The Don’t Eat for Winter® diet, or The DEFoW Diet for short, is a set of 10 guidelines to escape the infinite autumn (the western diet), and become the summer hunter version of you. It is not even a diet per se, as:
- it does not advise cutting out whole food groups,
- it does not advise going outside well established guidelines;
- and it does not advise drastic calorie reduction.
Saying that, it does advise opting for closer to the minimum recommended carbs (starches and sugars) for your activity needs, and also avoiding combinations of carbs and fats (The Squirrel Formula) to prevent gorging (autumnal hyperphagia) and limit fat storage.
It is a set of common sense guidelines for a healthy lifestyle. This is how I (about the author) personally live most of the time (yes I do eat for winter at times, as it is important to indulge my autumnal instincts now and then).
Here are the 10 rules of The DEFoW Diet (which are fully expanded on and reasoned out in the Don’t Eat for Winter):
D. Don’t eat carbs and fats together (avoid the autumnal squirrel gorge formula of ~53% fat : ~41% carb :~ 6% protein, the junk food signature).
Check out www.defowdiet.com to discover how autumnal foods are.
E. Eat the precise amount of carbs for your needs. The DRI recommend 45-65% of diet from carbs. I tend towards the minimum rather than maximum, even if I exercise. The upper limit of 65% means 1300 calories from carbs (which all break down into sugar), exceeds the energy requirement for this macronutrient (especially for those with a sedentary lifestyle).
F. Fat and protein can and should be eaten together (typically it’s found that way in nature (think eggs, fish, meat, poultry nuts etc). High fat is winter/spring style eating.
O. Opt for “good” fats and avoid trans fats (look for omega3s and mono-unsaturated fats in particular).
W. When eating carbs, choose leaner protein sources (to increase satiety and prevent fat storage). In nature, carbs sources are mostly low fat (think fruit, veg, rice, potatoes). We add fat to make them taste nice, but they can be just as good with tasty lower carb sauces. High carb is summer/autumn style eating.
D. Don’t neglect protein, it is your muscles’ best friend (look for good, non-processed, natural sources, vegans should look for full essential amino spread).
I. If necessary supplement, but make a best attempt to get vitamins and minerals from natural and fibrous sources.
E. Exercise regularly, support it with good nutrition and adequate rest/recovery (recovery time is where the magic happens, get good sleep every night).
T. Think about hydration, don’t wait until your thirsty as you’re already dehydrated by then (urine should be light in colour).
!!! Finally, Get out into nature and have fun, breath the air, soak up the sunlight so that you synthesize d3 (but don’t get burnt), swim etc. Outdoors is where we evolved and belong !!!
Finally, the 11th rule is to Eat for Winter from time to time, Sometimes you gotta enjoy the autumn formula, so enjoy it and savour it when you do, just be aware that your autumnal instincts may go into overdrive and it may override willpower. Know your triggers.
Copyright © 2019 – Don’t Eat for Winter
There are a number of aspects to the guidelines which requires some basic understanding the problem before the solution can be presented. These include background theory, societal issues, nutrition, human energy systems, body processes and instincts and exercise to appreciate them fully. All of this information is contained within the pages of Don’t Eat for Winter.
You can find out options on how to get a copy of Don’t Eat for Winter here…
Join the growing DEFoW community on facebook and follow me @wellboy on twitter to keep up to date and get regular nutrition and training tips.
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