The military Diet is also known as the 3-day Diet, a short-term, instant weight loss plan that claims to support losing about 4.5 kg of weight in a week. This diet regimen comprises a 3-day, calorie-restricted meal, followed by four days off, where those following the Diet must repeat the weekly cycle for a month or until they have attained their target weight loss goal.
The military Diet is a kind of intermittent fasting, as it follows on-and-off calorie control. This diet regimen works by restricting calorie intake and triggering metabolism. At the same time, the foods permitted on this Diet improves insulin sensitivity and better blood sugar control. However, you may have anything you wish to eat during the day off. Thus the Diet prompts people to adopt a less restrictive diet but set a meal plan in those three days to continue losing weight.
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How Does The Military Diet Work?
The military or 3-day diet plan is divided into 2 phases over a week. The Diet offers a set meal regimen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the first 3 days, without any intermediary snacks. The 3-day diet regimen includes food that is wholesome, filling, and low in calories.
During this period, the total calorie consumption is around 1100 – 1400 calories per day, making it a low-calorie diet. For the remaining 4 days of the week, a person is encouraged to have a nutritious and balanced diet. To ensure one meets their nutrition requirements, always discuss with the healthcare professionals before following any restrictive diet plans.
The Military Diet Meal Plan
A 3-day meal plan looks like this:
The 3-day meal regimen on the military Diet comprises a limited choice of foods- a total of 16, to be very accurate, divided between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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Breakfast Options Include:
- Salt crackers or toast
- Peanut butter
- Apples, bananas, or grapefruit
- Hard-boiled eggs or cheddar cheese
Lunch Options Include:
- Salt crackers or toast
- Hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, or canned tuna
Dinner Options Include:
- Any lean meat
- Green beans, carrots, or broccoli
- Apples or bananas
- Vanilla ice cream
There are minimal choices and varieties during the first 3 days of the Diet. Moreover, the recommended amounts of these 16 foods gradually decrease daily. At the start of the Diet, calorie intake is 1400 calories, which comes down to 1100 calories on the last day.
The Diet allows having water or herbal teas as a choice of drinks but restricts the use of sweeteners.
And the last 4 days of the week, there are no set rules, but a person has to follow a healthy eating pattern.
Other Foods That Are Allowed
- Fruits – Muskmelon, watermelon, guava, orange, apple, and kiwi
- Vegetables – Celery, leek, cabbage, eggplant, green beans, spinach, broccoli, kale, carrot, beetroot, radish, spring onion, peas, and tomato
- Protein – Fish, chicken breast, lean meat, eggs, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, soy, tofu, and lentils
- Dairy – Low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, and buttermilk
- Fats & Oils – Olive oil, flaxseed oil, and rice bran oil
- Beverages – Fresh fruit and vegetable juices, tender coconut water, buttermilk, and detox drinks
- Herbs & Spices – Mint, coriander leaves, rosemary, thyme, dill, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, turmeric powder, and allspice
Foods To Avoid
- Fruits – Mango and jackfruit
- Dairy – Full-fat milk, yogurt, and full-fat cream
- Fats & Oils – Vegetable oil, butter, margarine, and mayonnaise
- Beverages- Carbonated drinks, packaged fruit juices, packaged coconut water, and alcohol
- Condiments – Tomato ketchup, barbecue sauce, sweet chilli sauce, and chilli sauce
Does Science back the Diet?
Currently, there is no research on this Diet; however, a calorie-deficit diet is typically needed to lose weight.
Several other factors may affect weight loss, like any pre-existing health conditions and whether a person is on any medications, which may add complexity to the weight loss journey. Also, evidence has stressed the importance of a calorie deficit over diet quality and vice versa; studies reveal that a well-accomplished weight loss diet mainly relies on a combination of both.
Therefore, adopting a healthy diet that helps slow and steady weight and doesn't involve severe restrictions is suggested. This is the exact opposite of what military diet purposes and most other fad diets.
Sustainable weight loss can be attained by gradually limiting calorie intake and increasing physical activity while maintaining adequate nutrition. Several studies also reveal that moderate and continuous calorie restriction is very effective for weight loss as intermittent extreme energy restrictions- like 3 days on and 4 days off, suggest that there's no requirement to starve to shed weight.
No single eating habit is superior to others or works well for all. Sustainable and successful weight loss strategies should be customized to meet individual needs. However, the military Diet fails to offer this, as it mainly tries to give a one-size fits all meal plan.
Though proponents of the military Diet claim that certain food combinations in the meal regimen boost metabolism and burn fat, there's enough evidence or truth behind these claims.
Additionally, the one key component of this Diet that may help trigger metabolism, since Diet allows to have caffeine, like coffee and tea, which has been proven to support weight loss and shedding fat.
Is It Safe?
Well, the military Diet is not balanced and nutritious. Also, repeating the cycle several times could lead to health issues and nutritional deficiency. Additionally, studies show that drastic calorie restrictions, even for a shorter period, may worsen eating habits, poor relationships with food, or disorder eating behaviour.
Regarding sustainability, the Diet may be relatively easy for a few people to follow, as it needs a person to stick to it for a shorter time. However, people frequently feel hungry due to their restricted calorie intake.
Thus, the military Diet doesn't support positive and long-term habit changes, which means any weight loss is regained rapidly once a person returns to the original eating pattern.
Several studies have shown that setting realistic and sensible weight loss goals and aiming for lifestyle modifications rather than following short-term fad diets is essential for successful weight loss, weight maintenance, and prevention of weight regain.
