There are dozens of diets out there waiting to be tested. Often, women prefer to go for the emergency ones, which promise a significant weight reduction in a short period. Among these, one of the most discussed is the military diet.
It is often used for special occasions, like a wedding, where you will need to get into that dress anyway, or that surprise trip to the beach in a month.
Also called the three-day diet, it promises to lose a lot of weight in a few days - from three days to a week. Do you want to know a little more about the military diet?
Military Diet
The military diet is a diet plan of concise duration, leading to the loss of three pounds in three days or five pounds in a week.
The diet, extremely restrictive, can speed up the metabolism due to the combination of foods that encourage fat burning through a caloric deficit.
Only three standard meals are allowed in the military diet, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No food is permitted during the intervals of these meals.
It must not exceed the programmed time, taking breaks of the equivalent time that the diet lasted and then starting again. Besides, it is recommended to do it only for one month.
How Did It
Work?
The military diet works, but it depends on your point of view. If you need a quick weight loss, it is more than ideal.
This means that it works in the short term. But if your goal is dietary re-education, the military diet is not even close to ideal.
It does not offer the necessary nutrients to the body and, due to the reduction of fats, soon after the end of the "marathon," your body will beg for carbohydrates and sugars to "replace" what it has lost.
Therefore, after the diet, the chance that you will gain twice as much weight is high.
Menu
Check out the menu for three days of the military diet:
Day 1
Breakfast
- ½ grapefruit
- 1 toast
- 2 teaspoons of peanut paste
- 1 cup of tea or coffee
Lunch
- 1 toast
- ½ can of tuna
- 1 cup of coffee or tea
Dinner
- 1 cup of green beans
- ½ banana
- 1 small apple
- 85g of any meat
- 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
Day 2
Breakfast
- 1 egg
- ½ banana
- 1 toast
Lunch
- 5 crackers
- 1 boiled egg
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
Dinner
- ½ cup carrots
- 1 cup broccoli
- 2 sausages
- ½ banana
- ½ scoop vanilla ice cream
Day 3
Breakfast
- 1 slice of cheddar cheese
- 1 small apple
- 5 crackers
Lunch
- 1 piece of toast
- 1 boiled egg
Dinner
- 1 can of tuna
- 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
- ½ banana
Caution
The military diet is rigorous and should be done under the supervision of your nutritionist. Since it is strict, it can cause discouragement and weakness.
After the diet,
you must focus on dietary re-education. We listed some tips to help you during
the three days:
- Do not have sweets and candies at home
- Have all the food on the menu at your disposal
- Practice some physical activity
- Prefer light exercise, because you won't have much resistance and energy eating so little
- Drink water during meal breaks
- It will keep you satiated and hydrated
Is the Military
Diet Healthy?
Although the diet provides foods from different food groups, it is not sufficient for complete daily nutrition.
Especially since high-calorie, low-nutrient items such as sausage and ice cream are on the menu.
Also, due to the lack of adequate amounts of whole grains, vegetables, dairy products, and protein, you will not be able to meet your nutritional needs on these three days.
Limiting your daily intake of fruits and vegetables means that you are probably not getting the amount of fiber, antioxidant vitamins A and C, potassium, and essential phytonutrients.
Consequently, you are also likely to have low levels of vitamin D, calcium, and potassium.
However, if you are wonder about weight loss, you can lose weight with the military diet if you used to eat thousands of calories a day (like any diet that restricts your calorie intake).
Yet you are likely to go back to your old eating habits and regain weight as soon as you come off the diet, which can create a vicious cycle.
Finally, like all radical diets, the military diet has only a short-term impact, rather than teaching positive eating habits that can be sustained for long and healthy life.