This Military Diet Can Help You Lose 4kg in 3 days

Thinking of the military diet are you? Sounds like a strict regime, doesn’t it? People who know it, claim you can get healthy, but most of all, you are going to lose weight, a lot. This diet is also called the 3-day diet, and you can actually lose 10 pounds a week. Those who advocate the military diet say that it has been designed by a team of nutritionists in the US military so that soldiers shape up very quickly. It is also believed and speculated that the diet was ‘created’ by a specialist in marketing and not a nutritional expert at all. He supposedly developed the website about this diet and now generates a huge income from the paid advertisements. The strange thing is, you can eat foods such as vanilla ice cream and even a hot dog or two. Beginning to sound like your type of diet? Of course – but like lots of attractive things that reel us in – there’s a catch!

What is it all about then?

Some say this diet has no affiliations with the military. It just boils down to a combination of low calories, foods that are chemically compatible together and which are designed to jump-start your weight loss. Many weight loss experts say it’s all just a marketing gimmick, especially when you read about the vanilla ice-cream and the hot dogs. But it has been proven to work and the catch is that there is a very strict range of foods that you need to plow through first on your first three days, and that’s why it’s also called the 3-day diet. You set the tone for the rest of the diet. After these 3 tough days of dieting, apparently, you then are allowed four days “off”.

Let’s look at it, day by day (you can buy most of the food items mentioned below from Amazon)

• DAY ONE (1400 calories)
• Breakfast: 1 slice of toast with 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Half grapefruit. Black tea or coffee.
• Lunch: 1 slice of toast or bread. ½-cup tuna. Black tea or coffee.
• Dinner: 3 ounces meat. 1 cup of green beans. ½ banana. 1 small apple. 1 cup vanilla ice-cream.
• DAY TWO (1200 calories)
• Breakfast: 1 slice of toast. ½ banana. 1 egg, cooked.
• Lunch: 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 egg, hard-boiled, 5 saltine crackers.
• Dinner: Two hot-dog sausages, (no bun). 1 cup broccoli. ½ banana. 1 cup vanilla ice cream.
• DAY THREE (1100 calories)
• Breakfast: 1 slice of cheddar cheese. 1 small apple. 5 saltine crackers.
• Lunch: 1 slice of toast or bread. 1 egg, cooked.
• Dinner: 1 cup of tuna. ½ banana. 1 cup vanilla ice cream.

You can substitute foods on this diet, but only with limitations – as long as you stay within the boundaries of the calorie limits. The above 3 days are your “on” days and the other days are classified as “off” days. On your “off” days, it is advised that you consume 1500 calories in a day. It is all about calorie restrictions, this diet.

Foods for the “off” days

For best results to be achieved on the Military Diet, it is advised that you follow a diet of 1500 calories and less. Generally speaking, most people will continue losing weight on 1500 calories per day – just as long as your calorie intake is less than what your burn in a day. You can see how many calories you burn in a day, using this as a rough guide:

• Just multiply your current weight by 12 = that is the calories you would burn in a day –

Below we have chosen a 4-day meal plan on your off days as part of the Military Diet. Choose a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner and 2 snacks that will provide around 1500 calories a day for your diet plan. Only ONE from each selection per day. We have provided 7 plans, one for each day of the week:

Breakfast:

1. A yogurt parfait: 1 cup of yogurt (plain) layered with 1 cup mixed berries, ¼ cup granola, and 1 Tablespoon sliced almonds.
2. Cheerio morning: 1 Cup Cheerios, 1 cup milk, 1 sliced banana, 1 orange.
3. Egg on toast: 1 egg, boiled or scrambled in 1 teaspoon butter. Place on a slice of whole grain toast, then top with tomato slices and ¼ avocado, sliced.
4. Oatmeal surprise: Combine one-third cup rolled oats, two-thirds cup milk, and ½ cup chopped apple. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
5. Whole grain waffles: 2 whole-grain waffles. Top with ¼ cup strawberries and ¼ cup blueberries with 7 walnuts.
6. Scrambled eggs: 2 eggs, scrambled. Serve with 1 cup fresh spinach chopped up and 1 whole wheat toasted English muffin.
7. Ricotta Cheese delight: 1 slice whole-wheat toast. Top with one-third cup ricotta cheese, 4 slices tomato, and some fresh basil leaves.

Lunch:

1. Tuna pita: Mix ½ can tuna with ½ cup white beans for one piece of pita (about 4 inches thick). Top with 1 tsp olive oil and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, then add a couple of lettuce leaves and 1 cup grapes.
2. Protein salad: Mix 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup of chopped raw veggies, 1 egg, hard-boiled, 2 teaspoons raisins, and 2 teaspoons of almonds. Add 2 teaspoons of balsamic dressing.
3. A Mediterranean Serve: 1 piece whole wheat pita bread. Stuff with 1-ounce feta cheese, 1 cup tomatoes, ¼ cup hummus, 6 olives, and 1 cup of raw spinach. Drizzle over 1 teaspoon olive oil with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
4. Veggie plate: 1 cup lentil soup. Serve with 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread topped with 1 teaspoon pesto, 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Tuna –Walnut greens: Combine 2 cups spring greens, 3 ounces tuna, 3 tablespoons walnuts, and 1 cup halved grape tomatoes. Top with 2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
6. Turkey-Pear sandwich: 2 slices whole-grain bread. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. 5 slices turkey. 1 pear sliced. 1 slice Swiss cheese.
7. Black-beans wrap: Wrap three-quarter cup black beans, ¼ avocado, 1 cup Romaine lettuce, and 2 tablespoons salsa in 2 whole-wheat tortillas.

Dinner:

1. BBQ black-bean burger and coleslaw: Cook 1 black bean burger and top with 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce. Serve in whole-wheat bun. Coleslaw side: mix 1.5 cups of shredded cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Shrimp and zucchini pasta: Cook 2 ounces frozen or fresh shrimp with 1 clove of garlic. Combine with 1 cup chopped zucchini, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Serve up with 1 cup whole-wheat pasta noodles.
3. Hot peanut chicken wraps: Sauté two-thirds cup of sliced chicken, ¼-cup scallions, 2 tablespoons of peanuts, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, and 1 cup of shredded cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Wrap all this in 2 whole wheat tortillas.
4. Sushi with soup: 1 cup miso soup, 1 tuna roll, and a small seaweed salad.
5. Tortilla-cheese-chili: 1.5 cups warm veggie chili. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped scallions, 8 broken-up tortilla chips, and 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar. Side salad: 2 cups mixed greens topped with 1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing.
6. Shrimp dinner: Sauté 1 cup cooked brown rice, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 garlic clove, and 1 Tablespoon grated ginger. Add 3 ounces of precooked shrimp with 2 cups of bok choy. Sauté for a further minute or two.
7. Stuffed chili cheesy potato: 1 baked potato. Top with ½-cup turkey or vegetarian chili, 1 cup cooked broccoli, and ¼ cup shredded cheddar.

Watch out because you can put on weight again

Even though the Military Diet is a calorie restriction program, it is suggested that, although this diet is highly effective while you are on it, it is very possible that as soon as you are off the program, you could gain weight again. There are also some extra things you need to know about this diet before you embark on it – just a couple of do’s and don’t’s:

• Do try and follow the plan just as it was designed. It is OK for you to add substitute here and there, but try and stick to the plan ideally to get the best results.
• Do be tough about this diet because it wasn’t named the Military Diet for anything. Probably it was named after the kind of discipline which is needed to go through a military camp. Just imagine that you are going off to boot camp for your body to get in shape.
• Do exercise on the diet. If you take up walking for just 20 minutes of the day, your body is going to get a boost, particularly if you do it first thing in the morning when your stomach is empty. Exercise it not an essential part of the military diet, but doing some light exercises are definitely going to enhance your losing weight. Exercise burns up colonies. On top of that, if you are not eating as much as you did before you started, your body is going to burn the fat. If you are already doing exercises on a regular basis, just continue with them.
• Do not forget to drink water on this diet, both before and after your meals so that you feel full. It is important to stay hydrated on the Military Diet.
• Do get someone to join you on the diet because it helps you to feel accountable to someone when the going seems tough. It sometimes makes it more fun when you are doing it with someone.
• Do weigh up before and after your diet, taking measurements as well. Because nothing will motivate you more than progress. Maybe putting on skinny jeans before the diet and then afterwards against for great rewards of seeing what you have accomplished.
• Do keep taking vitamins, particularly vitamin C – considered a fat burner. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that will help the body transform the fat from the food state into energy.
• Don’t eat snacks for the first 3 days you are on the Military Diet. You will notice that on first 3 days, there are no snacks included in the diet, so if you add extra calories, you are going to sabotage the diet and weight loss plans. Follow the diet plan as it is, confining yourself to the calorie limitations, and you will lose weight. Cheating on this diet, you won’t lose.
• Don’t go shopping when you are hungry. Rather buy your ingredients for your diet before you start so that you don’t feel tempted to toss in something that shouldn’t be a part of the diet.
• Don’t forget the 4 days after the 3 days are just as important so don’t undo the diet on those off days by eating wrongly. If you want to get the maximum results expected by you on the Military Diet, eat normally because remember you can’t go over the 1500 calorie mark. Choose rather from the meals offered during this time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner where you will notice it is all about eating lean proteins, veggies and going slow on the carbs.
• Don’t forget that if you do want to add in any substitutes over some of the foods, remember foods don’t have the same calorie values. For example, one cup of almonds on the diet won’t have the same value as a cup of tuna for instance, even though both are allowed on the diet.
• Don’t use artificial sweeteners. Stevia is allowed.
• Don’t for instance, if the diets says you must eat a grapefruit, you choose an orange instead. But don’t fret too much, we have provided you with a “substitutes” list of what you can replace with what. That’ll help you a lot.
• Don’t skimp on fat when you are on the Military Diet thinking that it will speed up your diet. Fat has the ability to rev up your metabolism. Have you noticed over the years how everyone has become fat-phobia? People don’t understand that they need the good fats. On the Military Diet, it is not necessary to look out for “fat-free” this and “fat-free” that. Maybe it does sound counter-intuitive, but fat actually burns fat. Fat stops your hunger hormones from feeling hungry and fat also boosts absorption of the antioxidants, which promotes leanness. When your metabolism speeds up, you burn more calories.

It is not really a 3-day diet with 4 days off. The “off” days that you have form part of the diet –so don’t get too excited. Look at the off days – they only allow you a limit of 1500 calories per day. It is recommended on those days that you take in healthy foods and avoid processed foods which are high in fats, sugars, and calories. Just stick to a nutritious way of eating, every day.

This diet claims to be “one of the best” and dieters are recommended to avoid artificial sweeteners. Which is a bit odd seeing as the diet suggests foods like hot dogs and crackers in – not exactly healthy foods as they are heavily processed, containing ingredients that are linked to increased risks of cancer and heart disease too. When you lose weight quickly, as you can do on this diet, it’s mostly water weight that is lost. Experts say that you can lose between 5-20 pounds of water weight just in a day of dieting. If you do want to lose weight quickly, it is possible to use any diet that cuts calories. Unfortunately, it is very possible that you will put on all that weight again unless you do learn to control your portions and make the portions very nutritional and healthy.

The Military Diet is great if you have intentions of losing weight quickly – of course, it will work for you. You might want to quickly lose weight for the summer holiday, you have a special date or want to look good for an interview; it will no doubt do the trick. But if you are wanting to lose weight on a diet that becomes your lifestyle, and you want to keep the weight off, then this probably isn’t the one to follow.

What about exercising on the Military Diet?

Exercising is not a compulsory thing on the military diet. But naturally, your diet is going to help much more if you exercise. You will achieve better results because you are going to burn up more calories. Because you are on a restricted calorie plan, you should customize your workouts to suit your needs. Before you start with any exercises, you definitely need to do warm-ups first so that you prevent injuring yourself. Then you will also need to do a cool down session also

Conclusion

On the Military Diet, it is very possible to lose 10 pounds in under a week, if you follow it to a T. And some say you can lose 10 pounds in those first 3 days too. That’s a lot. There are experts who say that when people lose weight at such a rate and they are restricting their calorie intake so severely, they are losing combinations of fat, muscle mass, and water. If you need to rapidly lose weight for a competition, a wedding, a summer holiday, a special date, etc. then it can work, but you need to realize that once the diet has ended, it is very likely that you would put on the weight again because you are just going back to your normal way of eating.

As you can see, the Military Diet does not exclude specific foods; nor is it particularly high in any of the specific nutrients much as carbs, proteins or fats. You lose weight simply because you are lowering your calorie intake. By taking in around 800-1100 calories a day is quite a feat because it is far less than what adults would normally take in a day to cover all their nutrients.

One report from CNN news actually interviewed some officials from the US military — even a nutrition expert who designs meal plans for the members of the military — to find out what they thought of the Military Diet. CNN was told that most military people had never even heard of this 3-day military diet, that it was not developed by the military and did not even have any resemblance to what the real military diet did entail since it had fewer calories and lower levels of nutrition. There are some who claim that the diet is supported as well by top organizations, which include the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic, for example. But no representatives from these organizations claim to have any ties to the military diet and had nothing to do with its creation. No one knows who did start it and yet it is growing very, very popular today. Along with many other fad diets, the Military Diet has now joined the ranks and is gaining a very substantial following online.