3 Days Diet plan for weight loss program is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. This diet plan can help you to lose weight in just one week of time. It is a very healthy and natural diet plan, which will make you feel energetic after following it for just three days.
The 3-Day Military Diet
What is the military diet and does it work?
The military diet requires people to follow a low-calorie diet for 3 days and then return to regular eating for 4 days. Across the first 3 days, the diet restricts daily calorie intake to 1,400, 1,200, and 1,100 calories.
The diet is high in protein and low in fat, carbohydrate, and calories. It also includes specific food combinations to try to boost metabolism and burn fat. Despite its name, this diet does not relate to how people in the military eat.
A website providing information about the military diet suggests that people could lose up to 10 pounds (lb) in 1 week and as many as 30 lbs in 1 month if they continue to follow the diet.
In this article, we take a look at whether this diet works, its potential problems and benefits, and what to eat to follow the plan.
Is the military diet effective?
A review article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examines very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) and suggests that they can be effective in helping people lose weight in the short term.
A VLCD allows a maximum of 800 calories per day. People with obesity may need to adopt a VLCD to achieve rapid weight loss before bariatric surgery.
Low-calorie diets are those that allow fewer than 1,000 calories per day.
It is impossible to predict how much weight an individual will lose on a restrictive 1-week diet as everyone is different.
However, people often experience rapid weight gain after stopping one of these short-term diets unless they have put a plan in place to maintain the weight loss.
Meal plan
Below is a 3-day meal plan that features on a website supporting the military diet. There is also a comprehensive shopping list for people looking to follow this diet.
People can drink water throughout the day, as well as 1–2 cups of black coffee or tea.
Day 1
Breakfast
- half a grapefruit
- one slice of toast
- 2 tablespoons (tbsp) of peanut butter, ideally a salt-free and sugar-free brand
- 1 cup of caffeinated coffee or tea
Lunch
- half a cup of tuna
- one slice of toast
- 1 cup of caffeinated coffee or tea
Dinner
- 3 ounces of any meat
- 1 cup of green beans
- half a banana
- one small apple
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Day 2
Breakfast
- one egg
- one slice of toast
- half a banana
Lunch
- one hard-boiled egg
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
- five saltine crackers
Dinner
- two hot dogs without the buns
- 1 cup of broccoli
- half a cup of carrots
- half a banana
- half a cup of vanilla ice cream
Day 3
Breakfast
- five saltine crackers
- one slice of cheddar cheese
- one small apple
Lunch
- one hard-boiled egg
- one slice of toast
Dinner
- 1 cup of tuna
- half a banana
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Vegetarian meal plan
A vegetarian and vegan meal plan is also available:
Day 1
Breakfast
- half a grapefruit
- one slice of toast
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 cup of caffeinated coffee or tea
Lunch
- half an avocado
- 2 tbsp hummus
- one slice of whole-wheat toast
- 1 cup of caffeinated coffee or tea
Dinner
- tofu (up to 300 calories)
- 1 cup of green beans
- half a banana
- one small apple
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream (vegans can use dairy-free ice cream)
Day 2
Breakfast
- half a cup of baked beans
- one slice of whole-wheat toast
- half a banana
Lunch
- 1 cup of unsweetened soy, hemp, or almond milk
- half an avocado
- 2 tbsp hummus
- five saltine crackers
Dinner
- two veggie hot dogs without the buns
- 1 cup of broccoli
- half a cup of carrots
- half a banana
- half a cup of vanilla ice cream (can be dairy-free)
Day 3
Breakfast
- one slice of cheddar cheese (for vegans, about 15–20 almonds)
- five saltine crackers or half a cup of couscous or quinoa
- one small apple
Lunch
- half an avocado
- 1 tbsp hummus
- one slice of whole-wheat bread
Dinner
- half a cup of canned chickpeas
- half a banana
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream (or dairy-free ice cream)
The 3-Day Diet
Many dieters are lured by the promise of quick weight loss, but are likely to be disappointed by the promise that you will lose 10 pounds in three days. And nutritionists say there are plenty of health drawbacks to the 3-Day Diet as well.
The 3-Day Diet is a fad diet that, like the Cabbage Soup diet, has been passed along by word-of-mouth for years. The origin of the 3-Day Diet is not really known, says Cheryl Williams, RD, a nutritionist at the Emory Heart and Vascular Center in Atlanta, Ga. “[It] might date back to the 1980s.” What is certain? “There is no scientific research behind the diet, which is a very low-calorie diet — only around 1,000 calories a day.”
The 3-Day Diet: How Does It Work?
The 3-Day Diet is a quick weight-loss diet that promises to help people lose 10 pounds in three days. “You follow a specific food plan for three days, then wait four to five days before starting again,” says Marisa Moore, RD, LD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Supposedly, people can follow the low-calorie diet as often as they want.
The 3-Day Diet details three days of low-calorie diet menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “You’re supposed to be eating specific foods and the portions are controlled,” says Williams. Besides being severely low in calories, the diet is also low in carbohydrates and other nutrients. “As with most fad diet plans, there is a calorie restriction,” says Moore.
The 3-Day Diet: Sample Diet
The first day’s meals consist of:
Breakfast
Black coffee, tea, or water
Half grapefruit
Toast, 1 slice
Peanut butter, 1 tablespoon
Lunch
Canned tuna, ½ cup
Toast, 1 slice
Black coffee, tea, or water
Dinner
2 frankfurters
Carrots, ½ cup
Broccoli, 1 cup
Vanilla ice cream, ½ cup
Black coffee, tea, or water
The 3-Day Diet: Pros and Cons
Moore and Williams found few benefits in the 3-Day Diet. “Compared to other fad diets, this one does include some fruits and vegetables, but I’m leery about saying there is any positive to this diet,” says Moore. “Relatively speaking, at least this diet doesn’t lead to high fat and high sugar intake, but I still wouldn’t recommend it.” The list of cons is long:
What Is the Golo Diet? A Complete Guide to the Weight Loss Plan
Low-Fat Vegan Diet Better Than Mediterranean Diet for Weight Loss, Study Suggests
The 3-Day Diet leads to the wrong kind of weight loss. “You’re going to lose weight on this plan, but what kind of weight are you losing?,” says Williams. “When you restrict calories, the body compensates by slowing down metabolism and going into starvation mode, losing lean muscle and conserving fat. Then, when you eat normally again, the body reacts by continuing to store the calories as fat as a form of protection because it doesn’t know when the starvation might happen again.”
You’re likely to be hungry, cranky, and constipated. Most people need 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, says Williams. Under the 3-Day Diet plan, however, people only get about 2 to 5 grams at breakfast and lunch and a little more than that at dinner. “The lack of fiber, combined with the plan not providing enough water, can lead to constipation,” says Williams.
There is a lack of science. There is no research behind the recommendations in the 3-Day Diet. “There is no scientific basis for the foods that are chosen,” says Moore.
skimps on nutrients. “It’s a restrictive plan that’s lacking a variety of nutrients,” says Moore.
Short- and Long-Term Effects
In the short term, you will achieve quick weight loss under the 3-Day Diet. “It’s fairly easy for people to lose weight — you can do that when you just urinate, but you want long-term, sustainable weight management,” says Williams.
The 3-Day Diet lacks any sort of long-term tools. “It doesn’t teach lifelong lifestyle changes such as eating habits, behavioral changes, or exercise,” says Moore. “With any healthy eating plan, physical activity and mental wellness should be included.”
More problematic, the 3-Day Diet actually encourages a disordered eating pattern and a yo-yo dieting effect. “It sets you up to eat more on the off days,” says Moore. “It’s a recipe for the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting.”
Can you really lose 10 pounds in 3 days on the 3-day military diet?
The 3-day military diet meal plan promises that you can lose up to 10 pounds in three days. On day 1 of the 3-day military diet meal plan you consume around 1,400 calories, on day 2 around 1,200 calories, and on day 3 around 1,000 calories, although realistically, most of that weight is likely due to fluid loss and not the desired fat loss. Additionally, to achieve the proposed loss, exercise is only suggested but not required in the 3-day military diet meal plan — a key factor in sustained and successful weight loss plans.
A diet plan that restricts your caloric intake to eating less than 1,000 calories each day has the potential to lower metabolism so when you resume a normal diet you gain the weight back even faster.