Presently the military diet is one of the world’s most famous “diets.” It is one that people claims have the potential to help you lose as much weight as you want quickly. We are talking about shedding as much as 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in one week on this diet.
Another reason why people seem to be attracted to the military diet is the fact that it is also free. There is no need to get any diet book, supplements, or expensive food.
But the question that you probably would want to answer is whether or not this diet plan actually works, and is it something that is safe enough for you to try? This article explains all the vital information that you need to have with regards to the military diet.
What Is the Military Diet?
The military diet is also known as the 3-day diet and is a fast expanding weight loss diet plan that is marketed to help people lose up to 10 pounds in a single week.
The military diet plan is a pretty simple one involving a 3-day meal plan accompanied by 4 days off, and a repeat of the weekly cycle until you reach your target weight.
Proponents of the military diet claim that nutritionists created it in the United States military in order to quickly get soldiers into top shape.
However, the facts we found suggest that the diet is not affiliated with any governmental or military institution.
There are other common names for the military diet goes, including the army diet, the navy diet, and the ice cream diet.
How does the military diet function?
The military diet is a 3-day military diet plan, but it is actually split into 2 phases over one week.
For the first three days of your diet, you have to follow a prepared low-calorie meal plan for your three meals every day. With this diet, there are no snacks allowed between meals.
During this phase, the total calorie intake is placed at roughly 1,100–1,400 per day.
This is many times lower than the average daily calorie intake for adults.
For the following four days of the week after the first three days, you are encouraged to eat only healthy food and continue to maintain a low-calorie intake.
People who believe in the diet claim that you have to repeat it for as long as it takes for you to get your desired weight.
The Meal Plan
Below is the 3-day meal plan you can adopt on the military diet.
Day 1
Below is the meal plan for the first day. It amounts to about 1,400 calories.
Breakfast:
- One slice of toast and two tablespoons of peanut butter
- Half a grapefruit
- A cup of coffee or tea
Lunch:
- Half a cup of tuna
- A slice of toast
- A cup of coffee or tea
Dinner:
- A cup of green beans with a 3-oz serving of meat
- One small apple
- Half a banana.
- A cup of vanilla ice cream.
Day 2
Here you need around 1,200 calories.
Breakfast:
- One slice of toast
- Half a banana
- One hard-boiled egg
- A cup of tea or coffee
Lunch:
- One hard-boiled egg
- A cup of cottage cheese
- A cup of coffee or tea
- Five saltine crackers
Dinner:
- Half a cup of carrots and half a cup of broccoli.
- Half a banana
- Half a cup of vanilla ice cream
- Two hot dogs, with no bun
Day 3
Below is the plan for day 3, which will amount to about 1,100 calories.
Breakfast:
- Five saltine crackers
- A 1-ounce slice of cheddar cheese
- A small apple
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Lunch:
- One egg, cooked however you like
- A slice of toast
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Dinner:
- Half a banana
- A cup of tuna
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
At this point, you are free to drink as much tea or coffee as you like. However, you are to avoid all forms of calories from cream or sugar. Drink lots of water too.
The Remaining 4 Days
You do not have to be careless for the remainder of the week, as it also involves dieting.
Here, snacks are allowed, and there are no restrictions on food groups. However, people are encouraged to reduce portion sizes and maintain a total calorie intake of below 1,500 per day.
There are no rules that must be followed for the remaining four days of the military diet.
Additional Foods Permitted
When it comes to the military diet and substitutions, there are no rules set in stone. During the first 3-day phase, you can opt for better options if you have dietary restrictions, but all portions must contain the same amount of calories.
For instance, people who have a peanut allergy can easily avoid peanut butter and opt for almond butter.
You can also skip 1 cup of tuna and opt for some almonds if you don’t eat fish or meat.
All that matters as far as the military diet is concerned is that you maintain a stipulated number of calories. If you decide to change the meal plan in any way, then you’ll need to start counting calories.
Proponents of this weight-loss diet plan encourage people to drink lots of hot lemon water but stand against all forms of artificially sweetened beverages. Nevertheless, they are yet to provide any scientific reason why this is a good idea.
Is the Military Diet Based on Evidence?
So far, there has been no research on the military diet. Nevertheless, the average person will most likely shed a few pounds as a result of the week-long calorie restriction involved.
However, the proponents of the military diet suggest that it has a particular weight loss advantage as a result of the proposed “food combinations” in the prepared meal plan. These combos are said to deliberately raise your metabolism and cause you to burn fat. No truth has been found to back up these claims.
Green tea and coffee do contain certain compounds that may slightly speed up metabolism, but science has not suggested any combination of foods that do the same thing.
We hope that this article has been helpful. Kindly leave a comment below.
References;
- Top 10 evidence-based benefits of green tea; Healthline
- Lose 10 pounds in one week; Healthline
