Military diet. Meal plan for losing up to 4 kg in 3 days

What is the military diet

The military diet is an effective nutrition method designed for rapid weight loss of up to 5 kg in just 3 days. To this period you should also add 4 days, during which there are certain restrictions on food.

The military diet is low-calorie, so it requires enormous willpower to follow it correctly. But the result will definitely please you, especially if you want to quickly lose weight before an important event or vacation.

This nutrition system was developed by Pentagon specialists for soldiers who were sent to “hot spots.” This is where the diet got its name.

Advantages

Many effective diets require regular adherence because weight loss occurs gradually. Their disadvantages include the need to weigh food, prepare certain dishes and purchase large quantities of ingredients. In some cases, the additional use of certain additives is required, the price of which is almost 2 times higher than regular food products.

Such difficulties prevent people from setting up a diet, and more often they simply discourage them from following it. But the military diet does not have such rules, and besides, it only needs to be followed for 3 days, which is not much compared to other weight loss methods.

The main advantages of the military diet are its short duration and the list of products that you can buy in any store. You don't need to prepare gourmet meals while losing weight, which is important for those who don't like to spend time at the stove. The diet menu is quite simple; even the most inexperienced cook can handle it.

Benefits of the military diet

1. In the short term, the military diet may be beneficial for weight loss. It is easy to follow because it includes limited foods with simple cooking methods. The recommended 4-day weekend meal plan includes a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, as well as whole grains, legumes and a variety of meals.
2. The diet focuses on protein, which increases satiety, maintains muscle mass, and provides energy for daily activities. It is important to maintain muscle tissue as it directly contributes to a person's metabolism.

Who is the military diet for?

This weight loss technique has many admirers among both ordinary people and celebrities. But can it really be followed by everyone or are there some restrictions?

The military diet is designed for those who:

1. Has great motivation to lose weight, but only for a few days. The military diet is low in calories, so those who adhere to it constantly feel hungry. But this state will last only 3 days. If you can withstand this period, you will be able to fit into the necessary clothes, appear on the beach in an open swimsuit, or simply feel more confident.
2. Doesn't like to cook. Following the military diet menu is quite simple, you will soon see for yourself.
3. Has a limited budget. On most diets, for example, the Kremlin or ketogenic, you will not be able to save on food, but with the military method of nutrition this is easy to do.
4. Prefers simple and short diets. When following a military diet, you will not have to waste time studying recipes and preparing dishes, which will significantly save your time and nerves.

Military Diet: Pros

The main advantages of the military food system include:

1. Short compliance period. For 3 a 3 days the body is not in danger of falling into stress due to dietary restrictions; all its systems will maintain smooth operation.
2. Relative satiety. A well-thought-out menu prevents you from getting too hungry; there are enough calories to ensure that a person is provided with sufficient energy throughout the day.
3. Balance of minerals and vitamins. The body will not experience a deficiency of vitamins, important macro- and microelements.
4. The menu includes proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which will protect you from lack of important nutrients.

The diet involves strict adherence to the menu and meal times, and in this sense it is truly military. Therefore, you will have to be patient and call on willpower for help. As with any low-calorie diet, for example, porridge, cabbage, pineapple, kefir, chocolate, with a military diet you will not be able to feel completely full. However, there will be no acute feeling of hunger either, at least that’s what the authors of the “military book” claim. But the result will pay off all your efforts, reducing your figure by 2-3 sizes.

Permitted and prohibited products

You will only be able to lose weight if you stick to a solid three-day meal plan. At the same time, it is important to adhere to some other restrictions so that the result of the diet satisfies you.

You cannot change your meal plan, with the exception of substitute products for vegetarians. Drink 2 liters of clean water per day. Remember, it is up to you whether you can lose weight or whether you will look for other ways to lose weight.

Believe in your strength! Yes, for 3 days you will experience extreme hunger and think about quitting the diet. Keep yourself in control, think about the result and you will succeed!

After a three-day diet, eat moderately for another 4 days (up to 1500 calories per day). As a result, it turns out that you adhered to the recommended diet not for 3 days, but for a week!

What is forbidden to eat during a diet? You should not snack or eat light snacks between meals. Many diets allow this, but not military ones. Try to hold out for 3 days on three meals a day and then you will see how slimmer you have become. But if you eat more, you will lose less extra pounds. Do you need it?

Men on the military diet should add 100 calories each day. This is due to the fact that the stronger sex requires more calories than women.

What are the do's and don'ts of the military diet?

For maximum effectiveness of the technique, you simply need to adhere to the three-day plan. However, here are a few additional prohibitions and rules of behavior to ensure that you definitely do everything right. So, strictly follow the plan - you cannot change it, with the exception of the points previously agreed upon. Just do what it says. You are the only person in the world who can help with the problem of excess weight! The technique will not work if you do not follow it correctly.

On a note! Be prepared for a tougher exchange rate. You will most likely suffer from constant hunger, but the advantage is that this will only last 3 days. Can you do it! Believe in yourself so that the technique really works.

For the remaining 4 days, eat moderately - no more than 1.5 Kcal per day. Thus, the 3-day diet plan will serve as a starting point for you to improve your diet in the long run.

What can't you do? First of all, you should NOT resort to light snacks between meals! Yes, many diets allow this, but not the military diet. Last just 3 days on three meals a day and you will see for yourself that you have really lost weight. But if you add calories, you will only slow down your weight loss. Is it worth it? The answer is obvious.

No snacks while dieting!

If you are a man, DO NOT forget to add 100 calories daily. Men need more calories than women.

Do NOT overeat after finishing the military diet, as this will undo all the work you have done and will not get the results you could have gotten.

How to eat as a vegetarian on a military diet

If you do not eat meat products, but you have a desire to lose weight on a military diet, you can slightly adjust the menu. For example, instead of eggs, meat and tuna, eat other foods that are a source of protein.

The following foods contain a lot of protein:

• soy;
• lentils;
• nuts;
• Quorn (a meat substitute made from mushrooms).

Don't like grapefruit? Replace it with half a teaspoon of baking soda diluted in a glass of water. This drink effectively burns fat deposits (for more details, see the article Baking soda for weight loss).

Don't like tuna? Eat other fish instead or replace it with another protein source described above.

An important condition: the new product must contain the same amount of calories and protein as the one it is replacing. For example, an apple contains 75 calories, if you replace it with another product, it should have the same calorie content.

Please note that new products must be from the same group as those being replaced. That is, vegetables can only be replaced with vegetables, and fruits with fruits. This will allow you to maintain the necessary balance of nutrients during each meal.

Upon completion of the diet, do not try to immediately return to your usual diet. Firstly, because of this, all the lost kilograms will return almost immediately. Secondly, you will feel annoyed that the results of the diet were so short-lived.

Cons of the Military Diet

Following the 3-Day Military Diet Plan can cause several potential problems.

1. Limited dietary variety means there is not enough fibre, vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are essential for good health, energy production, detoxification and efficient metabolism.
2. High in salt, sugar and saturated fat. Between saltine crackers, peanut butter, bread, hot dogs and cheese, there are quite a few processed foods containing salt in the diet. People should check nutrition labels to make sure they are not consuming more sodium than the recommended 2,300 milligrams per day. If possible, it is better to buy foods that are low in sodium or have no added salt. Hot dogs recommended by the diet consist of processed meat. They contain high levels of saturated fat and sodium.
3. The daily meal plan also includes vanilla ice cream, which can be high in sugar. People can replace ice cream with 300 calories of healthy fruits, vegetables or whole grains.
4. Eating less than 1,400 calories on diet days may make it difficult to exercise. But eating enough calories over 4 days off allows people to exercise. One study looking at intermittent fasting found that combining a low-calorie diet with exercise led to greater weight changes than either diet or exercise alone. Following a low-calorie diet may prevent people from exercising.
5. The Military Diet suggests that people who don't like or can't eat grapefruit can replace it with a glass of water and baking soda to maintain an alkaline environment. Foods can change the pH, but this primarily affects the acidity or alkalinity of the urine. The pH level of foods in the diet does not affect a person's blood or metabolism to significantly affect weight gain or loss, although it may affect other aspects of health. All fruits produce alkaline byproducts in the body, so it is possible to replace one fruit with another.
6. High protein content can make urine acidic. As a result, the diet is not suitable for people who have kidney problems or suffer from gout.

The effectiveness of the military diet

Following this nutritional method gives amazing results! From a scientific point of view, effectiveness is due to the following reasons:

• Low calorie foods. Fat cells appear as a result of eating high-calorie foods. Every time you overeat, all unused calories are converted into fat. To burn them, you need to exercise or reduce your caloric intake. The military diet replenishes the energy deficit through accumulated fat deposits, resulting in weight loss.
• Intermittent fasting. This is a popular and effective weight loss technique that alternates periods of fasting and normal eating. During fasting, insulin sensitivity increases, causing the nutrients consumed to penetrate the liver and muscle cells, rather than fat tissue.
• Fasting helps reduce IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) levels. This is due to an increase in the intensity of burning fat cells, stimulation of muscle growth and recovery, and a reduction in the risk of type 1 diabetes. All these changes can be observed both with a military diet and while eating up to 1000 calories per day.
• Diet helps speed up metabolism. What is metabolic rate? This is the number of calories burned per day. The higher your metabolic rate, the faster you lose weight. The military diet contains foods that accelerate metabolism, which means that fat cells are burned more actively.

For example, to digest foods containing large amounts of protein, the body spends a lot of calories. Foods high in fiber (apples, beans, etc.) and low in calories also help speed up your metabolism.

Foods containing a lot of calcium, such as cottage cheese, also help burn fat. This is due to the fact that calcium seems to combine with fat, after which it helps it pass through the digestive system without being digested.

Is the military diet effective?

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at low-calorie diets and concluded that they may be effective in helping people lose weight quickly. Obese people following this diet will achieve faster weight loss than with bariatric surgery.

Low calorie diets

are diets that allow less than 1000 calories per day. It is impossible to predict how much weight a person will lose in one week because everyone is different. However, people often experience rapid weight gain after stopping short-term diets if they have not developed a plan to maintain weight loss.

People should drink water throughout the day, and 1-2 cups of black coffee or tea are also allowed.

Military diet menu for 3 days

To get the figure of your dreams, just follow a three-day military diet, the menu of which is given below.

First day:

• breakfast - half a grapefruit, 1 whole grain toast, 1 cup of coffee or tea, 40 g peanut butter;
• lunch - 0.1-0.15 kg of tuna, toast, a mug of coffee or tea (with caffeine);
• dinner - 100 g of meat of your choice, half a banana, 250 g of green beans, 1 medium apple and 1 vanilla ice cream.

Second day:

• breakfast - half a banana, toast and 1 boiled egg;
• lunch - 5 crackers with salt, 1 hard-boiled egg, 250 g of cottage cheese;
• dinner - 2 beef sausages, half a banana, 200 g of broccoli, half a glass of vanilla ice cream and 100 g of carrots.

The third day:

• breakfast - 5 crackers with salt, 1 medium apple, 50 g of cheddar;
• lunch - 1 boiled egg, 1 toast;
• dinner - half a banana, 200 g of tuna, 1 vanilla ice cream.

On days 4, 5, 6 and 7, you can eat whatever you want, but keep in mind that the daily calorie content of meals should not exceed 1500 calories. You can take a 1500 calorie diet as a basis for your diet. If the calorie content of the food is higher, you will not get the desired result.

While losing weight, drink at least 2 liters of pure water without gases daily. This will make it easier for you to tolerate the diet and remove harmful substances from your body faster. Drinking carbonated drinks or those containing sweeteners is strictly prohibited.

Military diet - lose up to 5 kg in just 3 days, menu with brief descriptions of recipes

To ensure that the military diet does not end in disappointment, it is recommended to carefully prepare the diet for three days, following the nutritional rules. It is better to use a ready-made scheme designed for three days - this guarantees that the long-awaited weight loss will begin from the first day of switching to a meager menu.

Military diet menu for 3 days:

During the three-day military diet, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids. Water - at least two liters, other drinks - from a liter. It is prohibited to consume packaged juices rich in sugar and preservatives, sweet cocktails, and soda. It is better to give preference to herbal infusions, tea, and mineral water. It is not recommended to use any sweeteners - this will immediately affect the effectiveness of weight loss.

To speed up the burning of fat deposits, it is recommended to increase physical activity. You don’t have to work out in the gym to the point of exhaustion - just try to walk, do weight loss exercises at home, and spend half an hour every morning jogging.

Physical exercise

Physical activity has virtually no effect on the results of a military diet, but it is still recommended to exercise while losing weight. During training, calories are burned faster, and if you consume less calories per day than necessary, the body uses fat deposits. As a result, you will lose more than if you simply followed a diet.

Don't know where to start? A 20-30 minute walk in the morning or after work. If you were actively involved in sports before losing weight, then continue in the same spirit. But remember, low calorie intake may leave you feeling tired or weak.

We recommend that you try exercises for a toned butt and abs. Maybe,

Basic principles

The military diet is practiced by those who need to lose weight quickly. It captivates with its short-term nature and simplicity of diet.

The power supply system should be built according to the following principles:

1. For three consecutive days of the week, the calorie content of the menu is strictly limited to 900-1200 kcal per day.
2. In the next 4 days it returns to the usual 2000-2500 kcal. If necessary, you can repeat the diet several more times until the desired result is achieved.
3. For more intensive weight loss, during the 4 days free from restrictions, it is still recommended to consume no more than 1500-1600 kcal, gaining them through healthy foods, rather than fast food and other heavy foods.

Allowed foods within the military diet are:

• any meat, including processed meat (sausages, canned meat, bacon);
• dried bread, crackers;
• canned fish;
• cottage cheese, hard cheese;
• grapefruit, apples, bananas, kiwi;
• eggs;
• vanilla ice cream;
• broccoli, carrots, beets, leafy vegetables;
• peanut butter;
• coffee.

The list of prohibited products included:

• other fruits and vegetables that are not on the list of permitted ones;
• legumes, any cereals;
• oil (both butter and vegetable);
• sugar, honey

Be sure to drink plenty of water (at least 2 liters per day).

Recommendations

Below we will give simple tips that will help make the weight loss process easier. The three-day military diet is a fast and tough nutrition method, but even it can be sustained if you remember the results and follow certain rules:

1. Drink a glass of water when you wake up and before every meal. This will reduce the feeling of hunger and remove harmful substances from the body.
2. Buy the supplies you need before you go on a diet. If you go shopping hungry, you will end up buying a lot of unnecessary and forbidden food.
3. It is best to go for a walk in the morning, before breakfast. This will help burn extra calories.
4. Ask a friend or family member to follow the military diet with you. This will help you not to lose weight and make it easier to lose weight.
5. Be sure to weigh yourself before and after losing weight to see the results!

Reviews

Below are reviews and results from people who followed the military diet. Check them out to see if this weight loss method is worth sticking with or if it’s better to find another one.

Valentin, 36 years old

Some time ago I needed to lose 4 kg. My wife recommended going on a military diet, the slogan of which is “Lose up to 5 kg in just 3 days.” To be honest, I didn’t really believe that this nutritional method would help me. The diet was difficult to stick to, but I did it. My result is minus 4.5 kg.

Anna, 28 years old

I rarely go on diets because I consider my weight to be normal. The last time I lost weight was a year ago, before the wedding, I followed the Hayley Pomeroy diet. Before my vacation, I urgently needed to lose weight; a friend recommended a military diet. In 3 days I lost 3 kg, I’m very happy!

Violetta, 42 years old

The military diet is a tough but effective nutrition system for weight loss. While following it, I managed to lose 5 kg in 3 days, which is a good result. Of the minuses, I would like to note the constant feeling of hunger and slight weakness.

Following a military diet only gives amazing results if you follow it correctly! Remember this while losing weight. And do not rush to return to your usual diet immediately after stopping the diet.

What does science say about the military diet?

The 3-day military diet is an extreme nutrition program designed for weight loss. It also belongs to radical systems precisely because of its short duration and rapid weight loss. But the diet works because:

• Contains a small amount of calories in the daily menu - every day when the body does not receive its calorie intake, it will borrow it from deposits made earlier. This allows the overall weight to be reduced.
• The absence of periodic fasting eliminates the risk of exhaustion for the body. Hungry fainting on a diet does not threaten anyone.
• A program has been developed to speed up metabolic processes, since it involves not only reducing food consumption, but also performing a series of physical exercises.
• Insulin-like growth factor decreases - intensive burning of previously accumulated fat leads to the fact that muscles are tightened in the presence of physical activity, but the possibility of developing type 1 diabetes is reduced.

But despite all the favorable factors, there are also real risks.

Not everyone is allowed to consume a limited range of products. This is especially important for people who suffer from diabetes or chronic diseases.