Do you want to lose 10 pounds in 3 days? If yes, the military diet proponents claim you can lose some body fat fast and get that bikini body you want. But does this military diet actually work, and is it something you should give a shot?
Read on to find out what the 3 Day Military Diet is, the diet shopping list, military diet substitutes, and what you can and can’t eat on the diet.
The military diet is one of the most popular and widely used diets in the world. Though the origin of the name is unknown, the military diet was not discovered by the army.
Do not let the name convince you into thinking the diet was developed for a group of soldiers.
The 3-day military diet is a low-calorie diet plan that allows you to lose weight within the shortest possible time.
This military diet plan combines a perfect blend of carbohydrate, protein and good fats boost metabolism and help you lose a substantial amount of weight.
What is the Military Diet Plan?
The military diet plan consists of low-calorie military meals that users have sworn to help them lose up to 10 pounds in 3 days.
It involves following a set of military diet list for 3 days. Thereafter, you undergo 4 days of eating healthy foods exactly the way you like it.
These diets include a random group of foods such as steak, ice cream, string beans, toast, bananas, grapefruits, and crackers.
The foods might make no sense, but the potent, when combined to make the military diet, is the attraction.
The diet is also known by a variety of names. Such names include navy diet, army diet, among others.
The 3 Day Military Menu Plan
The 3-day military diet plan is divided into 2 phases.
Your first 3 days consists of a low-calorie diet plan. Make sure you do not eat snacks in between the meals.
The daily calorie intake for this phase is about 1,100-1,400.
For the other 4 days, you have the freedom to choose your food. However, make sure you continue eating healthy and low-calorie foods.
Below is the meals plan;
Military Diet Day 1
This is your first day on the military meal plan. Today, you will be consuming a meal that contains about 857 to 1,300 calories.
The meals you eat today do not require a lot of planning and cooking. So relax and get started.
Breakfast
- A slice of whole-grain toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- ½ grapefruit
- A cup of tea or coffee
Total Calories – 222
Lunch
- One slice of whole-grain toast
- ½ cup of tuna
- A cup of coffee or tea
Total Calories – 172
Dinner
- 3 ounces of any meat of your choice
- A cup of green beans
- A small apple
- ½ banana
- A cup of vanilla ice cream
Total Calories- 463
Military Diet Day 2
This is the second day and your meal is going to be quite different from day 1.
Today, your calorie intake will slightly increase as you will be consuming between 973-1,100 calories.
You will include bananas and cottage cheese in your military diet plan for today.
Breakfast
- A slice of whole-grain toast
- A boiled egg
- ½ banana
Total Calories- 206
Lunch
- A boiled egg
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
- 5 saltine crackers
Total Calories- 305
Dinner
- ½ cup of carrot with ½ cup of broccoli
- ½ banana
- 2 hot dogs with no bun
- ½ cup of vanilla ice cream
Total Calories- 462
The increase in calories from of day 1 is a result of adding cottage cheese and bananas to the military diet plan.
However, make sure these foods are healthy and contain lots of nutrients that your body will benefit from.
(Read: How to Lose Weight Fast in 2 Weeks: Easy 8 Weight Loss Tips)
Military Diet Day 3
It’s day 3 and this is the last day of following the laid down guide of the military diet plan.
After this day, you can eat any healthy foods of your choice.
On this day, you will be consuming the least number of calories when compared to the first two days.
Today, you’ll consume about 719-1,000 calories.
Breakfast
- A slice of cheddar cheese
- 5 saltine crackers
- One small apple
Total Calories- 253
Lunch
- A slice of toast
- One boiled or cooked egg according to your taste
Total Calories- 153
Dinner
- One cup of tuna
- ½ banana
- A cup of vanilla ice cream
Total Calories- 313
Day 4 to 7
Though the third day is over, the military diet plan continues till the 7th day. You can now eat healthy foods of your choice.
Make sure the foods you chose to consume are actually low in calories and healthy.
At the end of the week, you should have lost a significant amount of weight and gained a flat stomach.
(Read Also – 3-Day Cardiac Diet: Lose 10 Pounds in 3 Days)
The Military Diet Shopping List
As mentioned earlier, the military diet plan is an effective weight loss diet program that helps you lose 10 pounds in 1 week.
Tip: The first 3 days are the most crucial as it comes with a guideline you need to follow. The other 4 days require that you eat healthy foods of your choice.
Below is a list of the foods you should eat for the first 3 days.
You can order here on Amazon or visit the nearest grocery store and shop for everything you will need to get started.
Carbohydrates
- 2 tablespoon of peanut butter
- 4 slices of whole grain toast
- 10 saltine crackers
Fruits and Vegetables
- A cup of green beans
- 2 apples
- ½ cup of carrots
- 2 bananas
- ½ cup of broccoli
- ½ grapefruit
Read Also: 30 Day Paleo Diet Plan for Beginners to Lose Weight and Belly Fat Fast
Proteins
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 cans of tuna (ensure no salt is added and avoid those high in mercury like albacore tuna and yellowfin.)
- 2 hot dogs with no buns
- 3 ounce of meat of your choice
Dairy
- A slice of cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
Drinks and Desserts
- 2 cups of tea or coffee
- 2 cups of vanilla ice cream
The military diet shopping list above contains the foods you will need for the first 3 days.
However, you should make sure you buy some more items that you will need in the other 4 days.
You can decide to buy more apples, carrots, green beans and other healthy foods of your choice.
(Read Also– Easy Boiled Egg Diet to Lose 24 Pounds in 14 Days)
Military Diet Substitutes
You should know that other versions of the military diet plan exist.
These alternative versions consist of foods that can serve as a substitute for some of the foods listed in the diet plan.
For instance, some people use oranges instead of grapefruits and cottage cheese to replace tuna.
Tip: It is very important to carefully choose the meals that your body is not allergic to.
For example, those with a peanut allergy can swap the peanut butter for almond butter.
Also, vegetarians might find it difficult consuming tuna. If this is the case, you can swap 1 cup of tuna for some almonds.
What is most important is that the calorie count for each food substituted must be the same.
Once you decide to make a substitute, then you must start counting calories.
Also, some people are of the opinion that you can drink hot lemon water during the military diet plan.
Furthermore, they warn that users of this military diet list should never incorporate artificially sweetened beverages into the plan.
However, there is no scientific evidence to support or go against this claim.
Whatever plan you decide to follow is all good. It is more important to find the military diet plan version that your body will not react to.
Read More – How to Get a Flat Stomach in a Week Naturally at Home
Is the Military Diet Safe?
Though the effectiveness of the diet is widely known, many health practitioners have criticized and warned against its use.
Tip: As you know, anything that is extreme can be bad for your health. And the 3-day military diet plan is no exception.
The diet consists of low-calorie foods and if these calories are too low for your body, then your body will have difficulties maintaining energy.
When this happens, the low energy won’t be able to support normal bodily functions.
This can break down your muscle mass, slow down your body metabolism, and other functions.
If you decide to do the military diet plan, then you must understand how much calories your body needs to function.
It is important to check whether it is suitable for you before following the military diet.
Once this is done, you can check the military diet shopping list and instructions above.
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Take Away
The military diet plan is a low-cost alternative to different weight loss plan. This plan does work, but mostly for the short term.
It is a 3-day restricted diet plan that will help you lose weight fast. This military diet program puts you into shape and helps to flatten your stomach.
However, most people tend not to be able to maintain this astronomical loss in weight.
After the 3 days of the military diet plan is over, most people get carried away and return to eating unhealthy foods that are high in calories.
Often times, weight gain is even faster than the rate of weight loss.
However, if you are searching for a short-term fix that produces a fast result, then the military diet plan is for you.
Whatever plan you decide to go with, ensure it is one that is suitable for a healthy lifestyle.
