What’s all the fuss about the military diet?
Simple. First, one of the most frustrating things for military members is making weight. Some have no issue with this, but if you’re one of those struggling every single time you have to make weight, you need a tool to help.
The Military Diet may be the right choice for you. It’s an extreme weight-loss program you can use to drop up to 10 pounds in just one week. The best part, you don’t have to completely starve yourself like high school and college wrestlers do when they need to make weight.
The Military Diet Basics
The basics behind the military diet include extreme calorie cutting for three days and moderate calorie cutting for four days. You will also eat specific foods to help boost your metabolism, which helps to burn fat faster. It will take incredible motivation and willpower, but you only have to sustain it for three days.
The Three-Day Meal Plan
For three days, you will consume between 1,100 and 1,400 calories. Breakfast will consist of a half grapefruit, slice of toast with peanut butter and a cup of coffee or tea, for day one. Day two, you get to eat one egg, a slice of toast and a half a banana for breakfast. Your final day, you will have five saltine crackers, a slice of cheddar cheese and a small apple for breakfast.
Lunch isn’t quite as restrictive, but it’s still smaller than you’re probably used to. Day one consists of a half a cup of tuna or another lean protein, one slice of toast and a cup of coffee or tea. On day two, you will indulge with one cup of cottage cheese, one hardboiled egg and five saltine crackers. Day three also includes a hardboiled egg (you can actually cook the egg however you prefer) and a slice of toast.
Dinner is the largest meal of the day for all three days. Day one consists of four ounces of any meat or protein you want, one cup of green beans, half a banana, one small apple and one cup of vanilla ice cream or coconut milk ice cream. Day two is very similar, but you will substitute broccoli for green beans and a half cut of carrots for the apple from day one. You will also cut your ice cream in half to just half a cup. The third day is rather restrictive with just one cup of tuna, a half a banana and one cup of ice cream.
The Final Four Days
There are no food restrictions for the final four days of the diet. However, you are only allowed to have a maximum of 1,500 calories for each day. It’s best to track your calories with an online tool or food journal as 80% of people misjudge how many calories they actually eat in a day.
Why the Military Diet Helps with Quick Weight-Loss
The main reason you will lose weight fast on the military diet is the calorie restrictions. However, it also combines foods to boost your metabolism, along with intermittent fasting, which speeds up the weight-loss.
Some will actually go extreme with the diet and repeat days one through three before taking any days off. You can modify the diet to fit your specific needs and abilities, but remember, this isn’t meant to be a sustainable weight-loss diet. It’s great for quick weight loss, but not great for the long term, as cutting calories to the extreme may lead to nutrition deficiencies.