The 3 day diet which is also known as the military diet is a very popular diet plan aimed at people who need to lose weight quickly. It is claimed that the people who follow this diet plan can expect to lose up to 10 pounds within a week. It is focused on severely cutting down the daily calorie consumption. It is claimed that this diet works on chemical breakdown.
It is suggested that one should eat normal foods after three days of dieting but one shouldn’t overeat. After four days of eating normal food, one may resume the 3 day diet and keep repeating the cycle to lose large amounts of weight. It is important to keep in mind that this diet should be followed for a three day period only as following it for a longer period of time can have severe health repercussions.
Day One
The breakfast consists of one cup black coffee or tea, one slice toast, 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and half a grapefruit or half a cup of juice (fresh squeezed). The lunch consists of one slice toast, 1 cup black tea or coffee and half cup plain tuna. The dinner consists of one cup of string beans, one small apple, one cup of vanilla ice cream, 1 cup carrots or beets and two slices of any kind of meat up to 3 oz. On day one, you will get only 805 cal from the meal and 105 cal from fat.
Day Two
The breakfast consists of one slice toast, half banana, one hard-boiled egg and 1 cup of black coffee or tea. The lunch consists of five soda crackers and 1 cup of cottage cheese or half a cup of plain tuna. The dinner consists of 1 cup carrots or turnips, 1 cup broccoli or cabbage, 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream, half banana and one plain hot dog without buns. On day two, you will 895 cal from food and 280 cal from fat.
Day Three
The breakfast consists of five saltine crackers, one small apple, 1 ounce cheddar cheese and 1 cup of black coffee or tea. The lunch consists of 1 cup black coffee or tea, one slice toast and one hard-boiled egg. The dinner consists of 1 cup carrots or beets, 1 cup cauliflower or green leaf vegetables, 1 cup cantaloupe, 1 cup plain tuna or chicken and half a cup of vanilla ice cream. On day three, you will get 910 cal from food and 190 cal from fat.
One of the biggest benefits of this diet is that it is a very low effort diet which means you won’t need to buy or prepare anything special to go on this diet. It is also recommended to not exercise on this diet as you will be low on energy. As far as the effectiveness of this plan is concerned, you will likely lose a lot of weight but most of it will be water weight.
As mentioned in the beginning, you shouldn’t continue beyond three days. Consuming fewer than 1200 calories on a regular basis will trigger the body into starvation mode, which will slow down the metabolism and it will slow down the pace of weight loss. Therefore, you should use this diet only if you want to lose weight quickly for a short period of time. It is not a balanced diet and takes all the enjoyment out of eating.