Fat loss has long been something that most humans have desired to master. Everyone can benefit from gaining some muscle and losing some body fat (unless you’re Phil Heath then in that case, you’re already maxed out), not only in terms of aesthetics but also for health reasons. Lowering body fat and lowering one’s body weight can do wonders in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol, or just simply being more athletic. But at the end of the day, a diet (or fat loss) can be reduced to burning more calories and eating less calories.
Weight loss is bound to occur when you eat less than what your body needs. Simply put: eat less, move more. That way your body will tap into stored body fat as energy (as opposed to the food you eat.)
But some of us need a jump start on our diets, a huge reduction on the scale can give us that boost and motivation that we need. Here is the 3-day military diet that can help you lose 10 pounds! (This diet is intended for women, but men are recommended to add an extra 100 calories a day in the form of protein.)
Note: this diet may (or may not) actually be used by members of the military. But it does work! Not because of some fancy foods that can burn fat but simply because of the reduction of calories. (Hint: ice cream is included in this diet…but in moderation!)
Breakfast may be one of the most essential meals of the day simply because it will give you that desired energy first thing in the morning and it can help kickstart your metabolism. For your first meal of this 3 day military diet you can have half a grapefruit, 1 slice of toast (preferably whole wheat or multigrain) with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
If you have a peanut allergy you can substitute it with almond butter, soy butter, sunflower seed butter, hummus, pumpkin butter, or bean dip. And any breakfast isn’t complete without 1 cup of black coffee or caffeinated tea.
Please note, you cannot add any sugar, cream, milk or sweeteners into your coffee or tea. These beverages are not essential to the diet as you can substitute it with any amount of water. But green tea and coffee both have thermogenic properties (burns more calories) and black coffee has the ability to suppress your appetite.
The next meal of the day (lunch) consists of half a cup of tuna, another slice of toast (but no peanut butter this time) and water, black coffee or tea. If you need to season your foods then go with alternatives such as garlic salt, pepper, honey mustard, and any other low or no calorie seasoning.
For dinner, you can have 3 ounces of any type of meat, 1 cup of green beans, half a banana, one small apple and one cup of vanilla ice cream. As you can tell, there isn’t a lot of food in this diet and that’s because lowering calories is what causes weight loss. If you wanna drop the pounds, you got to cut the calories!
The next morning, breakfast should include one slice of multi grain or whole wheat toast, one whole egg, and half a banana. This diet is intended to last three days, and then take 4 days off. Rinse and repeat until you achieve the results you desire. The 4 days off do not mean you can binge eat and eat yourself to sickness. The goal should still be to eat around 1,500 calories or less.
For lunch, you are entitled to one cup of cottage cheese (or you can replace it with 1 slice of cheddar cheese), 1 hard boiled egg and 5 saltine crackers. Due to the low amount of food on this diet, it is not recommended to work out intensely during these days. Instead, go for a brisk 30 minute walk on a daily basis.
Dinner is served! You can have two hot dogs (minus the buns), 1 cup of broccoli, half a cup of carrots, half a banana, and half a cup of vanilla ice cream. This diet dictates vanilla ice cream only (why? I have no clue) but you can substitute ice cream (who would do that?) with one cup of apple juice or one cup of vanilla, strawberry or banana flavored almond milk.
The vegetables on this diet should be steamed, baked, boiled or eaten raw. Meat should be grilled or baked, and if you are a vegetarian then you can substitute the protein sources with tofu, lentils, beans and/or portobello mushrooms.
The third and final day has arrived! You’re almost there, don’t give up now! For breakfast, you are to have 5 saltine crackers, 1 slice of cheddar cheese and 1 small apple. Saltine crackers can be replaced with rice cakes (one for one) and cheddar cheese can be replaced with ham, eggs, cabbage or soy cheese. Don’t forget your black coffee or caffeinated tea!
This lunch is going to be a bit small but on the menu is one slice of whole wheat or multi grain toast and one hard boiled egg. You can switch the egg out for one cup of milk, or two slices of bacon or just one chicken wing. As you can probably tell, from day 1 to day 3 there is a slow and gradual reduction of even more calories (hence the rapid weight loss.)
For the last meal of day 3, you can have 1 cup of tuna, half a banana and one cup of vanilla ice cream. And remember, there is no snacking allowed on this diet. You need to eat these foods and these foods only. You can switch the foods around, so you can have dinner for breakfast and vice versa but you cannot add any additional foods in!
Alcohol is strictly prohibited on this diet (even though alcohol is a macro-nutrient but without nutritional value), even on your 4 days off, you should not be consuming alcohol especially beer or fruity drinks (it’s just empty calories!) If you MUST drink then only one glass of wine is permitted.
Please remember, weight and fat loss are two different entities. 10 pounds lost in 3 days does not mean 10 pounds of fat. The reduction in calories (and salt as well) will cause you to shed some water weight, some intestinal mass (poop) and some fat as well.
So if you think this diet is for you, give it a go! Just make sure to consult a physician first before jumping into such a strict diet.
