3 Day Military Diet: I lost 7.5 pounds in one week!

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3 Day Military Diet Plan

Military Diet Quick Weight Loss Plan

3 Day Military Diet Plan

The 3 Day Military Diet is very popular for losing weight fast!  I was chatting with a my friend Tracey about wanting to shed a few of those dreadful Holiday pounds I gained and she suggested I try this 3 Day Military Diet weight loss plan.  Her husband is in the Military and this is how they lose pounds before the weigh in they have to do and it works!  She lost 10 pounds so I figured I would give it a try.  After all, it’s only 3 days.  I’ve also included a 30 Day Plank challenge into my routine.  It works!

UPDATE!!!!!  September 15, 2017

Boy, oh boy do I have some updates for you!!!  I know there are a ton of people who still try this 3 Day Military diet.  I have always found it to be a great way to shed weight fast!  However, it is not a long term solution.  I feel as though I have tried every diet out there with a little success at first but not much after.  I have to tell you about a new diet call the Ketogenic Diet!  It’s a low carb diet that focuses on high fat and moderate protein.  Hello bacon and eggs for breakfast!

I have been doing the Keto Diet for 7 months so far! 7 MONTHS!  I’ve never, in my life, ever, stuck with a plan for this long!  That alone says something.  The food is delicious.  Seriously.  It’s good!  I don’t feel hungry (or hangry).  I am less bloated.  I have no brain fog.  I didn’t even realize I had brain fog until after I started doing the Keto diet.  I have way more energy too!  No more afternoon naps.  It’s completely changed my life!  We have been told for the last 20 to 25 years that fat is bad for you and IT’S NOT!  Here, head over here to read this article because it explains how you can change your body from burning carbs (glucose) and start burning FAT (ketones).  Simple Way To Start The Ketogenic Diet

My whole family is Keto Now!!  We still enjoy amazing food choices while being healthy!  If you are interested in starting your Ketogenic journey, I want to suggest a few resources to get you started.  First, follow the Keto Friendly Recipes page on Facebook.  Then join the Low Carb Inspirations (with Keto Friendly Recipes) group on Facebook.  Both of these resources will give you encouragement while you learn this new way!

Simple Way to Start the Ketogenic Diet
Simple Way to Start the Ketogenic Diet

 

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor, just sharing what has worked for me.

Military Quick Weight Loss plan

3 Day Military Diet Quick Weight Loss

Day 1:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of grapefruit, 1 slice of toast, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, coffee or tea
lunch: 1/2 cup of tuna, 1 slice of toast, coffee or tea ( caffeinated)
Dinner: 3 ounces of meat ( any kind) , 1 cup of green beans, 1/2 of banana, 1 small apple, and 1 cup of vanilla ice cream.

IMPORTANT TIP:  I had a hard time eating just plan tuna.  I added this seasoning only and it was so good!  Now I save the calories of the mayo I used to put in it and I always eat it with that seasoning!  Even the hubby likes it too!  It’s the only seasoning that makes it delicious!

Day 2:
Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 slice of toast, and 1/2 banana
Lunch: 1 ounce of cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg, and 5 saltine crackers.
Dinner: 3 ounces of meat, 1 cup of broccoli, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 banana and 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream.

Day 3:
Breakfast: 5 saltine crackers, 1 slice of cheddar cheese and a small apple
Lunch: hard boiled egg, and a slice of toast
Dinner: 1 cup of tuna, 1/2 of a banana and i cup of vanilla ice cream

( You can add some salt and pepper to eggs and meat) After 3 days you go back to normal eating. ( I recommend eating healthy or you can gain weight back).

Then u can repeat this diet after 4 days (for a full week, 7 days total) and continue until you reach your goal weight.

My thoughts:  I was really hungry by day 3.  I didn’t have the ice cream because I am trying really, really hard to stay away from sugar all together.  I added creamer to my coffee so I counted that as the ice cream part.  I ended up cheating on Day 3 by eating a few extra crackers.  5 extra crackers to be exact.  :-/  But I still lost 7.5 pounds!

I honestly don’t think the 3 Day Military Diet would be a good plan to continue every week but it’s a great way to get the boost you need and motivation to get you started!  That’s just my 2¢ worth.

I am on the Paleo plan after that nice little boost and I love it!  UPDATE:  I am loving the Paleo plan.  I’ve already lost an additional 10 pounds in only 14 days since starting it.  Check out the Paleo Meal plans, Grocery list and Recipes here.  I enjoyed the Military diet jumpstart but I really like how I am eating on the Paleo plan because I don’t feel hungry and my cravings are gone!  Cravings for sugar and carbs are my biggest weakness!

 

Tips for Water Consumption:  Be sure to drink a good amount of water.  As a general rule you should be take your current body weight and divide it by two.  Take that total and drink that many ounces of water a day.

Here’s an example:

Body Weight = 150

150 /2 = 75

You should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day.

If you want to know how many 8 ounce glasses of water you should be drinking a day you can divide this number again by 8 to get the total number of glasses of water you should be drinking.  In this example it would be a least 9 glasses of water a day)

Note:  The water consumption is just a general rule.  You will want to try and drink more water if you are exercising, hot days etc…

Water Consumption rules

Don’t forget to head over here to see all of our posts on how to lose fat, exercise, gain muscle and eat healthy too!

 

I found a few other really good books on the subject of Weight loss that are worth looking at:

Secrets Of Military Fitness: 21 Techniques The Military Uses, That Can Get You Ship Shape

secrets of military fitness

The Official United States Naval Academy Workout (Military Fitness)

Naval Academy WOrkout plan

The United States Marine Corps Workout

Marine Corps workout plan

3 Day Military Diet Plan

 

**Disclaimer:  This is a plan that was given to me by a friend.  I am not a doctor and I highly recommend you contact your physician before starting any new diet or exercise plan.

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82 Comments

  1. Just want to make sure I understand what you are saying… Do the diet for 3 days as described then break for 4 days and repeat for another 3 days (if you choose to)? Thanks!

    1. Yes Michelle, that’s exactly what I am saying. Be sure to eat healthy on the 4 days off. For some reason this is supposed to kick start your metabolism. (that’s what they say anyway)

    1. Oh, I’m not sure. I stay strictly to this diet for it to work. I would recommend you click on the Paleo Recipes link in the post. There are good recipes there that will also aid in weight loss that don’t include tuna and eggs. Good Luck!

    1. I usually try and walk three to four times a week but I purposely didn’t exercise during this diet because I wanted to see if it would work by just changing what I ate. I lost 7.5 pounds without exercise but my friend lost 10 pounds and she did exercise (walking). Good Luck! By day 3 it was a bit hard for me because I was hungry but it is doable! I only did it once and now I follow the Paleo plan. I like food and I like to eat so the Paleo is wroking for me.

    1. Yay! I’m excited for you!!! I can’t wait to hear your results!!! Take a before photo too! I wished I had!

    1. Hi LeAnne!
      This diet is pretty strict. I think it’s intended for us to follow it exactly for the highest weight loss possible. I believe someone told me it has to do with they types of foods and when we eat them for this to work. However, I did deviate a bit from this plan. I am hypoglycemic and I cannot have sugar so I omitted the ice cream at the end of the day and added creamer to my coffee. This could be the reason I only lost 7.5 lbs versus the 10 lbs my friend lost who stayed very strict to the diet.
      I hope that helps.
      Good Luck! Please report back and tell me what you did and how it worked for you, okay?!

  2. I want to start this ASAP befor graduation in three weeks. I’m horrible at excersising.. Do I have to with this in order to see results?

    1. No, I purposely did not exercise to see if this plan works and I lost 7.5 lbs with this diet alone! Good Luck Stephanie!

    1. Oh RaeNeel I dont’ know that I would try this Military diet then. There isn’t much to eat on it anyway and I’m not certain what the substitutes are for those foods. The Paleo diet does not work as fast but it’s much easier and you can eat much more. I would try that. Unless anyone else has a better suggestion for substitutes… Please comment.

      1. Gena made a comment in the posts below that she swapped apples for canned parts and the grapefruit for mandarin oranges and she still lost 8 lbs. Hopefully that helps. a
        Also I have started this diet and though I haven’t been as strict as I should be…eating a little more than recommended and swapping out broccoli for cucumbers I have still lost 4 lbs and I am on my last day so we will see what today brings and my weigh in tomorrow will show whether swapping out and eating a little more ruined my weight loss final number or not!!

        1. I did this 2 weeks back and i only lost 4 pounds also ive gained it all back so im starting this diet all over again tomorrow! need to lose the 10 pounds!

  3. I know the diet says coffee and tea but what about water throughout the day ? Can I drink as much as I want?

    1. Thanks for that awesome question Taylor. I’ve just updated the post with some really good water consumption information. As a general rule, you should try and drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water. (see the post for details)

  4. Wow, I did it! And I swapped a few things ( didnt have apples so I ate canned parts instead, also don’t have grape fruit so I had manderin oranges instead) I lost 8 pounds!!! Thank you so much! Usually these kind if things are scams ! Can’t wait to do it again!

    1. WOW!!! CONGRATS Gena!!!!! I’m so glad you tried it! Did you find it hard on day 3 like I did? I’m happy to hear about the substitutes too! Thanks so much for sharing your results! This is no scam! (Scams usually are the diet pills people are trying to sell)

  5. Thanks for the awesome post im going to try it..
    I can’t have grapefruit ..can I have an orange instead? 🙂

    1. I would stick to this diet for the higest possible weight loss. I say that but I did substitute the ice cream for coffee creamer. so…

    1. I’m not sure. I’ve tried asking my friend and she doesn’t know either. I highly suggest using MyFitnessPal.com (free) to track your food intake and it will tell you exact calories you are taking in. I should have done this! Now I am curious.

  6. What type of cheese, sliced American singles? 1 slice? Thanks for sharing! I’m going to try this and update you with my results and myfitnesspal tracking.

    1. I used a slice of Cheddar (the generic kind). I think Mozzarella is the lowest in fat but it didn’t specify in the plan.

      Let me know how it goes Laura!

    1. I am 100% with you on this one Alyshia! I stuck to the diet but I added Montreal Steak Seasoning to my tuna without Mayo. First time ever and I really enjoyed it! In fact, I use it every single time now without Mayo. You should give it a try. You can find this seasoning anywhere. It looks like this: amzn.to/13VSLO3

      Be sure to come back and tell me if you liked it or not.

  7. Im really scard to try this I feel like I wont lose but gain. I just got off the omni and lost 18lbs. I sont wanna gain it back :/

  8. I did it & only lost 5 lbs :/ but it was a good kick off so I’m going to continue this diet.

  9. I did this diet as told and only lost 3 lbs. Also there was not enough fiber in the diet! It caused me to get an anal fissure and suffer much pain and embarrassment! Would not recommend.

    1. I’m sorry it caused you pain. I’ve not heard of that before. I think 3 pounds is still pretty significant though.

  10. Hi,
    I am considering giving this a try, but I only want to loose 7KG ( which is roughly 15.5 lbs) Im guessing that maybe because I dont have that mutch to loose that m weightloss wont be has high or does it not matter what you weigh you will still loose heaps?
    Thanks Sandy 🙂

  11. Day 1 & im feeling good. I do exercise regularly but decided to do the diet on my rest days. In regards to fiber maybe you should load up on fiber thd day before and then again after. But the wheat toast & apples have fiber in them so it will keep you moving! Im tracking my results on myfitnesspal.com

  12. I did this when I was in the military and it worked. My physician also told me that it was approved by the Mayo Heart Clinic for heart patients who need to drop weight fast for surgeries. It worked great for me!

  13. I’m on day 2 of this diet but the menu that I saw on another website said one cup of cottage cheese on day 2 for lunch..

    1. I did not have cottage cheese in this diet. Never tried it. If you do, let me know how it goes.

    2. I had this on the menu that I had too. Cottage cheese is really good for you and aids in weight loss. I have noticed that almost every diet out there has cottage cheese on the plan. I like cottage cheese and on Day 2 I actually did the cottage cheese instead. I switched to the block cheese and had a thin slice of that for Day 3 breakfast and cut it into 5 pieces and put them on my saltine crackers and ate them that way.

        1. I portioned out a steak that had the Montreal Seasoning on that Jennifer mentioned she put onto her tuna. Which I might add is REALLY good on the tuna as well. 🙂

  14. Thanks for this info. I started day 1 today, I substituted apple for a peach because I have chrons and my body does not digest them well. I will substitute with peaches and plums. We’ll see!!!

      1. Thank you! i will for sure keep an update on the substitution on wednesday to see if and /or how much i lose!!!!

  15. Started this diet on Monday and am on the last day of the program today. I don’t feel very hungry and when I do start to feel a little hungry (like on day 1 and 2) I just went and chugged water. It’s proven that if you drink a lot of water not only is it good for your body, it will prevent you from putting a lot of food into your mouth come meal times. (You’ll feel fuller, faster) Anyway I have already lost 4 lbs. which is really good cuz on the typical diet you lose about 3 lbs. in 7 days. (of eating right and exercising) Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings when I weigh in. I will continue to day 7 and not eat a bunch of junk but won’t limit myself. Can’t wait to post results. Thank you so much Jennifer for posting this. I found you via Pinterest by the way!! 🙂

  16. The way you lose weight in the military is partially by what you eat, but MOSTLY BY THE FACT THAT YOU’RE UP EVERY MORING AT 0400 RUNNING. GET OFF THE COUCH AND GO.

  17. This is the cardiac diet. It is used for the overweight patients who need to lose weight immediately.

    1. lol… It may be but I did it anyway. I must have my coffee daily. If not, no one would want to be around me. 🙂

    1. Yes but you have to give a 4 day break between your diet days. Stay on the diet for 3 days and eat sensibly the next 4 days, then go back on the diet for another 3 days. Continue for how ever long you desire or can handle it. I personally use it as a quick way to lose a few pounds. I find it difficult to continue for long periods of time simply because I love food. 😉

  18. I just started the diet today – I’m getting ready to prepare my third meal. I figured about 950 calories for the first day, which is not a lot. Needless to say, I’m very hungry, a feeling I’m not used to. I also went for a 7 mile bike ride just to get some exercise in. My energy is lower today but I will still able to burn some calories. In all, I feel positive right now. Thank you for your positive support and helpful posts, Jennifer!

    1. Oh wow. You did a lot of exercise. I don’t think I could eat that little amount of food and exercise too. How did you do? I did my diet when I wasn’t exercising.

  19. I am about to start this diet and was wondering how many miles i would have to walk or run to lose weight. Or if I dont run or walk, will i still lose weight? I weigh 180, 5’10”. just trying to get down to 170ish.

      1. Coffee or Tea without sugar. I did see on the doctor oz show the other day that any caffeine works with meals it helps keep you metabolism up. I drank green tea with splenda with my lunch instead of more cofee

  20. I decided to give this a try. I emailed it to my husband who is a former soldier and he said it would kick start my metabolism. Day One Completed and I wasn’t hungry at all throughout the day. It doesn’t seem like a lot of food and that you will starve but honestly, I couldn’t even finish my tuna or green beans. So far so good. I will re-post after day three with my results! Thank you for posting this meal plan!

  21. It works I did this challenge with my older sister thinking it was Going to be impossible,but we both stuck to the 3days&lost 9.5pounds we started on sunday&finished today 9/10/13 we just followed the directions&added some work outs with are minds set to do it.we are Happy and hope it works for you too we dont encourage it to be every week or a diet to stick to but it works just Give it a shot &After give yourself a boost to continue a healthy diet plan for you ….thanks and Hope You get your results too 🙂

  22. Also, don’t use ice if you have always wanted. Protein is definitely important but effective muscle builders know exactly what supplements to take.
    The CK-MB test determines the portion of the calories I was consuming.
    The effectiveness of muscular-dystrophy drugs has traditionally been measured by how much more your
    body is gaining more muscle so that next time it won t be as strenuous as last time.
    They are incomplete For now, though, focusing ALL your efforts on extremely high-protein diets is pointless.

  23. ok I started this morning. So when do I start drinking the water? Is it with my dinner then drink half my body weigh?

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