Today, Military diet is one of the most popular diets in the world. It’s claimed to help you lose weight quickly – about 10 pounds/4.5 kilograms in just one week. This diet is also totally free! There is no expensive food, supplements, or book you need to buy.
And the most important thing – does Military diet actually work? This article explains all you should know about this diet!
What is the Military Diet?
This diet is also known as The 3-Day Diet. It’s a weight loss eating plan that can help you lose around 10 pounds in a single week.
The Military diet plan includes a three-day eating plan followed by four days off, and the cycle is repeated over and over again – or until you reach the goal weight.
Supporters of the diet claim that it was created by nutritionists in the US military to get militaries into top shape fast.
But, the truth is that the diet is not affiliated with any governmental or military institution.
This diet goes by some other names as well, including the army diet, the navy diet, and the ice cream diet.
How Does the Military Diet Work?
The 3-day meal plan is actually split into 2 stages over a 7-day period.
For the first three days, you should follow a set low-calorie eating plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – without eating snacks between meals.
Total calorie intake during this stage is approximately 1,100–1,400 calories a day.
For the next four days of the week, you should keep the calorie intake low and eat healthily.
3-Day Military Diet Plan
Day 3 of the 3-day diet has a total calorie amount of around 1,000 calories.
In order to benefit from this diet, you must stick to the meals shown for every day. Don’t eat anything more than what is presented here for day 3. Remember, always drink plenty of water throughout the day. Following, we present you the complete meal plan:
Day 1
It amounts to about 1,400 calories.
Breakfast:
- A slice of toast with 2 tbsp. of peanut butter
- 1/2 grapefruit
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional)
Lunch:
- A slice of toast
- 1/2 cup of tuna
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional)
Dinner:
- A cup of green beans with a 3-oz/85 g serving of meat
- 1 apple
- ½ banana
- A cup of vanilla ice cream
Day 2
Amounts to around 1,200 calories.
Breakfast:
- A slice of toast
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- ½ banana
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional)
Lunch:
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- A cup of cottage cheese
- 5 saltine crackers
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional)
Dinner:
- Two hot dogs (without bun)
- ½ banana
- ½ cup of broccoli and ½ cup of carrots
- ½ cup of vanilla ice cream
Day 3
Amounts to around 1,100 calories.
Breakfast:
- A slice of cheddar cheese
- A small apple
- Five saltine crackers
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional)
Lunch:
- A slice of toast
- 1 egg
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional)
Dinner:
- 1 cup of tuna
- ½ banana
- A cup of vanilla ice cream
Once you complete the 3-day diet, you’re supposed to exercise and eat normally for the next 4 days. Feel free to drink as much tea or coffee as you want, as long as you do not add any calories from cream or sugar.
The Remaining 4 Days
The rest of the week also includes dieting. There are no food group restrictions and snacks are allowed. Though, you are encouraged to limit portion – just keep the total calorie intake below 1500 a day.
There are no other instructions for the remaining four days of the diet.
It Can Work – Though, Not for Long
The military diet may help if you want to lose a few pounds quickly. However, you are likely to regain the weight back really fast, too. Therefore, this is not a great diet for long-lasting weight loss.
If you really want to lose a lot of weight and keep it like that – then there are some other weight loss methods that are much better than this diet.
Conclusion:
The military diet is a weight loss diet which is claimed to promote weight loss in one week. The first three days of this diet involve calorie restrictions and have a set meal plan. The remaining four days have fewer restrictions.
No research has proven that Military diet can help you lose weight. Due to the fact that this diet is a low-calorie plan – it can make you feel tired, grumpy, and/or hungry.
References: Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Webmd.com 3daymillitarydietmenu.com