The Hunter Farmer Diet

Dr. Mark Liponis

It isn't too shocking of an idea: different types of people need different types of diets to lose weight. Dr. Mark Liponis has taken this idea and produced a new diet that he calls the Hunter/Farmer diet. Are you a hunter or a farmer? Here's how to tell.

Dr. Liponis says that there are two kinds of fat: farmer fat and hunter fat. To rid yourself of this fat, you need to tailor your diet to the specific fat you want to lose. Farmer fat is found between your muscle layer and your skin. This is fat you can grab, pinch, cry about, whatever. Hunter fat, on the other hand, is below your muscle layer. This fat invades your body's inner spaces, squeezing your organs.

Dr. Liponsi' book The Hunter/Farmer Diet Solution starts off with a brief quiz to help you discover whether you are a hunter, a farmer, or a blend of both. Based on the results, you then select a diet program.

The Farmer diet is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. The diet recommends numerous smaller meals, rather than three big meals. Dr. Liponis says that Farmers need to worry about cancer, Alzheimer's and autoimmune diseases.

The Hunter diet is quite different. Hunters should only have one or two meals a day. These meals should be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The doctor recommends watching for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

A Hunter's Plate
So hunters and farmers are somewhat like Jack Sprat and his wife (remember? One could eat no fat and one could eat no lean). The Hunter dines on fish, beef, chicken, beans, nuts and dark chocolate. The Farmer should choose, instead, to eat grains, pasta, bread, potatoes and fruit. The Farmer gets lots of meals every day, but the Hunter gets dessert.

So, now that you know if you are a hunter or a farmer, can you lose weight with this diet? Chances are that you will be eliminating something from your diet based on your farmer/hunter label. That can help cut your calories. Dr. Liponis does recommend some light aerobic exercise, too, but warns that many people work hard to burn a few hundred calories and then reward themselves with some food treat with many more calories. The meal plan from the book can guide you to reduce your caloric intake, and you will be eating a balanced diet as long as you follow their suggestions. Given the relatively thin meal plan chapter, though, you will get bored pretty quickly and want to branch out on your own.

Could this work for you? Are you a hunter or a farmer? Click on that Comment button and let us know what you decided!

7 comments:

  1. Can someone be part hunter and part farmer? I don't think I'm strictly one or the other.

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  2. yes you can be both but rare

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  3. this relates to eating according to BLOOD TYPES

    O type is the hunter gather eats a lot of protein
    A type will eat more grain
    AB type is mwill eat more grain and milk products

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    1. You might think this relates to blood types but I am an A- and am definitely a hunter.

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    2. Same, I am an O type and am definitely a farmer.

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  4. Would you be kind enough to explain why corn is bad for Hunter types? I like to eat El Milagro corn tortillas that generally have 3 ingredients: stone ground corn, Lime and water.

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  5. I'm a hunter and only eat once a day at breakfast. How many calories should I be consuming? I did a count and it's only around 300. I don't feel hungry for the remainder of the day and feel great. Am I doing damage to my body?

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