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How To Lose Weight In 3 Days

The 3-Day Diet


The three-day military diet, also called the three-day diet, is a quick weight-loss program that includes three days of a very specific eating plan followed by four days of a less restrictive, low-calorie plan. 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. The diet claims to combine specific foods in a way that boosts metabolism and burns fat, however, there is no scientific evidence to support this.


How It Works

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”. 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”.

The program requires you to eat a very strict list of food for three days (these are referred to as your "on" days). Then you take four days off from the strict diet.



What to Eat

On the three-day military diet, you will follow a specific plan for three days, then have four days off. The off days are limited to 1,500 calories of preferably healthy food. Here's a closer look at the three-day plan:


Day One (1,400 calories)

  • Breakfast: one slice of toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, half of a grapefruit, and black coffee or tea

  • Lunch: one slice of bread or toast, a half cup of tuna fish, and black coffee or tea

  • Dinner: 3 ounces of meat, one cup of green beans, half of a banana, one small apple, and 1 cup vanilla ice cream


Day Two (1,200 calories)

  • Breakfast: one slice of toast, half of a banana, and one cooked egg

  • Lunch: 1 cup cottage cheese, one hard-boiled egg, and five saltine crackers

  • Dinner: Two (bunless) hot dogs, 1 cup broccoli, half of a banana, and 1 cup vanilla ice cream


Day Three (1,100 calories)

  • Breakfast: one slice of cheddar, one small apple, and five saltine crackers

  • Lunch: one slice of bread or toast and one cooked egg

  • Dinner: 1 cup of tuna, half of a banana, and 1 cup vanilla ice cream


Limited substitutions are allowed on the plan as long as you stay within the calorie guidelines. On your "off" days, you are advised to consume 1,500 calories per day of a less restrictive diet. Suggested off-day meals and are listed on the diet's website and include items such as a yogurt parfait, a protein salad, and shrimp and zucchini pasta.



Compliant Foods

  • Black coffee

  • Vanilla ice cream

  • Bananas

  • Hot dogs

  • Eggs

  • Saltines

  • Cottage and cheddar cheese

  • Bread or toast

  • Broccoli

  • Apple

  • Tuna

  • Grapefruit

  • Green beans

  • Meat

Non-Compliant Foods

  • Alcohol

  • Milk or cream (in coffee)

  • Sugar

Recommended Timing

The Military Diet consists of a three-day meal plan of three meals a day with no snacks, followed by four days of less restricted eating for three meals and two snacks.


The cycle can be repeated until you reach your goal weight. Once at goal, the plan recommends sticking to the guidelines outlined in the four-day plan.



Pros and Cons

Like most fad diets, the three-day military diet has benefits and drawbacks.


Pros

The three-day military diet promises quick weight loss and provides a structured plan to achieve that, which helps to take the guesswork out of dieting.


However, the diet is highly restrictive, includes nutrient-poor processed foods, and may not provide enough calories to sustain energy throughout the day. It is not considered a healthy diet plan.


“Compared to other fad diets, this one does include some fruits and vegetables.


Cons

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.


The 3-Day Diet skimps on nutrients. “It’s a restrictive plan that’s lacking a variety of nutrients,” says Moore.


The 3-Day Diet: 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.


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.”



How It Compares

For short-term weight loss, the three-day military diet is reportedly effective, but the weight lost on the plan is likely to be regained once you resume a normal diet. However, it isn't a long-term weight loss solution or a healthy eating plan, nor does it teach skills, like healthy meal planning and preparing, needed for sustained weight loss.


USDA Recommendations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guidelines include recommendations and tips for a healthy, balanced diet which should include a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy, and oil.


The three-day military diet does not adhere to USDA guidelines and it is not considered a healthy eating plan.


The Solution to These Diet Blunders:

A Keto Meal Plan Customized to Your Body, Situation, Goals, and Taste Buds.

The only worldwide accepted and working diet that adheres to the USDA dietary guidelines and considered as healthy is the Keto Diet. If you want to take all the guesswork out of your diet and follow a guaranteed-to-work plan, then you'll love the brand-new custom keto meal plan service.


And when I say "custom" meal plan, I mean it. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill, “here are some recipes pulled together from random blogs” meal plans many nutrition “gurus” sell for way too much money.


Instead, we tailor your entire meal plan to your own unique situation, needs, weight loss goals, and dietary preferences to ensure you experience optimal progress and follow a diet you enjoy.


In other words, your days of suffering on ineffective and overly-restrictive diets are finally over. It's time to start working based on a method that's best for you.


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