Overview of the Military Diet | Do's and Don'ts

Military Diet – Overview

A Secret Diet? There is a secret diet out there, you won’t find it in any book or library and there’s nothing for sale, in fact the entire diet plan is outlined for you below, near the end of this article.

It’s called the Military Diet or occasionally the 3 Day Diet and requires no pills, special exercises or expensive prepackaged foods. It’s fairly simple to follow and those who share it online swear they lost 10 pounds in 3 days or 30 pounds in 30 days! Is that possible? If so, how did they do it?

Successful Diets. A successful diet, one that truly promotes weight loss, involves reducing the number of calories you consume. This type of diet is referred to as a calorie restrictive diet, and may eliminate meals, snacks or occasionally, entire food groups. The military diet restricts calories, and while it may be difficult to stay with, if you have the right attitude and very strong willpower, you WILL lose weight, and possibly as much as the 10 pounds claimed by its internet fans.

Will it work for you? In the short term, yes. If you are able to stick with the program as outlined here, you should be able to lose a measurable amount of weight in a very short time (3 days). Make no mistake, this IS a CRASH DIET, not meant for long term use or an extended health weight loss. The Military Diet is designed for quick weight loss for that special occasion that requires you to fit in your wedding dress, new bathing suit or special event. If you have a week, rather than 3 days, it will be even more effective.

THE PROS:

Simple Rules. Many popular or fad diets have complicated, long and drawn out instructions or “rules” and want you to weigh foods, count calories and prepare and then measure what you eat. Or they sell you prepackaged foods or meal replacement shakes that are crazy expensive, more so than real, healthy foods. The Military Diet is short, simple and tells you exactly what to eat for quick weight loss.
Groceries. The Military Diet uses simple foods that you can buy in one trip to the grocery store. The small meals are quick and easy to prepare, nothing fancy.
No Snacks. Many diet plans include snacks, but the Military Diet plan does not. Stick with the three meals for three days and you’ll see yourself losing weight. Adding calories from snacks will only slow down your fat loss and extend the process, defeating the point of your rapid fat loss.

How it works. The Military Diet is an uncomplicated low calorie form of intermittent fasting, which is designed to speed up your metabolism and burn fat. Period. For three days of the week you eat less than 1000 calories a day. Since the average woman burns 1800 calories on a normal day, you are guaranteed to lose weight. That’s a 600 calorie deficit and you must lose weight as your body burns fat to make up this difference.

Who is the Military Diet for? The Military Diet will work best for people who are extremely motivated to lose weight and those with extreme willpower to overcome the hunger that WILL be present with any calorie restricted diet. You’ll be hungry, 3 days at a time. But if you can tough it out for those 3 days, you’ll be rewarded with weight loss. The Military Diet is also great for:

Dieters with no money or limited funds for expensive prepackaged diet foods.
Dieters who don’t have time or desire for extensive shopping or lengthy food preparation.
People who don’t like or can’t follow complicated and hard to follow diets. This diet is straight to the point, no decisions to make which makes it that much easier to follow.
Dieters who don’t want to or don’t have time for meal or menu planning, recipes or shopping lists.

Bottom Line. The Military Diet works because of it’s simplicity. No calorie counting, fancy food prep or cooking, or weird foods – you probably have most of the foods you need in your refrigerator right now! Each small meal is low in calories but will provide an optimal mix of proteins, carbohydrates and dietary fat. This combination will support life, and keep your metabolism running and burning calories.

The Military Diet Plan. Each of the three meals is detailed and specific, don’t try to change it unless you have food allergies or strict dietary restrictions. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you’ll need to substitute the protein or dairy elements of this diet.

Day 1 – Breakfast
1/2 Grapefruit
1 Slice of Toast – preferably wholegrain
2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
1 cup Coffee or Tea (with caffeine)

Day 1 – Lunch
1/2 Cup of Tuna or lean protein substitute
1 Slice of Toast
1 cup Coffee or Tea (with caffeine)

Day 1 – Dinner
4 ounces of any meat or protein substitute
1 cup of green beans
1/2 banana
1 small apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream.
Day 2 – Breakfast
1 egg
1 slice of toast
1/2 banana

Day 2 – Lunch
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 hardboiled egg
5 saltine crackers

Day 2 – Dinner
4 oz of any meat or protein (including hotdogs) substitute with tofu
1 cup of broccoli
1/2 cup of carrots
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream

Day 3 – Breakfast
5 saltine crackers
1 slice of cheddar cheese
1 small apple

Day 3 – Lunch
1 hardboiled egg (or cooked however you like)
1 slice of toast

Day 3 – Dinner
1 cup of tuna
1/2 banana
1 cup of vanilla ice cream

Days 4 – 7

You’re on your own, eat what you like, but keep it to a maximum of 1500 calories a day. Most people seriously misjudge how many calories they eat, so if you’re serious about weight loss and getting skinny, you’ll do a little research and keep a food journal.

During your 3 days ON the diet, you are encouraged to drink lots and lots of plain water to enhance fat loss, flush out toxins and also help you to feel fuller, longer. Sodas, including so-called diet sodas and other artificially-sweetened beverages are NOT allowed as they can interfere with hormones and fat loss despite being low in calories or even calorie-free. The chemicals used to sweeten “sugar-free” foods are dangerous and drive your sweet tooth and need for sweets.

Vegan or Vegetarian Options. The Military Diet is intentionally strict and simple, but if needed, can be adapted and personalized to fit your dietary restrictions or strong food preferences or aversions. If needed, you can replace the tuna, meat and eggs with your preferred protein sources or any of the following: Lentils, Soy or Tofu, Cottage Cheese, or Nuts. If you can’t or won’t eat grapefruit, half a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of warm water will have the same fat-burning effect. If you don’t like tuna, any fish is an acceptable substitute and if you don’t like fish, any lean protein will work.

Keep in mind that ALL food substitutions must maintain the same number of calories and nutrients (protein, carbs, fats) as whatever you are replacing. As an example, an apple contains 75 calories so if you choose to replace it with something other than an apple, that fruit must also contain 75 calories. Replace fruit with fruit and vegetables with vegetables to help ensure you preserve the intended balance of nutrients in each meal.

Military Diet Do’s and Dont’s

Follow the plan exactly as it is. Don’t try to change or “tweak” it or modify it. (other than the previously discussed adaptations). Follow the diet as written, it works that way, and it won’t work if you don’t follow it.
Be prepared to tough it out. You WILL be hungry, but you’ll only “starve” for three days at a time – you can do it!
Follow a sensible diet after the three days. A 1500 calorie plan is recommend for the rest of the week. You can use the initial 3 day Military Diet as a launching pad to better overall nutrition.
Don’t snack. Stick with the three meals for three days and you’ll see yourself lose the weight. Adding snack calories will just slow down the fat loss process.
Add 100 calories for being a man. Men need more calories to support metabolism, add an extra 100 calories a day if you are a man.
Don’t overeat on your days off the Military Diet. If you do, you’ll only undo all hard work and you won’t get the results you want.

Getting Results From The Military Diet

Again, it’s simple and straightforward, but there are several things you can do to make your fat burning and weight loss even easier and more effective. Getting skinny quickly is serious business and you want to be successful.

Drink Water! Start each morning with a big glass of water and drink another glass before every meal. Water is calorie free and filling and you’ll feel less hungry if you drink more water each and every day.
Avoid shopping. Buy your food in advance so you don’t have to go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Shopping when you are hungry can wreak havoc on your willpower so avoid shopping then. Wait until you have completed the diet before heading to the store for groceries and you’ll avoid buying all those junk foods that you know you shouldn’t.
Exercise on an empty stomach. Enjoy your daily walk or workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to promote additional fat burn. If you have no food in your system your body is much more likely to use fat for fuel.
Recruit a diet buddy. Team up with a friend or relative and follow the Military Diet together. This will add motivation and competition for both of you and you will both be more likely to stick to the plan. Make your diet partner your workout buddy too to maximize exercise.
Record results. Take before and after measurements (and pictures) to track your progress – nothing motivates more than seeing your success in photos or on paper.

THE CONS:

The Military Diet is effective at what it was designed to do – promote fast (3 day) measurable weight loss. It is the perfect example of a CRASH DIET, and is not suitable for long-term healthy and permanent weight loss or weight management! Use crash diets with caution, they can lead to nutrient deficiencies and complications including eating disorders.
But, if you do chooses to follow the Military Diet, it is no frills and gets the job done. If you are looking for a direct, easy to follow way to lose weight fast then the Military Diet is for you. But, it will only work if you actually put it into action!

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