I recently came across the "Warrior diet" and was wondering if anyone has tried this or something similar to this. http://www.warriordiet.com/.

Is this diet something that is even practical as an operator? Also, would this be something worth trying in order to prepare for pipeline or indoc? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

My suggestion is, eat real food! A good rule of thumb is if it has a label its not real food. eat grass fed beef, buy local. eat tons of your veggies, eat some fruit, eat nuts and seeds. No refined sugar. Stay away from dairy and breads.

Often times on operations, one is forced into a "pseudo warrior diet". When in the field, operators typically snack on what they can carry in a cargo pocket, then eat a "meal" when movement has stopped for a while. I would not recommend this as a daily diet but, like all diets, the warrior diet has its proponents. The guidance from crossfit.com (below) is about the best I've seen in an easy to understand format.

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:
Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load.
Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Calories should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.

What Should I Eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.

The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition
Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. Search "Google" for Paleolithic nutrition, or diet. The return is extensive, compelling, and fascinating. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.

What Foods Should I Avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

What is the Problem with High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?
The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that they give an inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute, chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction and a Pandora's box of disease and disability. Research "hyperinsulinism" on the Internet. There's a gold mine of information pertinent to your health available there. The CrossFit prescription is a low-glycemic diet and consequently severely blunts the insulin response.

Caloric Restriction and Longevity
Current research strongly supports the link between caloric restriction and an increased life expectancy. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. “Caloric Restriction” is another fruitful area for Internet search. The CrossFit prescription is consistent with this research.
The CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.

Source: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/start-diet.html

I will tell you the Paleo (caveman) diet WORKS. I lost over 20lbs without even working out. Once I could work out, my gains were even better. I have more energy, sleep better and perform better. I have also gotten a few friends into and it has worked wonders for them also. Problem is, none of our pants fit now

Second thing, however, if you do it right, you WILL go into Ketosis (body burns fat instead of carbs). You will feel sick for a few days while your body adjusts (carb flu). This is NOT the Atkins diet but as TE stated, you eat the RIGHT carbs. Cutting sugar and pasta cuts inches. I follow this diet about 80% of the time (I do love some pizza every now and then) and swear by it. it is not for everyone but does work it you do it right.

Another option is to do a Paleo/Zone diet where you combine the 2. As a Crossfit instructor, I learned alot about this. please let me know if you have any questions about Paleo. THanks.

TE,
Thank you very much for the response, I have actually been doing Paleo for almost a year, dropped 50 pounds, and am now in the best shape of my life. I actually tried a Warrior/ Paleo hybrid for a week and didn't like it at all. I hated the weighted down feeling I got at night and my WOD times suffered so I have just gone back to strict Paleo and some what Zone.

thevest,
Congrats on the weight loss. I love the Paleo lifestyle and couldn't imagine eating any different. I ran into the same problem with my pants as well and just got my family to go Paleo.

Thank you guys for the responses

If you guys dont mind could you give an example of a typical day menu?

-Ross

this is not a recommendation, just an example of what i've been eating lately.

breakfast - veggie omelet with and orange

snack - nuts/cranberries + meal shake

lunch - chicken salad maybe some fruit

post workout shake

snack - apple or celery and peanut butter

dinner - pork tenderloin and veggies

before bed - cup of milk

the milk, peanut butter, and shakes are NOT paleo (no grains, legumes, or dairy). it's easier for me though because i travel for work and am on a budget. replace with more real meat and veggies. and if you're not training twice a day, you don't need as much fruit. even with the 650 calorie post workout shake, this is not enough food. total calories are only around 2500/day and i need to get it over 3000 based on what i've seen on here and been told by others