Herschel Walker eats only salads and bread, and sometimes not even that.

[jobycom]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/10/11/herschel.fitness.martial.arts/index.html?hpt=C2

He eats once a day, skipping breakfast and lunch. After a long, intense day of training, he eats salad and bread for dinner. He doesn't care for meat or fuss about getting enough protein. Walker's a vegetarian.

"It's a mindset -- something I've been doing for a long time," he said. "I don't worry about protein. I don't worry about all that. I'm from old school. I grew up in south Georgia. They didn't worry about cholesterol or protein. They went out and worked and lived a long time, so I don't put a lot of worries in my mind. I just get it done."

Sometimes, Walker doesn't have an appetite and will go through seven hours of wrestling, kickboxing, sparring and practicing jujitsu without having eaten for three or four days.

[supernova]

1. So really, he's into extreme calorie restriction

Good for him. Nice bod. :D

As long as he's drinking enough, obviously.

[madinmaryland]

2. Hmmm. Maybe the Vikings will trade another boatload of draft picks to the Cowboys for him!!

:D

[Ishoutandscream2]

19. Ha! Kicking your comment

Looks like we need to swing a big trade again, and fast. How about our GM for some draft picks? Hell, how about just releasing him outright!

[Mojambo]

3. Seems pretty extreme for the kind of activity he's engaging in

But then he's kind of a physical outlier I'd think.

Wouldn't recommend that for anyone else.

[supernova]

4. possibly anorexic?

Engaging in heavy workouts, combined with not eating for days at a time?

[Gormy Cuss]

5. I guess if it's a big salad loaded with a variety of foods and whole grain bread, it may be fine

as long as he's taking vitamin supplements.

OTOH, that no appetite or eating for three or four days though sounds like a medical issue -- I hope he has good MD support.

[kentauros]

7. Leave it to CNN to leave out what type of salad, too.

Well, not just CNN, but basically all mainstream media doesn't bother to go into depth on that subject. There are plenty of salads out there, and not all include leafy greens. But they gotta keep that stigma in the public's mind that all us veggies only eat salads and bread.

I really have to hold back the snark at work whenever I tell one of those types (that doesn't know what a vegetarian eats) that I am one and not a big lover of salads. I think almost every one of them that has ever suggested I have one of the salads at "insert brand-name eatery here", they then follow with the question, "Well, what else is there?"

[ChoralScholar]

13. Taco Salad, probably. Or Macaroni Salad.

[Odin2005]

24. Heh, I'm a carnivore and I love lettuce-based salads.

Good salad bars are like heaven for me.

[kentauros]

29. That's great! :)

I like salads, but not enough to make my own at home (the lettuce will go bad before I can eat it all.) My other point about leafy salads was that too many people still seem to think that us vegetarians only eat salads, as if that's the only veggie food on the planet. The food they eat with their meat portion doesn't seem to register in their brains as "vegetarian" ;)

[Odin2005]

31. IMO people think "lettuce" = bland iceberg lettuce.

Argula lettuce? Can't have that, that is what the libruls eat! :rofl:

[kentauros]

35. Iceberg is also the "default" lettuce used in most restaurants,

though sometimes they'll branch out with romaine. And that's about it. (I'm talking about salads served to you versus self-serve salad bars, which usually have more variety.) I have vowed that when I have a house with a yard, I'll be growing that "weed" dandelion so I can have the leaves for salads (and herbal medicine) :)

I will sometimes buy or fill a bag of the mixed-leaf stuff, but salads just aren't a big favorite food. Last night I mixed together carrots, onions, string beans, half a lime, coconut milk, Morningstar Farms "chicken" strips, cinnamon, cardamom, chipotle powder, brewer's yeast and turmeric into a nice meal. It was delicious and I'm having the leftovers in less than an hour :9

[Odin2005]

45. Mmmm, dandelion greens! *Drools*

And that green bean chicken salad sounds DELICIOUS!

[kentauros]

50. It WAS delicious

but it wasn't a salad ;)

And, knowing my penchant to bug people that think all weeds are bad, I'd likely "spread my seed" into their lawns and gardens, then educate them after the fact :7

[flvegan]

6. Vegetarian athlete? Impossible!

That not having eaten for three or four days strikes me as odd, but different bodies are different.

[jobycom]

41. HOWEVER COULD HE GET ENOUGH PROTEIN!!!1?

All you dangerous-fad-dieter peoples is just frail and unhealthy!! God made humans to eat animals!! Doncha know?!1

[RadiationTherapy]

8. In college he claimed to never go in a weight room.

He only did push ups and sit ups - thousands a day.

He also took ballet seriously for a while. Interesting man and incredible athlete.

[sammytko]

17. Being able to move your own body weight around with pull-ups and

push-ups is the best exercise ever. No need for fancy machines that just end up as a place to hang your clothes. Throw in some running and you are good to go!

[femmocrat]

9. Who the hell is Herschel Walker? n/t

[elleng]

10. Him

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker

[jobycom]

11. If you have to ask, you can't afford him. nt

[Phentex]

27. LOL!

Good answer! :)

[applegrove]

12. Isn't he the one who could play more than one professional sport? I think

to be an athelete like that would make it easy to eat well. He probably gets so much out of his body.

[driver8]

16. I think you are thinking of Bo Jackson.

Herschel only played football.

[applegrove]

20. You are right.

[Drunken Irishman]

21. Or Deion Sanders, who played both in the NFL and MLB.

[driver8]

23. Deion wasn't that good in baseball -- Bo was pretty decent. n/t

[jobycom]

42. I don't know. Deion was a good base stealer and had a better

on base percentage, probably because Bo struck out so much. Bo was a much better home run hitter, and Bo actually started most of his games, whereas Deion was a pinch runner and hitter a lot of times. Deion played eleven seasons in the majors--that's better than most baseball players ever get. I don't think either had a shot at the Hall of Fame, and both were much better football players, but Deion wasn't bad at baseball. He just took football more seriously.

Deion is one of two NFL players to score a touchdown in six different ways--rushing, receiving, kick return, punt return, interception, and fumble recovery. The other guy is a bigger stud. Bill Dudley scored in each of those ways, and also threw for a touchdown, kicked field goals, and kicked extra points--and he interrupted his football career to fight WWII. He's on my team when the zombie apocalypse comes!

Okay, I wondered OT, but life's too short to color only inside the lines.

[driver8]

49. I didn't realize that he played for 11 seasons!

I was never a Deion fan, but he is an amazing athlete.

[NoGOPZone]

36. He was an Olympic bobsledder, but I don't think he played two pro sports. nt

[seabeyond]

14. his was an interesting story. nt

[Schema Thing]

15. easy to do.

if you're not fucking human!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

18. Odds are this guy is a lying idiot.

Just my 2 cents.

[jobycom]

26. You think he's really Linda Hunt in reverse drag, maybe?

:shrug:

I mean, it's his body, it's not like he's got a much younger body double subbing for him. Sure, he probably eats more now and then, and maybe he's drinking protein shakes the article fails to mention--it doesn't really go into much detail. But I doubt he could maintain that regimen and that body shape sneaking rib eyes or Snickers bars every night. What part do you think he's lying about? And why?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

28. I think he's just looking for attention...

...and you can get that body by working out a crap ton. And still eat meat. I know people personally who still eat meat and carbs, and ride 20 miles a day or run 10 miles a day depending on what is going on. You just have to be dedicated.
If he truly eats only salads and bread, he's have to have a hell of a protein shake regimen. Bodies must have protein. And it is hard to survive on less than 1500 calories a day. The whole story just sounds like he's either lying for attention, or is taking some risks that are going to end up screwing up his system.
But no matter what I say, someone's going to insist otherwise, and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about regardless of what I might think or know about the human body. Whatever.
Duckie

[woo me with science]

30. Oh, you're spot on.

There's a history of serious drama and attention-seeking here. He also claims to have repressed memories and multiple personalities.

[jobycom]

33. Well, since you dismiss any possible attempt to discuss the matter due to your superior knowledge...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

37. Honestly, I'm not up to arguing with you. I have my opinion...

...you have yours. Do you really think that anything I say is going to change your mind or vice versa? You didn't seem open to what I said before, so I don't think it's worth discussing.
Duckie

[jobycom]

40. Actually, I found your post well stated and persuasive...

but your final declaration stood out more than the rest of it. I asked an honest question, you gave a decent answer, then you slammed my nose in the door and flipped me off. If you don't think things are worth discussing, why are you commenting on a discussion board?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

43. I was in a bad mood and I quickly degraded.

I apologize.

[jobycom]

44. Well, then...

Your arguments were well-stated and persuasive. I have had doubts about Walker's reliability since I was a Cowboys fan in the 80s, when he would make some unbelievable claims at times. While I believe the conventional wisdom about protein requirements are overstated, I do have trouble believing he doesn't have some other form of protein intake, either as a supplement, or maybe in the salad. A basic salad with a variety of vegetables and maybe nuts and legumes or even boiled eggs would be more than enough protein for most people, it seems overall light for an athlete who works out as much as Walker. On the other hand, maybe since he's always maintained his conditioning, his protein requirement are lower since he's not building muscle but maintaining it at a level it's been accustomed to for most of his life.

Any way it goes, his condition is impressive for a 48 year old.

[Generic Brad]

22. Does he eat in the third person?

[petronius]

25. I admit that this a dickish sort of joke, but the article does say that he's been treated

for dissociative identity disorder - maybe one of the other personalities is doing the eating during those 3-4 days? ;)

This really is an impressive story; I admire his 'no excuses' attitude, and the accomplishments speak for themselves. And to think I was proud of my weekly pushup...

[Schema Thing]

38. I've speculated that this is what is going on.

Many of the serious personality disorders will make a person seemingly lie about things - when the emotions are talking, reality is what you feel, not what happened.



He's still an amazing human - whose body and metabolism should probably be studied by science.

[NuttyFluffers]

32. well since he's the outlier for human excellence, people should emulate him...

because outliers of excellence are obviously the future for the human condition. all we need to do is emulate any ol' counter-indicated thing they do.

if we gather all the exceptional people in the world and catalogue their contradictory techniques we'll soon have the recipe for ubermenschen! :7 yes, yes, soon all our social ills will be solved!

[lightningandsnow]

34. In before "At least he's not FAAAAATTTTT!"

That sounds like an eating disorder, I'm sorry. I knew a girl who ate like that and she looked very underweight - I don't think she ever got treatment for it, but I think she was anorexic.

[KamaAina]

39. Who's Herschel Walker?

:P

[old mark]

46. Please see #10...nt

[KamaAina]

47. I know quite well who he is

just wanted to get in a dig at the Cowpies. :P

[old mark]

48. He was also an Iggle at one time....wonder if he ate cheese steaks then. nt