Is The Military Diet Legit?
To its ardent followers (like Khloe Kardashian), the military diet is very legit. Celebs and bloggers who are fans of this diet often post miraculous before-and-after pictures of themselves and the diet claims to help you lose over 10 pounds a week – so a month of this diet and you could be the next best thing after sliced bread when it comes to dream bodies. Many nutritionists though have labeled it as yet another fad diet with no science behind its food combinations and formulations. The 3-day military diet is also rather restrictive in its food choices and its portion sizes for the three meals as well as the strict no-snacking policy may leave you with hunger pangs. [2] Also, the name itself may be a misnomer because there is no official record of the military using it – though many dancers and stage professionals do use it in the crucial days before a show to look their (thinnest) best onstage.
What does The Military Diet Entail?
The Military Diet is rather simple, and one good thing about it is that you do not have to procure any special or exotic ingredient from the market – a trip the grocery store will stick you up for the three dieting days. The rule is simple: you eat a specific and restrictive diet for three days a week, and eat normally, with an emphasis on healthy, for the next four days. Doing this every week for a couple of moths should bring your weight down by a 20-40 pounds, depending on how healthy you eat for the four non-diet days and how much of exercise and workouts you manage to weave in your daily routine. The ingredients for the 3 Day Military Diet are simple: black coffee or tea (caffeinated is fine), grapefruits, whole wheat toast, peanut butter, tuna, any lean meat, beans, carrots, apples, bananas, vanilla ice cream, egg, cottage cheese, saltine crackers, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Sounds pretty doable, right? It is when it comes to the ingredients, but the portion sizes and rigid control over what you eat can leave you breathless for “real food”!
The 3 Day Military Diet Plan
So here go the rigid meals plans for the first three, dieting days of the 3 Day Military Diet. [3]
DAY 1
Breakfast: 1/2 a Grapefruit, 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 2 tbsp peanut butter, and 1 cup coffee Lunch: 1 slice whole-wheat toast, 1/2 can tuna, and 1 cup coffee Dinner: 3 ounces of any meat (the size of a deck of cards), 1 cup green beans, 1 apple, 1/2 a banana and 1 cup vanilla ice cream
DAY 2
Breakfast: 1 egg cooked (cooked the way you like), 1 whole-wheat toast, 1/2 a banana Lunch: 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 hardboiled egg, 5 saltine crackers Dinner: 2 hot dogs (no bun), 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 a banana, 1 cup vanilla ice cream
DAY 3
Breakfast: 1 slice or wedge of cheddar cheese, 1 apple, 5 saltine crackers Lunch: 1 egg (cooked the way you like), 1 whole-wheat toast Dinner: 1 cup tuna, 1/2 a banana, 1 cup vanilla ice cream
In case you feel hungry, feel free to guzzle water – and nothing else! In case you don’t like any of the ingredients mentioned above or have medical or even dietary reasons to not have them, you can go through the extensive list of substitutes given here. However, be prepared to be hungry!
The Four Day Non-Dieting Meal Plans
The 3 Day Military Diet also has plenty suggestions when it comes to Meals Plans [4] for the four days you are advised to eat normally. The only catch being that you need to keep your calorie intake to 1500 or less. According to the suggestions below, to make it through the day under 1500 calories, you can choose one breakfast item, one lunch, one dinner and two snacks. Recipes from themilitarydiet.com
Breakfast: one per day
Lunch: one per day
Dinner: one per day
Snacks: two per day
Does The Military Diet Have Any Fails?
All nutritionists will always advise that the best way to lose weight is to a balanced and healthy meal with moderation being the key, get at least 4 hours of exercise in a week and when in doubt, follow a healthy lifestyle… The Military Diet too comes with a few cons, side effects or even questions. [5]
Lack of proof: There’s no “real” science behind the food combinations and even if supporters of the military diet stand by it, studies and research are needed to prove its efficacy. The foods are very restrictive: There’s hardly any cereal in the three-day restrictive diet, and also things like hot dogs and vanilla ice cream are hardly the healthiest choices for the 1000 calories you consume a day. The portions are tiny: The portion sizes are likely to leave you starving or begging for more, and any diet that restricts you the point of starvation is a not one you can carry on in the long term. The here days of eating like a bird may also make you feel extra jazzed to eat for the four days you are allowed to eat normally, and that may in turn working in reverse for you.
Should I Do The Military Diet?
If you are in the habit of munching on this or that all through the day, or have any blood sugar issues then this diet may not be for you – and never start a diet if you are ill or are recuperating from an illness. Remember to check with your doctor beforehand if you suffer from chronic, long-term or concurrent health issues. Remember to stop the 3 Day Military Diet immediately if you begin to feel sick, dizzy, or too weak. And if you are also exercising along with the diet, make sure to stretch before and after working out, as keeping limber muscles will help to avoid muscle strains and spasms and if you are new to working out, start at low-intensity so that you can complete your goals without getting too winded. [6] Like with all diets, it makes for a good start if you are embarking on a weight loss journey, or if your weight has plateaued and needs a good push to start shedding. That said, make sure that nothing comes in between you and good health, be it your weight or the military diet. A diet should be a tool used judiciously to give you good health, not make you thin and frail and lacking in essential nutrients as well as energy! Featured photo credit: South China Morning Post via cdn4.i-scmp.com
