Overview:
The military diet is presently one of the world’s most popular “diets”. It is claimed to assist you to lose weight quickly, up to 10 pounds (4.5 kg) within a single week.
The military diet is also free. There’s not any publication (book), expensive food, or nutritional supplement you want to purchase. However, does military diet actually work? And is it something you should try?
In this article, we try to give answers, everything you need to know about the military diet.
What’s the Military Diet?
The military diet also referred to as the 3-day diet, is a weight loss diet that can help you to lose up to 10 pounds in a week.
The military diet plan involves a 3-day meal program followed by 4 days away, and the weekly cycle is repeated over and over until you achieve your target weight.
Proponents of the diet claim it was created by nutritionists in the US army so as to get soldiers to top shape quickly.
But, the truth is that the diet isn’t affiliated with any military or governmental establishment.
The military diet goes by several other names too, including the army diet, the navy diet, and even the ice cream diet.
“The military diet really is a low-calorie weight loss diet that is promised to promote substantial weight loss in just 1 week”.
How Does the Military Diet Works?
The 3-day military diet is really split into two phases over a 7-day period. For the first 3 days, you must stick to a couple low-calorie meal programs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
There are no snacks between meals.
Total calorie intake in this period is approximately 1,100–1,400 calories per day (This is much lower than the typical adult’s intake).
For the remaining 4 days of the week, you are encouraged to eat healthily and continue to keep your calorie intake low.
Proponents of the diet claim that you may replicate the diet a few times until you achieve your goal weight.
“The first 3 days of the military diet have a set meal plan and involved in calorie restriction. The remaining 4 days have some fewer restriction”.
The Military Diet (Meal Plan):
Here is actually the 3-day meal plan on the military diet.
Day 1 of military diet:
Meal plan for day 1, which amounts to around 1,400 calories.
Breakfast:
- A piece of toast with two t-spoons of peanut butter.
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional).
- Half a grapefruit.
Lunch:
- A slice of toast.
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional).
- Half a cup of tuna.
Dinner:
- A cup of green beans with A 3-oz (85 grams) serving of beef.
- A small apple.
- Half a banana.
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream.
Day 2 of military diet:
Meal plan for day 2, which amounts to around 1,200 calories.
Breakfast:
- A piece (slice) of toast.
- 1 hard-boiled egg.
- Half a piece of banana.
- A cup of tea or coffee (optional).
Lunch:
- A cup of cottage cheese.
- 1 hard-boiled egg.
- 5 saltine crackers.
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional).
Dinner:
- Two hot dogs, with no bun.
- A small cup of broccoli and half a cup of carrots.
- Half a piece of banana.
- Half a cup of vanilla ice cream.
Day 3 of military diet:
Meal plan for day 3, which amounts to around 1,100 calories.
Breakfast:
- A 1-ounce piece of cheddar cheese.
- A small apple.
- 5 saltine crackers.
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional).
Lunch:
- A slice of toast.
- One egg, cooked however you like to.
- A cup of tea or a coffee (optional).
Dinner:
- A cup of tuna.
- Half a piece of banana.
- Half a cup of vanilla ice cream.
Feel free to drink as much tea or coffee as you want, as long as you don’t add any calories from sugar or cream. Drink plenty of water too.
Remaining 4 Days of the military diet
The rest of the week also entails dieting. Snacks are permitted and there are no food group constraints. But you are encouraged to limit portion sizes and keep total calorie intake under 1,500 per day.
There aren’t any other rules for the remaining days of this diet.
“The first 3 days of the military diet have a set menu, while another 4 are less restricted. You are still encouraged to eat healthily and limit your calories for the remaining 4 days”.
Added Foods Permitted:
Substitutions are allowed during the 3-day phase for those with dietary restrictions, however, parts should comprise the same number of calories.
By way of instance, in case you’ve got a peanut allergy, then you can swap peanut butter for peanut butter.
You can also swap 1 cup of tuna for a number of almonds if you are vegetarian.
All that matters is the calories remain the same. If you alter the meal plan in any way, you have to be restricting calories.
Proponents of this military diet encourage drinking hot lemon water but recommend against artificially carbonated beverages. But, there is absolutely no scientific reason why this could be a fantastic idea.
“In case you’ve got dietary limitations, then you’re permitted to substitute foods of equal calories”.
Is the Military Diet Based on Evidence?
There haven’t been any studies on the military diet. However, the ordinary person is very likely to eliminate a few pounds due to this week-long calorie limitation.
If fewer calories enter your fat tissue than leave it, then you lose fat. Period.
However, proponents of the diet claim that it’s a certain weight reduction advantage due to the”food combinations” in the meal program. These combinations are said to increase your metabolism and burn fat, but there is not any truth behind those claims.
Coffee and green tea do contain chemicals that can slightly boost metabolism, but there are no known combinations of food in a position to do this.
And, if you examine the overall foods contained in the meal program, it simply does not seem like a fat-burning diet.
Foods that are high in protein boost metabolism more than other foods. But the majority of the meals in the military diet are packed with protein and high in carbs, which is a bad mix for weight reduction.
Some folks also claim this diet has comparable health benefits to intermittent fasting. But, there’s absolutely no fasting involved with the diet, so this is untrue.
“The military diet can help you lose weight as it is extremely low in calories. But, it has no special advantage that makes it more effective than other calorie-restricted diets”.
Is your Military Diet Safe and Sustainable?
The military diet is likely safe for the average person because it’s too brief to do lasting injury.
But if you should follow this diet for months at a time, the strict limitation on calories could put you at risk of nutrient deficiencies.
This is particularly true if you do not regularly eat vegetables and other excellent foods on your days away.
Also, eating hot dogs, crackers, and ice cream every week has the potential to cause metabolic issues. Junk food shouldn’t be a normal part of your diet.
Concerning sustainability, this diet is fairly simple to accomplish. It does not rely on long-term habit changes and just needs willpower for a brief quantity of time.
That being said, it probably won’t help you keep the weight off for quite long since it will not help you change your habits.
“The military diet is probably safe for healthy individuals, but it shouldn’t be done for extended periods of time. It probably doesn’t lead to lasting weight loss”.
Could You Lose 10 Pounds In a Week?
This diet became popular because it claims you can lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) per week.
Theoretically, this speed of weight loss is potential for obese people who severely restrict calories. But the majority of the weight reduction will probably be due to loss of water, not fat.
Water weight drops rapidly as the body’s glycogen stores decline, which occurs when you restrict calories and carbs.
This seems good on the scales, however, that burden will be regained when you begin eating normally again.
“It’s possible to lose 10 pounds in a week. However, most of this will be water weight, which can be regained when you begin eating normally”.
It Can Work, But Maybe Not For Long:
If you would like to eliminate a few pounds fast, then the military diet might help.
But you’re likely to regain the weight back very quickly too. This is just not a good diet for lasting weight loss.
If you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off, then there are many weight loss methods that are much better than the military diet.
Ask your friends and loved ones for support.
If you’re feeling anxious or depressed, consider joining a support group or seeking counseling. Believe in your ability to take control of the pain…
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