some growing pains with IF and the first couple weeks until you adjust can be rough. If you’re ranking ratios from beginner to expert… call 20:4 “intermediate” to “hard”. 16:8 is much easier to adjust to.
I don’t personally think there’s anything wrong with IF. It’s not my thing but I know a few people who it has worked for to help them with other health issues. I just think it’s funny when people do IF and then during their eating window they eat a bunch of junk food/fast food. It’s not effective if you just pack all those calories, carbs, and junk into a smaller eating window lol totally defeats the purpose.
So on this sub you’ll see the fasting and eating times broken out into a ratio. For instance, warrior diet is 20:4. Most folks here tend to actually straddle that, either with 16:8 or going full OMAD (one meal a day). Though there’s folks who do less and more, everything in-between, or even mix timings from day to day. Intermittent fasting is about finding a method that fits with someone’s life, body, schedule, and sustainability.
Certainly at the start you can get away with a lot, but I’d caution ‘you can eat as much as you want’. You still need to be in a caloric deficit and don’t forget that not only are you getting all your calories in the smaller window but you need to get all your nutrition as well.
If you think this is the right approach for you then I’d suggest giving it a shot, working up to it if needed. You don’t need to start with 20:4 even.
You will probably have success. When you’re eating “real” (unprocessed) food with no added sugar, white flour, etc. you will — in most cases — get full and satisfied before you eat too much. When they say “eat whatever you want” that really means eat until you feel full. As a general rule, the less carbs you eat, the easier it is to do IF.
And yes black coffee is totally fine for losing weight during a fast.
20:4 is an okay place to start for sure, but if it’s difficult you can ease in with 16:8 or 18:6 for a bit til your body adapts. Don’t be discouraged if the first few days are hard. Eventually you may want to try OMAD on the days where it works for your schedule and socializing.
If you guys find this interesting or wanna check it out or find more about the app you can find it here. They also have a subreddit you can check out haha
in the beginning I was able to do it when the motivation was strong. Not so much now, but I just have 20 more pounds to go.
I noticed if I didn’t change my lifestyle changing diet had no impact. For instance my late night hunger was related to bored NetflixAnd TV watching. Now passively watching something is very rare.
however i did 18/6 2 meals before OMAD. And I also fasted for 42 to 48 hours once a week. today I’m all over the place. I eat if I’m hungry. That means most days I eat two meals but some days I might eat three. I don’t follow the 18/6 time period Either. or Once in a rare while I’ll eat one massive meal a day.
Do you have support? Someone you can talk to. Doing this alone is hard. We just need some people who are there for you. Not just a therapist but some friends or family.
I would recommend starting with shorter fasts like 12:12 and stay with your current diet. See how you feel and work your way up to longer fasts. Keep eating what you eat now and start making swaps. Swap your chips for carrot sticks, swap candy out for fruit, swap your fast food lunch for a salad.
It’s much more sustainable and easier to stay on track when you make smaller changes over time than to try to completely overhaul your entire lifestyle.
My first 12 weeks I did a 2 day a week plan, non consecutive days. I was all 700 calories broken out into three meals. I hated it, but got results and shrunk my stomach. Started at 230 lb ended at 217 (6’2” height)
I bought the book and switched to warrior diet, and have been doing ever since, I cheat some days, and progress has been very slow since I got below 200 and witching 8 pounds of my goal. I have been 197 so since September. I do exercise at home. The warrior diet is 20/4, but it is also about eating clean as you can on the regular, but dont sweat the occasional pizza. Avoid grains, sugars, potatoes etc…But when it is feast time eat up! Just keep it clean. My stomach can’t handle eating a ton, so I have two meals, one at 3:30, one at 6:30pm.If I completely cut out alcohol I might budge the plateau, but what fun is that?I say go for it!! Look if you don’t feel well it’s okay to break your fast at 14, 16, 18 hours. It doesn’t have to be exactly 20:4. The biggest thing from dr fungs IF book is break your fast when you don’t feel good!! It’s okay to fluctuate until you 1) your body gets used to fasting more and 2) eat healthier which typically makes it easier to fast longer. Don’t be discouraged if you break early, I like the Fastic app to track my hrs but it make my sister feel pressured. Just do what suits you ♥️ I fluctuate from 16:8-19:5 naturally, I’m not focusing on weight loss right due to life atm. It’s all trial and error love, best of luck to you! You can do it!