Lose Weight Faster With The 3-Day Military Diet

People who lose weight with diets do two things very well:

• First, they find a diet with a proven track record that they know works.
• Second, they’re brutal about putting 100% of themselves into making it work.

You’re probably wondering:

How can I make this work for me?

Today, we’re going to make it easy for you.

Warning: some of the food suggestions sound gross and beyond unconventional (think hot dogs and ice cream).

We have to confess, we’re not sure how this one came about, or at what level the military was involved, but the 3-day military diet is surprisingly popular for those who need to get skinny fast.

If you only have a week or so to fit into that little black dress, the Military Diet could be exactly what you are looking for.

The Military Diet isn’t for the faint-hearted though – it’s very low-calorie, quite restrictive, and highly regimented. It does not involve diet pills.

This three-day diet is based on solid metabolism-boosting science and followers report losing 10 lbs. or more in a week.

However, because you only follow it for three days and then eat less strictly for the next four days, it’s a case of toughing it out for great results.

And when you need to be beach-ready in a hurry or have an event to attend by the weekend, the military diet is well worth it.

It’s a true case of no pain, no gain. One that skinny bitches are quite familiar with.

What we like about this diet

Most weight loss diets get pretty complicated, and lengthy and often require that you not only weigh and measure all your food but also buy a big list of ingredients that take a ton of time to prepare.

Let’s be honest:

Many diets also include supplements that are often more expensive than real food!

Needless to say, this is not a good way to encourage diet compliance. The three-day military diet is short and it’s easy. Not to mention, very effective for quick weight loss.

Those previously mentioned complicated diets promote slow and steady weight loss, which is fine if you have the time to lose those unwanted pounds.

If you want to get skinny for a rapidly approaching social engagement or vacation, however, the slow progress can leave you frustrated.

Slow and steady-type diets also require a heap of willpower as you have to stick with them for weeks or even months at a time; that’s not the case with the three-day Military Diet.

In sharp contrast to typical weight loss diets, the Military Diet is simple, easy to follow, and is built around foods you can buy with one trip to the store.

Each meal is very quick and easy to prepare making it ideal for any non-chef.

Best of all:

It promises to get you skinny with great results in just a few days.

Who is the 3-Day Military Diet for?

The Military Diet is attracting some stellar reviews and plenty of ardent followers. That’s hardly surprising given the results that many users are experiencing. But does this mean the Military Diet is for everyone?

The Military Diet is best suited to…

• People who have enough motivation to exude lots of willpower—but just for three days.

It’s low in calories which means that you will probably feel hungry, but, again, the diet only lasts for three days. (For something longer, we recommend the 17 Day Diet).

As long as you can hang tough for those 72 hours, you will be rewarded with weight loss and skinny results worth bragging about.

• The military diet is also great for people who have neither the time nor the inclination to spend lots of time shopping for and preparing food for a special diet. As you’ll see, the military diet is easy to implement.
• Dieters with a limited grocery shopping budget but who still want great results from their diet are also ideal candidates.
• People who don’t like complicated diets that are hard to follow will appreciate the military diet plan. Unlike many diets, which give you so many choices and decisions to make, the Military Diet, as the name would suggest, is straight to the point – it’s my way or the highway. This makes dietary compliance much easier as you simply eat what you are told to eat and don’t have to spend time planning menus or reading recipes.

What’s the Bottom Line?

One of the most attractive aspects of the Military Diet is its simplicity:

You don’t need to count calories or hunt down weird and wonderful foods; in fact, you could probably start this diet today with the groceries you have in your kitchen right now.

Each meal is designed to be low in calories and provide the optimal mix of protein, carbohydrate, and dietary fat for fast fat burning.

The diet may sound simple, but it has everything you need to get skinny quickly.

You’ll see below, that most of the meals require very little if any cooking.

Each of the three meals of the three days is clearly laid out making this one of the most straightforward diets to follow. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you’ll already know how to substitute the protein or dairy elements of the diet.

In addition to the foods listed above, dieters are encouraged to drink lots and lots of plain water to enhance fat loss, flush out toxins, and also help you to feel fuller, and longer.

Diet sodas and other artificially sweetened beverages are NOT allowed as they can interfere with fat loss despite being low in calories or even calorie-free.

The Vegan or Vegetarian Way

While the Military Diet is purposely strict, it is possible to personalize it so it suits your individual food preferences. For an easy vegetarian or vegan fix, you can replace the tuna, meat, and eggs with  your preferred protein replacement or any of the following:

Other Substitutions:

Not a fan of grapefruit? Half a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water will have the same fat-burning benefits.

Don’t like tuna?

Any other fish is an acceptable replacement and if you don’t like fish, any lean protein will work too.

The main caveat:

For all food substitutions, whatever you substitute has the same amount of calories and/or protein as the food you are eliminating. For example, an apple contains 75 calories so if you choose to eat something other than an apple, it must also contain 75 calories.

Substitutions should also be from similar food groups i.e. replace fruit with fruit and vegetables with vegetables.

This will ensure you preserve the intended balance of nutrients in each meal.

The Science Behind the Military Diet

The Military Diet works, and works really well, for several irrefutable scientific reasons.

•  It is low in calories. Fat is nothing more than stored calories; every time you overeat or underexercise, your body takes those unused calories and converts them to fat.

To “burn” these calories you need to eat less or exercise more to create an energy (calorie) deficit. Your body makes up the energy shortfall from your stored fat.

The Military Diet is purposely low in calories which guarantees your body will have to resort to using stored fat for fuel so you lose weight.

• It is a form of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is a popular and effective way to diet that involves periods of not eating with periods of eating fairly normally.

Periods of fasting increase insulin sensitivity so that, when you do eat, nutrients are preferentially directed into your muscle and liver cells and away from your fat cells.

Fasting also decreases levels of IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor). Reduced IGF-1 is strongly linked to increased fat burning, reduced risk of type 1 diabetes, and promoting muscle growth and repair.

And while the Military Diet plan isn’t a true fast as you never actually stop eating altogether, any diet lower than 1000 calories per day can be classified as a fast and will have similar effects.

• It is designed to maximize your metabolism. The number of calories you burn per day is called your metabolic rate and the higher your metabolic rate, the better your fat loss results will be.

Many of the foods in the Military Diet have been specifically chosen for their metabolism-boosting and fat-burning properties. For example…

High protein foods have a high thermal effect, meaning that eating and digesting them uses lots of calories.

High-fiber foods such as apples, green beans, and broccoli are filling, low in calories, and also boost your metabolism.

Foods high in calcium such as ice cream and cottage cheese are strongly linked to faster fat burning because calcium binds to fat and helps it pass through your digestive system rather than be digested. 1

Going Hardcore on the Military Diet

One of the most attractive and unusual aspects of the Military Diet is that it only lasts three days. After that time, you eat a more relaxed diet of around 1500 calories per day to maintain your newfound skinniness and in some cases, become skinnier.

Why does this matter?

It will ensure great results but also limit the amount of time you have to stay mentally strong.

However, if you want even better results, you can stay on the Military Diet for longer. Instead of following the diet for three days and then easing off for four, simply repeat days one to three and then day one again to make seven so your diet week looks like this…

Monday – day one

Tuesday – day two

Wednesday – day three

Thursday – day one

Friday – day two

Saturday – day three

Sunday – day one

While this approach will be tough, your efforts will be very well rewarded. This is an ideal approach for when you need to lose the most amount of weight possible in the least amount of time e.g. before looking your best at a wedding.

Exercise and the Military Diet

Exercise is not essential during the Military Diet, but light to moderate workouts are highly recommended and will enhance your fat loss results. Exercise burns calories and because you will not be eating as much as normal, these calories will have to be supplied by your fat stores. This will be reflected in faster fat loss than dieting alone can produce.

If you are currently not much of an exerciser, start by walking for 20-30 minutes per day every day of the week. We highly recommend the use of a basic pedometer like this one or a more advanced Fitbit to keep you aware of your activity levels. Make your walks brisk and purposeful by really striding out and pumping your arms.

If you are already exercising regularly, feel free to continue with your current schedule but be aware that, during the Military Diet, you may feel a little tired or weak. You might need to dial back on the duration and intensity of your workouts a little.

Getting the best results from the Military Diet

While you could simply follow the Military Diet plan and get good results, there are several things you can do to make your weight loss journey even easier and more effective. Getting skinny in a hurry is serious business and we want you to be successful.

1. Start each day with a big glass of water and drink water before every meal. Water is calorie-free and filling and you’ll feel less hungry if you drink lots of water each and every day.
2. Buy your food in advance so you don’t have to go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Hunger can wreak havoc on your willpower so avoid shopping for food when you are hungry. Wait until you have completed the diet before heading to the store for groceries and you’ll avoid buying all those foods you know you shouldn’t.
3. Do your daily walk or workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to preferentially burn fat. If you have no food in your system your body is much more likely to use fat for fuel. If this is not possible, try to walk before meals, rather than after.
4. Recruit a diet buddy so you don’t have to go it alone. Tell a friend or relative about the Military Diet and get them to do it too. This will add an element of motivating peer pressure for both of you and will mean you are more likely to stick to the plan. Make your diet buddy your workout buddy too to maximize exercise adherence.
5. Remember to take before and after measurements to track your progress as nothing motivates more than seeing your success in black and white. Put on the outfits you plan to wear at the end of the week before you start the diet so you see and feel how differently they fit a few days later.

Conclusion

Like the army itself, the Military Diet is no muss and no fuss but certainly gets the job done. If you are looking for a straightforward, no-frills way to lose weight fast then the Military Diet is for you. Of course, like any diet, it’ll only work if you actually put it into action and as this is the most “excuse-free” diet around, there is no reason you can’t start it tomorrow!