Should You Be Doing the Warrior Diet on Keto?
Whether you’ve hit a plateau on the ketogenic diet or just want to ramp up on your health journey, you might be looking into trying intermittent fasting (IF). Water fasting can be a beneficial tool if you know where to start. The warrior diet is a common form of intermittent fasting that might be right for you!
What Is the Warrior Diet?
The warrior diet is a form of IF that consists of a 20-hour fasting window followed by a 4-hour feeding window. During the fasting window, nothing is consumed but water (and electrolytes, if desired). During the feeding window, all necessary calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients are consumed.
For most people, this 4-hour window consists of 2 meals. This is simply done by skipping breakfast and having a late lunch or early dinner. For example, an individual on the warrior diet may eat lunch at 2 PM and dinner at 5 PM. Or, if you prefer eating earlier in the day, that eating window might look like a 9 AM breakfast and a 12:30 PM lunch. Just make sure to account for enough time to eat your meals within that 4-hour window!
What Are the Benefits of the Warrior Diet?
The benefits of the warrior diet are similar to traditional intermittent fasting. It should be noted that these benefits are from consistent practice and will not happen overnight. Staying consistent with the warrior diet may yield benefits such as: [1] [2]
- Reduction in inflammation
- Improved insulin sensitivity and glucose management
- Improvements in body composition (reduction in body fat)
- Healthy aging and longevity
Is the Warrior Diet Safe?
Generally speaking, research suggests that intermittent fasting is considered to be safe, but as always, speak with your physician first before making any dietary changes. [3]
Tips & Recommendations
If you are looking to try 20/4 intermittent fasting in combination with keto for the first time you might be wondering where to start. One thing to keep in mind is that your body will need time to adjust to this new eating schedule. Already being keto-adapted can also make the warrior diet easier. Here are a few other tips and recommendations to make your journey more smooth.
- Preparing your meals in advance will help make sure you get the right nutrition and save time.
- Make sure to drink plenty of water during your fasting window.
- Consume enough electrolytes during your feeding window—if you have a difficult time getting enough sodium, potassium, and magnesium into your diet, try adding an electrolyte supplement.
- Download a fasting app (like Zero) to help you track your fasts and stay consistent.
Have You Tried the Warrior Diet?
Comment below and share your experiences! Did you enjoy it? Did it not work for you? Do you have any advice for someone wanting to try it for the first time? Let the community know!
References
Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Sirtori CR, Ruscica M. Unravelling the health effects of fasting: a long road from obesity treatment to healthy life span increase and improved cognition. Ann Med. 2020 Aug;52(5):147-161. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2020.1770849. Epub 2020 Jun 10. PMID: 32519900; PMCID: PMC7877980.
Golbidi S, Daiber A, Korac B, Li H, Essop MF, Laher I. Health Benefits of Fasting and Caloric Restriction. Curr Diab Rep. 2017 Oct 23;17(12):123. doi: 10.1007/s11892-017-0951-7. PMID: 29063418.
Harvie, M., & Howell, A. (2017). Potential Benefits and Harms of Intermittent Energy Restriction and Intermittent Fasting Amongst Obese, Overweight and Normal Weight Subjects-A Narrative Review of Human and Animal Evidence. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 7(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs7010004
