Bodybuilder John Robert Cardillo began his training by following a high-volume routine. He eventually adapted to the high-intensity training approach created by Nautilus founder Arthur Jones. In the years since, Cardillo has created his own form of training, which he calls HIT3. He uses it to educate trainers who work for him in his Transformation Mastery clinics.
The same can be said for Cardillo’s approach to nutrition. He followed the advice published in the magazines, which called for several meals every couple of hours. He evolved to a diet considered an extreme version of intermittent fasting.
Cardillo fasts 22 hours a day, with a two-hour eating window. He feels it has helped him stay in great shape, and many of his clients echo that statement. Cardillo published a book called the Transformation Diet Lifestyle Program and spoke to BarBend in an exclusive interview about why he feels the diet isn’t that extreme.
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Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for readability.
BarBend (BB): What was your nutrition philosophy during your bodybuilding days? How long did you follow that philosophy before switching to what you promote today?
John Robert Cardillo (JRC): When I first started competing in bodybuilding, I followed the typical bodybuilding diet of eating every 2.5 hours, eating five to six small meals each day, and keeping carbohydrates at less than 100 grams per day. Protein made up 80 percent of each meal.
BB: What compelled your decision for change?
JRC: I found it very difficult to stay on the typical bodybuilding diet. I felt miserable all day and constantly hungry. I dreaded competition prep.
Every couple of weeks, I would need to go on a junk food binge because my body craved carbohydrates. That was usually followed by bouts of guilt and disappointment in myself. It was a horrible roller coaster. I dropped out of several competitions because I couldn’t maintain my diet.
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BB: How would you summarize your nutrition philosophy today?
JRC: The prevalence of fast food outlets in every major thoroughfare in North America has manipulated the public into following a very unhealthy lifestyle. The fact of the matter is that it is unhealthy to eat three meals per day.
We have become accustomed to following this eating pattern because food companies propagandize various aspects of meal times to promote their products. New research studies, which I refer to in my book, prove that skipping one or two of the normal three meals per day is beneficial for our overall health.
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My book refers to over 300 published studies regarding protein intake, which indicate that we need much less protein per day than most “workout experts” recommend.
Low-glycemic, plant-based carbohydrates are the most important macronutrients for fueling our daily lives. In fact, I recommend that a daily nutrition program consist of 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates. Healthy fats from plants are the second most important macronutrient for general health and should make up at least 25 percent of the daily food intake.
BB: You wrote about hormones in your book. Why are they important to how we eat?
JRC: Hormones control every chemical reaction in our body. Most importantly, they control our behavior and how we feel. Therefore, hunger, satiety, weight gain, weight loss, and all cell functions that affect our energy and moods are controlled by our hormones.
Individuals cannot control their eating patterns without understanding that food is no different from medicine. Food is the driving factor that controls the release of seven hormones, which are instrumental in regulating how much and the quality of food we eat. The hormones are serotonin, dopamine, cortisol, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon, and leptin.
BB: There are versions of intermittent fasting of 16 hours off/eight on, even as much as 18 off/six on. Yours is 22 off/two on. How did you conclude that was best?
JRC: The idea of intermittent fasting is to force the metabolism to use stored energy (glucose) for fuel and to stimulate the pancreas to release glucagon instead of insulin. Glucagon is the opposite hormone to insulin.
In the absence of sugar (due to the fasting period), the pancreas releases glucagon, which travels through the bloodstream to cells. This stimulates all cells to release glucose or fatty acids for energy, causing fat loss.
BB: Is 16 on/eight off not a more realistic schedule to follow?
Fasting for 22 hours not only burns more calories, but I feel it is actually easier than 16 hours due to a less hormonal roller coaster. Therefore, there is less opportunity to cheat during the feeding period.
BB: How do you help clients who want to transition to that method?
JRC: My book gives a day-by-day guide to learn how to fast for 22 hours. It takes four days to transition from a regular four-meals-a-day lifestyle to a 22/two fasting lifestyle. By the fifth day, my clients don’t feel hungry at dinner time. They have their main meal at 7:00 p.m. and a small healthy snack two to three hours later before going to sleep.
BB: How does this diet affect training? Should competitive athletes consider this?
JRC: I feel it is perfect for any adult athlete. What most people do not understand is that when an individual is training, the energy they are actually using is not the meals that they ate that day or their pre-workout shake. It is energy within the muscle cells and liver that has been stored as a result of meals, ingested and metabolized at least 18 to 24 hours previously.
It takes time for food to be broken down (in the stomach, small and large intestines) to its molecular parts. Then it must travel through the bloodstream to the liver, where it gets repackaged and sent to all the body’s cells that need energy, or is stored in body fat/adipose cells.
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BB: Why do you feel more people should follow this type of nutrition program?
JRC: I have been following this for the last 30 years. I don’t like to eat my main meal any earlier than 7:00 p.m. and then a small snack at 9:30.
When I was competing, I weighed 230 to 240 pounds. Since then, I have maintained a body weight of 190 pounds. I hardly go up or down more than three pounds. Whenever I get a craving for a piece of cheesecake or my favorite vegan pizza, it’s not a big deal because eating one-and-a-half meals per day is not a large amount of food.
My actual stomach is a lot smaller because of less meals. Therefore, I get full without ingesting a large amount of food.
Cardillo’s book, The Transformation Diet Lifestyle Program, is available on Amazon.
Featured Image: @johnrobertcardillo on Instagram
