Last Updated on July 11, 2022
The Military Diet is a low-calorie food regime that is meant to help you lose weight in a short amount of time.
According to physicians who have done some research about it, when done right, the 3-day regime can help you shed as much as 10 pounds in a single week.
Although many people believe it entails a lot of discipline and restrictions, it’s actually quite the contrary.
Soldiers are known for having some of the most balanced diets in the world to achieve top physical shape and performance.
In a funny twist straight out of the research handled for this brief guide we found out that the 3day military diet menu is not related to any military research or institution at all.
An actual military diet for soldiers on duty has a higher calorie intake and requires the consumption of more nutrients and carbs given the long hours of physical endurance these men need to endure.
The name seems to come from the fact that this particular diet requires a lot of discipline, and knowledge about your own eating habits to avoid any backfire or weight gain after you are done.
So What Is the Military Diet in Layman Terms?
The Military Diet is one of the strictest, short-term plans ever conceived to get in shape really quickly in as little time as possible.
The main feature that is noticeable in it is the alarming reduction of caloric intake and a lot of restrictions when it comes to meals.
These restrictions are held in place for three days. After the fourth day, you will have to pursue a regular diet and be a little more mindful of what you eat.
A lot of nutritionists out there recommend the regime for people who need to be on certain weight due to the physical requirements of some sports.
These same specialists are the ones that recommend regular people to pursue the diet as a last resort to lose weight and to do it only a couple of times a month at most on uneven periods to avoid any risks to their health.
The 3-day military diet long-term results can usually be kept with discipline, so this trait is considered essential to pursue this type of regime.
The primary condition for this program to work is having the will to do it and the conviction to follow a diet that will keep your weight in check.
There is no boot camp or drill sergeant needed to be successful with this diet. Most of the encouragement must come from your own will to see this through.
There is no need for supplements or complementary products to keep your appetite in check.
According to advocators and many 3 day military diet reviews, there is not even the need to create a big physical routine of exercises. You just need to take a walk or a jog of 5Km a day to help out your body and break a sweat.
How Does the 3 Day Military Diet Work?
The 3-day military diet results are achieved by focusing on creating the conditions to experience a significant caloric deficit by reducing significantly the amount of food that you eat as well as the types.
Gains are not measured by calories burned.
The basic structure of the diet recommends the consumption of 1,000 to 1,500 calories tops on the first three days of the plan.
The lack of calories should help your body shed weight as it consumes more energy.
In the remaining four days it’s recommended to go slow on your regular diet and place your daily consumption of calories to no more than 2,000 per day.
Should You Try the Military Diet and Should You Pass on It?
As stated previously, a 3 day military diet menu is often perceived as a strategy for emergencies where people need to shed unwanted pounds quickly.
The regime so far has proven to be successful to some extent with people who can consume low portions of food on each meal with little caloric intake and is able to withstand the cravings that come with high-demanding eating regimes without the need of facsimiles such as power bars.
It’s also an excellent opportunity to try your homemade cooking with whole products since most of the ingredients for a 3 day military diet menu should be organic.
The downside of the 3 day military diet is the type of eating habits you will pursue after the 3 days. If you are inexperienced, the aftereffects on your organism will be an increased demand for calories that could lead to disastrous consequences for your body, that’s why the regime it’s so demanding.
Many doctors agree on the fact that the method will prove unreflective if the person doing the regime can’t change his habits.
The 3 day military diet is also a tough regime to pursue if you are over the age of 50, since a sudden drop of calories at this age can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes or kidney diseases
All Right, My Choice Then. What are the Foods I can have in My Military Diet Plan?
Grocery shopping for some quick 3 day military diet results is not difficult, neither expensive at all. A group of basic foods will do in the 3 days, these are some of them:
- Whole-wheat bread (No more than a couple of loafs a day)
- Boiled Eggs
- Grilled Hot dogs (no bun, just the sausage and a single dressing at most)
- Grilled Meats, low on salt and spices
- Grilled or steamed Tuna, again low on salt and spices
- Low-carb Ice cream
- Salted Crackers
- Bananas
- Low carb tubers such as Carrots
- Grapefruits
- All the Coffee and Tea you want with no sugar
What About the Foods I have to Avoid?
All diets have restrictions, and the 3-Day Military Diet is no exception.
These are some of the foods you can’t have on this regime, even after the 3-days period:
- All processed or refined foods, this includes snacks, sodas, and sugared cereals
- All forms of artificial sweeteners (except for Stevia)
- Anything that includes sour or sweet creams
- Processed fruit juices
- Whole Milk
- Processed oranges (they are usually sweeter than the real thing)
- White Sugar on any form or variation
Are There any Additional Tips When it Comes to the 3-day Military Diet Menu?
Before suggesting a plan of action is good to know what you can and can’t do in the 3 days with the ingredients you have at hand.
First of all, substitutions are allowed during these days, especially if you have some dietary restrictions due to allergies.
The portions need to keep the same levels of calories. A quick example: if you have a peanut allergy, you can rule out peanut butter and use almond butter.
If you are Vegetarian, most meats can be replaced by walnuts or beans. Any change on the meal plan needs to be kept in the daily registry of calories.
You can use an app to keep track of that.
I have a Lot of Information Now, What About a Meal Plan?
The 3-day military diet so far has proven to be the most popular diets in the world right now. Often used by celebrities and athletes.
Many people and certain specialists claim that it can help you lose ten pounds in a single week, but no one seems to know who authored in the first place since there is not a guru or a big book about it in the stands.
Building a meal plan with the ingredients we mentioned earlier is not hard at all. Here is our proposal to help you get through the first three days:
Day 1: Caloric Intake – 1,400 Calories
- Breakfast: Help yourself to a single piece of toast with two tablespoons of crunchy almond butter, and a grapefruit. Wash it down with a cup of coffee or some tea.
- Lunch: You will have another piece of toast, 4-Oz of tuna, and again some coffee or some tea (iced or warm).
- Dinner: You will eat a serving of 4-Oz of grilled meat with a side of beans of your choice, followed by an apple (small sized), six slices of banana, and a cup of ice cream of your choice.
Day 2: Caloric Intake – 1,200 calories
- Breakfast: Help yourself to a slice of toast, one boiled egg, six slices of banana, a cup of coffee or some tea.
- Lunch: You will have another boiled egg, a small serving of cottage cheese, five crackers, a cup of coffee or some iced tea.
- Dinner: You will have two hot dogs, with no bread buns or sauces. You will serve them with a small serving of baby carrots, and 4-Oz of broccoli. You will eat for dessert six slices of banana and small cup of ice cream.
Day 3. Caloric Intake – 1,000 calories
- Breakfast: You will eat a single one-ounce slice of your cheese of choice, five crackers, an apple (small sized), and a cup of coffee or some tea.
- Lunch: You can have a single piece of toast, one egg served as you like, except fried. You can drink up some coffee or tea.
- Dinner: The final meal of the day will have 4-Oz of tuna, six slices of banana and a serving of ice cream.
During this period, you may drink as much water, coffee or tea as you like, as long as you don’t add any calories to any of them such as sugar, creams or extra flavors.
Days 4 to 7: Caloric Intake – 1,500 to 2,000 calories a Day
You need to set a plan for the rest of the week. We advise you to consult a professional nutritionist so you can a have a program built to your organism and eat appropriately over the next four days.
You may indulge in a few snacks, and there are no restrictions on any type of food on these days, but your caloric intake should not go above 1,500 calories or 2,000 depending on your size.
What does Science say about 3 Day Military Diet Results?
We won’t be lying to you here: it’s hard to measure the level of success of this diet since there hasn’t been a full study done on it.
A lot of specialists in the medical field seem to be aware of its existence. Some of them recommended it.
It’s hard to track down the origin of the diet, but all signs seem to point to the fact that it can work as long as the person trying out is willing to go the whole nine yards with it.
Proponents of the diet seem eager to believe that the loss of weight happens to the combinations of foods we explained in the meal plan since they seem to be designed to accelerate your metabolism and burn fat faster, but no medical research has confirmed this to date.
So far the informed opinions of certain specialists in the field have been able to piece together some information based on other researches, about the fact that coffee and tea contain compounds that can increase the speed of your metabolism, but at the present date, there are no known combinations of food capable of doing this.
Based on Facts, which are the Potential Risks or Benefits of Trying the 3-Day Military Diet for Weight Loss?
A few specialists have published their concerns when it comes to the 3-day military diet long term results.
The most noticeable one is binge-eating after a long period of restriction, as well as constipation since the diet for the first three days is very low on fiber.
The other issue seems to come from the fact that the body loses a lot of nutrients that can’t be obtained from sources such as legumes or vegetables due to the limitations of the diet on the first stages and the caloric restrictions of the next four days.
The benefits that we could gather are somewhat superficial on a good day: the diet is perceived as a positive fix to the increasing weight disorders suffered by overweight people, the program truly works if it’s followed using professional help, with many people being able to keep the weight shed away from their bodies for at least four years.
This type of diet also seems to favor people who suffer chronic inflammatory diseases, such as periodontal disease or colon irritation.
There is no real way to tell if this diet is good for you unless you are willing to see a doctor and get his approval after a checkup.
