3 Day Military Diet – Lose 10 Pounds In a Week

The Military Diet is a very alluring eating regimen that claims to help people lose 10 pounds in just a week.

Obviously, many people want to shed extra pounds quickly and this diet plan can help. The claims of the Military Diet plan creator are very appealing to dieters, thus it makes a buzz on the Internet.

The main concept of this diet plan is to follow a strict meal plan within three days and four days of maintenance.  Across the first 3 days, the diet restricts daily calorie intake to 1400, 1200, and 1100 calories. It is said that on the seventh day, you’ll lose 10 pounds.

There’s no proven research that a Military Diet can be effective in losing weight.  It’s a low-calorie diet plan that’s why you should expect that it will make you hungry, grumpy and tired.

The meal plan is composed of foods that seem healthy, but others are not. The set of foods is planned for three meals and no snacks.

What Is the Military Diet?

As there are many low-calorie diet plan that is advertised on the Internet, the concept of the Military Diet is nothing new it is also called the 3 Day Diet. Since it is a restrictive diet, most likely it can complicate the relationship between the food and what your body needs.

Each of us has diverse nutritional requirements that’s why it’s important to understand a diet plan prior to following it. Generally, burning more calories while eating less can compromise your health.

The worst part is that your body may be deprived of the essential nutrients that may lead to lower energy levels.

How Does the Military Diet Work?

Does the 3-day military diet work? Aside from being a low-calorie diet, the Military Diet is a form of alternate fasting as it requires you to lose 1000 calories per day. Fasting can change how your body works as it lowers the IGF-1 level, which is a good factor.

A good level of IGF-1 can boost your metabolism which is essential to losing weight. It also increases longevity and reduces the risk of developing diabetes. It stimulates your body to repair mode, thus enabling your body to burn more fat.

The foods included in the Military Diet improve your metabolism and eventually promote fat burning. As an example, caffeine can boost your metabolism that help your body to burn fat. The grapefruit stimulates the liver to do the work of fat burning.

Likewise, high-protein foods require more energy to digest that’s why you can also burn more fat. This diet plan also includes two sources of calcium, thus more fat will be burned.

The Military Diet can help your weight loss effort only for the short term. It’s because this diet plan can’t provide sustainable and healthy weight loss results.

Who Can Follow the Military Diet?

The Military Diet plan is designed for anyone who wants to enjoy a quick fix of their weight in just a short period.  Due to its restrictive nature and low-calorie intake, it is generally not recommended for individuals with certain health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or eating disorders. Additionally, pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid this diet.

Who can follow the Military Diet:

• Healthy adults without any underlying health conditions
• Individuals seeking short-term weight loss
• Those who can adhere to a strict meal plan

Who should avoid the Military Diet:

• Individuals with diabetes, heart disease, or other chronic health conditions
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Children and adolescents
• People with a history of eating disorders
• Individuals who cannot tolerate a low-calorie diet

If you’re considering trying the Military Diet, it’s crucial to consult with your doctor or a registered dietitian to ensure it’s safe for you. They can assess your overall health and provide guidance on whether this diet is appropriate for your needs and goals.

3 Day Diet Menu Plan

As mentioned above, the Military Diet has three sets of meal plans each day.

Day 1

For day 1, you are required to consume about 1,100 calories. This includes the following:

Breakfast

• Half a grapefruit
• A slice of toast with two tbsp. of peanut butter
• A cup of coffee

Lunch

• Half a cup of tuna
• One slice of toast
• One cup of coffee

Dinner

• One small apple
• 85 grams of meat and a cup of green beans
• Half a banana
• A cup of vanilla ice cream

Calories for Day One: approx 1100

Food Item	Qty	Calories
Grapefruit	1/2	52
Toast	2 Slice	150
Peanut Butter	2 Tablespoons	188
Coffee or Tea	1 cup (w/o sugar)	5
Tuna	1/2 cup	89
Banana	1/2	53
Apple	1 small	55
Meat	85 grams	122
Vanilla Ice Cream	1 cup	289
Green Beans	1 cup	34
Green bean	1 cup	31

Day 2

The second day gets interesting and you need to consume 1,250 calories.

Breakfast

• One piece of hard-boiled egg
• One slice of toast
• One-half banana
• A cup of coffee

Lunch

• One hard-boiled egg
• 5 pieces of saltine crackers
• One cup of cottage cheese
• One cup of coffee

Dinner

• Two hotdogs
• One-half cup of broccoli and carrots
• One-half banana
• One-half cup vanilla ice cream

Calories for Day Two: approx 1250

Food Item	Qty	Calories
Egg	2	156
Toast	1 Slice	75
Banana	1	106
Coffee or Tea	2 cup (w/o sugar)	10
Cottage Cheese	1 cup	232
Saltine Crackers	5 pieces	64
Vanilla Ice Cream	1/2 cup	144
Hot Dogs	2 (w/o buns)	350
Broccoli	1 cup	54
Carrots	½ cup	41

Day 3

During the third day of the Military Diet plan, the dieter is required to consume around 1,000 calories.

Breakfast

• 1-ounce cheddar cheese
• 5 pieces of saltine crackers
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup of tea or coffee

Lunch

• 1 slice of toast
• 1 egg, cooked
• 1 cup of coffee

Dinner

• One-half banana
• 1 cup tuna
• 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

Calories for Day Three: approx 1000

Food Item	Qty	Calories
Cheddar Cheese	1 ounce	113
Saltine Crackers	5 pieces	64
Apple	1 small	55
Egg	2	156
Toast	1 slice	75
Vanilla Ice Cream	1 cup	289
Tuna	1 cup	179
Banana	1/2	53
Coffee or Tea	2 cup (w/o sugar)	10

You can drink as much coffee as you want, but you should not add cream or sugar. If you don’t like any food on this list check out our military diet substitution ideas that may work for each day’s food items.

Click here to download a printable 3-day military diet.

3 Day Military Diet Shopping List

2 Apples	2 Cup Green Beans
2 Bananas	2 (w/o buns) Hot Dogs
1 cup Broccoli	85 grams Meat
½ cup Carrots	2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 ounce Cheddar Cheese	10 pieces Saltine Crackers
5 cup (w/o sugar) Coffee or Tea	4 Slice Toast
1 cup Cottage Cheese	1.5 cup Tuna
4 Egg	2.5 cup Vanilla Ice Cream
½ Grapefruit

Military Diet Substitutions | Best Food Alternatives During 3 Day Diet

The Military diet includes some foods that can’t be eaten or don’t appeal to them due to dietary limitations. The good thing is that there are food items allowed as a substitute for the foods that you are allergic to or you hate.

The list of military diet substitutions can be used to modify the Military Diet into a vegetarian, lactose-free, and gluten-free version.

1. Grapefruit substitute

Grapefruit is considered one of the superfoods that help to lose weight. But, in some cases, this fruit interferes with medication, while others don’t like the taste. You can squeeze the grapefruit juice and add stevia.

Mixing half a teaspoon of baking soda with one glass of water can be a good grapefruit substitute. The baking soda works similarly to grapefruit in terms of keeping the pH levels of your body.

Both the baking soda and grapefruit improve the alkaline condition, thus facilitating fat burning. Orange and Mandarin Oranges are also good grapefruit substitutions.

2. Peanut butter substitute

Some people have an allergy to peanut butter. In this case, you can substitute almond butter, sunflower seed butter, soy butter, or pumpkin butter.

3. Bread Substitute

If you don’t want to eat bread, you can substitute either half of whole-grain cereal, 1/8 cup of sunflower seeds, ¼ cup of yogurt with ½ tsp. of flax seeds or a ½ high protein bar. Other good alternatives for bread are two rice cakes or one tortilla.

4. Tuna substitute

The Military Diet includes plain canned tuna. The best alternative for canned tuna is a grilled sushi-grade tuna of the same size or serving.

Other substitutes include chicken, cottage cheese, almonds, peanuts, and tofu. Likewise, lean meat is also a good alternative, but fish is recommended.

5. Coffee substitute

A cup of coffee contains 100 mg of caffeine. You can substitute Green tea for coffee but don’t use artificial sweeteners. Be careful about choosing a coffee substitute because other sources of caffeine contain a high level of calories.

6. Meat substitute

If you want to modify the Military diet to a vegetarian version, you can substitute meat with beans, lentils, Portobello mushrooms or tofu.

7. Green bean substitute

Good alternatives for a green bean are spinach, tomatoes or lettuce. But, make sure to consume the same amount or serving of green beans.

8. Carrot and broccoli substitute

If the carrot does not suit your taste buds, you can choose from squash, celery, beets or bell pepper as a substitute.

Spinach, cauliflower, asparagus and Brussels sprouts are also recommended as an alternative to broccoli.

9. Hotdogs substitute

Hot dogs are not good for your health because they may contain nitrates. With this, you can substitute tofu dogs, turkey dogs, luncheon meat, baloney or deli meat.

For vegetarians, good alternatives for hotdogs are Portobello mushrooms, lentils or beans.

Two plain hotdogs have 250-300 calories. If you will consume food alternatives, make sure to consume the same serving.

10. Cheddar cheese substitute

As a replacement for cheddar cheese in a Military Diet, you can use cottage cheese, eggs, or ham. Other substitutes include tofu, cabbage, soy milk and soy cheese.

11. Egg substitute

Instead of eggs, you can use one chicken wing, 2 slices of bacon, a cup of milk, or a ¼ cup of nuts or seeds.

12. Saltine crackers substitute

You can choose rice cakes, plain toast, or whole-grain cereal as an alternative to saltine crackers. Make sure that the substitute food has the same amount of calories as saltine crackers.

13. Vanilla ice cream

The military diet includes vanilla ice cream. If you don’t want vanilla ice cream you can use apple juice, banana or strawberry-flavored almond milk, but never chocolate almond milk.

To achieve the best possible results from the Military Diet, you should only use the food substitute if necessary.

Can You Rely on the Military Diet for Long-Term Weight Loss?

The Military Diet is not supported by studies, but since it restricts calorie intake for a week, an average person can lose a few pounds.

The proponents of this diet plan claim that the food combination can boost your metabolism and eventually burn fat. However, there’s no solid evidence for such claims. In fact, all of the foods in the meal plan don’t seem to burn fat.

Generally, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism. But, the Military Diet is high in carbs and low in protein. It isn’t the right combination for weight loss.

Since it is a low-calorie diet, you can expect to lose a few pounds and it is noticeable for just a short period.

Can You Really Lose 10 Pounds in a Week?

As discussed above, the creator of the Military Diet plan claims that it can help you lose 10 pounds within a week. Although, there’s no strong proof that such a claim is achievable.

Likewise, a low-calorie diet is not recommended for more than a week as it can compromise your general health. This diet plan can’t guarantee sustainable and healthy weight loss.

Most likely, loss of water can be the reason for losing weight while following this diet plan, but not fat.

Some people claim that they lose 10 pounds in a week. Have a look at this military diet before and after picture.

Military Diet Results

Just like any other diet plan, the Military Diet may work for some but not for all. It is categorized as a low-calorie diet and not all people can take it, especially those having special health conditions.

Although it is easy to adapt and implement this diet plan, it can’t sustain long-term changes in your weight and health.

3 Day Military Diet Before and After Pictures

FAQs About the Military Diet

1. On the military diet, why am I not losing weight?

If you don’t exercise at all while on the Military Diet or on your days off, you risk losing muscle, making it more difficult to reduce weight overall. Even a small amount of exercise, such as a 20-minute walk each day, can help you lose weight and keep it off while also boosting your metabolism.

2. What are the negative consequences of a military diet?

Because your calorie intake is tightly reduced, there’s a good chance you’ll experience unpleasant side effects like irritation, dizziness, exhaustion, and headaches, according to Parker.

3. Why is the military diet ineffective?

The 3-Day Military Diet is not a healthy eating plan for weight loss or long-term weight maintenance because it does not follow USDA recommendations. Nutritionists advise against the eating plan since it may encourage bad eating habits and result in negative health results.

4. How frequently can you follow the three-day military diet?

What is the military’s eating regimen? The military diet plan necessitates adhering to a rigid three-day diet. Then you have four days to eat whatever you want as long as you stay under 1,500 calories. It recommends that you repeat the cycle as many times as you desire.

5. On the military diet, how much water should you drink?

On a diet, people who drink the appropriate amount of water (8 glasses) lose more weight than those who don’t. You lose more the more you drink! Improves mood and energy levels.

Indeed, the Military Diet is safe for those healthy people. However, it is not recommended for long-term weight loss efforts. For sustainable weight management, focus on adopting healthy eating habits, regular exercise, and lifestyle modifications under the guidance of a healthcare professional.