Do you need diet pills to lose weight? A righteous lifestyle and a healthy attitude toward your daily nutrition might be all that you need to avoid weight gain and tip the scales the other way. The three-day military diet is one example of a weight loss plan focused on rational eating that won’t ever leave you dying for more. However, be forewarned that there is no scientific evidence to support the claims of this diet and it is not associated with any military branch of the service.
Some may think that a 3-day military diet that causes unhealthy rapid weight loss is bad for you, and they may be right. It is not approved by the United States Department of Agriculture as a healthy diet for weight loss or long-term weight management.
Still, is the three-day military diet the ultimate short-term detoxification fix? Yes, you’ll need to count calories, but the flexibility and the rationality of this dietary pattern make restricting caloric intake easy all without leaving you starving every day.
It just might give your favorite green juice cleanse a run for its money. Here’s how you can harness the power of unprocessed foods, caffeinated coffee, and lean protein, with no intermittent fasting required. Followers of the military diet claim its best use is for emergency dieting, a practice that may, unfortunately, lead to a regain of weight.
Military Diet Meal Plan
3-Day Military Diet Meal Plan
If you’re wondering how to allocate these military diet staples into your weekly routine, you’ll also find several sample weekly menus from the source, including one for your four cheat days.
Military Diet – Launch Day (Approx. 1094 Calories)
“Launch Day” of the 3 Day Military Diet is crafted for an impactful start, focusing on kickstarting your metabolism and initiating weight loss. This plan combines nutrient-rich foods with controlled calorie intake, balancing proteins, healthy fats, and essential carbs.
| Breakfast | |
| Black Coffee or Tea | 1 cup |
| Grapefruit | 1/2 medium |
| Whole Wheat Bread | 1 slice |
| Peanut Butter | 2 tablespoons |
| Lunch | |
| Black Coffee or Tea | 1 cup |
| Whole Wheat Bread | 1 slice |
| Canned Tuna | 1/2 cup |
| Carrots | 1 cup |
| Dinner | |
| Any type of meat | 3 oz |
| Green Beans | 1 cup |
| Apple | 1 small |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | 1 cup |
Military Diet List
What else should you be worried about during your first week? Not a thing—again, you’ll find substitutions for nearly every recommended meal and snack on the site. Pick your poison, and you’ll be well on your way to sustainable weight loss. Multivitamins can also be included in your military diet plan, as long as they’re not overly sugary.
And, as far as quenching your thirst is concerned, you’ll be glad to know that there’s plenty that you’ll still be able to enjoy aside from water:
- Fruit juice mixed with water, such as lemon water or grapefruit water
- Apple cider vinegar tonics
- Sparkling water
- Calorie-free soda pop
- Pure fruit juices
- Yerba maté
- Coffee
- Tea, especially herbal, decaffeinated tea
The website does include one caveat pertinent to these last three entries: You should keep your coffee and tea black, without adding any sugar or creamer. Artificial sweeteners should also be avoided, but all-natural zero-calorie sweeteners like stevia leaf or monk fruit extract can be used to add a sweet kick to your favorite herbal teas.
What Is The Military Diet?
According to the official military diet website, the military diet consists of a weekly eating schedule: three “lean” days, as well as four “off” days per week. Through this combination, the creators of the diet claim that it’s possible to lose up to ten pounds in a week. More than likely, however, any weight loss greater than three pounds in the first week is likely due to water weight loss.
These “lose weight quickly” claims are dubious at best, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give this interesting weight management system a shot for yourself.
You should aim for a calorie intake of anywhere between 1,100 to 1,400 calories daily on your dieting days. Paradoxically, your “fat” days should land somewhere around 1,500 calories —it’s not a huge difference, but advocates of this healthy eating plan stand by the results that they were able to achieve.
How Does It Work?
You’ll find a bit of what the military diet stands for on its FAQ page.It asserts that caffeine is a pretty significant aspect of the meal plan—it acts as a “mild metabolic stimulator and appetite suppressant[1],” turbocharging what would otherwise be a pretty normal diet. Other specific food combinations include incorporating high-protein selections into every meal, as well as the importance of choosing organic produce whenever possible.
pH also plays a role in this weight loss plan. The website proclaims that, in the presence of an acid, “fat flourishes.” Bold words, for sure, but studies show that this notion does have some merit[2]. According to research, an alkaline diet reduces morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases.
Cheat days are also used strategically as a metabolic booster. According to the site, one’s weight loss curve may flatten as time goes on, even if sticking to the meal plan strictly—as your body acclimates itself to the diet, your metabolism gradually ramps down to match it. A cheat day might just be a vanilla ice cream day or pizza day, make it about eating the foods you’ve been restricting.
Allegedly, a cheat day will “trick” your body into producing more leptin, which then compels it to rouse itself from “starvation mode[3].” Stubborn belly fat then becomes much easier for your system to tackle, as it’s no longer hanging onto every bit of energy miserly. Leptin works by helping the body maintain weight loss and alleviating the tendency toward calorie conservation that typically occurs during dieting.
The timing of every meal is not at the forefront of this weight loss strategy. All that matters is that you’re meeting your daily caloric goals and avoiding all of the stuff that the authors of this plan recommend leaving behind. Aside from that, though, you’ve got a ton of freedom to make the three-day military diet your own.
Military Diet Shopping List
What should your weekly shopping list look like? You don’t need to deprive yourself to lose weight, and you’ll even find a complete shopping list for your first week on the diet’s website:
- Coffee or tea
- Grapefruit
- Bananas
- Apples
- Whole wheat bread
- Peanut Butter
- Eggs
- Canned tuna
- Hot dogs
- A small piece of any type of meat
- Green beans, either frozen, canned, or fresh
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Saltine crackers
- Cottage cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Vanilla ice cream
You may be surprised to find many of your favorites here—ice cream for weight maintenance. Is it too good to be true?
Foods To Avoid In The 3 Day Military Diet Menu
Some categories of food should be kept off of your plate, whether you’re on a lean day or a feast day. The creators of the military diet have plenty of advice on what to avoid when trying out the three-day military diet for yourself:
- Refined sugar, including things like maple syrup
- Artificial sweeteners (except stevia extract and monk fruit)
- Caloric condiments, such as mayonnaise and ketchup
- Highly-processed foods
- Convenience food and other junk
- Fast food and food from restaurants
- Alcohol
- Sugary drinks, including traditional soda
- Bleached flours and grains, such as white rice
3-Day Military Diet List
If any of these are must-haves for you, the authors of the site also offer tons of ways to substitute your favorite foods without compromising your low-calorie plan:
- You can substitute ½ teaspoon of baking soda for the grapefruit in your daily citrus-water tonic
- Any of the low-calorie vegetables included in the meal plan can be swapped out for other vegetables, as long as the calorie counts don’t vary much between your options
- You can substitute whole-grain cereal, ½ a protein bar, or ¼ cup of yogurt with ½ teaspoon of flax seeds for a slice of toast
- Almond butter, pumpkin butter, sunflower seed butter, and hummus can all be used instead of peanut butter
- You can substitute your coffee for tea if you get jittery
- Fresh tuna works just as well as canned tuna, as does avocado, tofu, cottage cheese, or hummus
- Vegans can choose lentils, beans, or tofu instead of meat, as well as tofu dogs instead of the traditional frank
- If you prefer to eat in bulk, you can replace your green beans with a large bed of lettuce, tomatoes, or any other salad ingredients, as long as they amount to the same number of calories
- You’re free to swap out ½ of a banana for other sweet fruits like kiwi, papaya, apricot, plums, grapes, or even no-sugar-added applesauce
- Instead of a small cup of vanilla ice cream, you may opt for a cup of yogurt or apple juice instead
- Instead of an egg, you can have two slices of bacon, a chicken wing, ½ an avocado, or a cup of milk
- Any non-dairy milk can stand in for real milk except chocolate milk, although the website doesn’t say why.
Many of these alternatives make the military diet suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and those with food allergies to consider. You’re encouraged to season each meal to your preference, using any low-calorie spice or herb, as well as relatively low-calorie sauces like mustard and soy sauce.
Versatility is certainly one benefit of the military diet; the diet’s creators urge you to focus not on the size of the portion when substituting, but, instead, on the calorie exchange. As long as you’re operating on an apples-to-apples basis in terms of macronutrients and micronutrients, you should be in the clear.
Is It Safe?
As far as extreme dieting goes, this diet is pretty tame. Where the warrior diet will have you fasting for 24 hours and diets like the keto diet will ask you to eliminate man’s favorite macronutrient, the three-day military diet simply asks you to take a step back three days a week. This diet won’t leave you sweating in bed every night, nor is it likely to lead to long-term patterns of disordered eating.
Conclusion
As long as you maintain a consistent caloric deficit[4] daily, you’re very likely to lose a few pounds on this diet. It’s perfect for anybody who struggles to come up with convenient and healthy meals, especially when low on time.
The premise is simple. The recommended ingredients are common and affordable. Should you consider the military diet for yourself? Our opinion: If you need to lose weight and want to try something new, why not give it a shot? Losing weight has never been easier. Burn fat with the best of them on this very low-calorie diet.
+ 4 Sources
- Tabrizi, R., Parvane Saneei, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani, Akbari, M., Fariba Kolahdooz, Esmaillzadeh, A., Somayyeh Nadi-Ravandi, Majid Mazoochi and Zatollah Asemi (2018). The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, [online] 59(16), pp.2688–2696. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1507996.
- Schwalfenberg, G. (2012). The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health? Journal of Environmental and Public Health, [online] 2012, pp.1–7. doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/727630.
- Ahima, R.S. (2008). Revisiting leptin’s role in obesity and weight loss. Journal of Clinical Investigation. [online] doi:https://doi.org/10.1172/jci36284.
- Ju Young Kim (2021). Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. Journal of obesity & metabolic syndrome, [online] 30(1), pp.20–31. doi:https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20065.