The quest for rapid weight loss has led to the popularity of various diet plans, among which is the "3-day military diet." This diet, sometimes referred to as the "soldier diet," is a short-term, very low-calorie eating plan designed for quick weight loss. It involves strict calorie restriction for three days, followed by four days of slightly increased calorie intake. While proponents claim it can lead to significant weight loss in a short period, it's essential to understand its mechanisms, potential benefits, risks, and sustainability.
Understanding the 3-Day Military Diet
The military diet is characterized by a structured meal plan that drastically reduces calorie consumption for three days. Despite its name, it has no actual connection to the military or its dietary principles. The name is derived from the idea that the diet requires persistence and discipline, similar to what is expected in the armed services. During the three-day period, individuals are restricted to specific foods and calorie counts, typically around 1,400 calories on day 1, 1,200 calories on day 2, and 1,100 calories on day 3.
How It Works
The diet operates on a simple principle: calorie restriction. By consuming fewer calories than the body needs, it forces the body to tap into its energy reserves, leading to weight loss. The strict meal plan consists of three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) with no snacks in between. For the remaining four days of the week, individuals are encouraged to eat healthy foods while maintaining a slightly higher calorie count, up to 1,500 calories per day. Staying well-hydrated by drinking enough water is also recommended to aid in weight loss and overall health.
Food Choices
The 3-day military diet is very specific about what foods are allowed. Some common foods include:
- Proteins: Eggs, peanut butter, canned tuna, hot dogs, meat
- Produce: Grapefruit, bananas, apples, green beans, broccoli, carrots
- Grains: Whole-wheat bread, saltine crackers
- Dairy: Cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (unsweetened), cottage cheese, vanilla ice cream (full fat)
- Drinks: Caffeinated coffee (less than 1 cup per day without artificial sweeteners or creamers), caffeinated tea
The diet also specifies foods to limit or avoid, such as:
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- Alcohol
- Artificial sweeteners (except for stevia)
- Butter
- Creamer
- Fruit juice
- Milk
- Oranges
- Soda
- Sugar (except in full-fat ice cream or in the form of natural sweeteners like honey and organic maple syrup)
- Yogurt (except for unsweetened Greek varieties)
Potential Benefits of the Soldier Diet
Advocates of the military diet suggest that its biggest benefit is the potential for short-term weight loss. Vanessa Imus, RDN, of Integrated Nutrition for Weight Loss notes that weight loss results from taking in fewer calories than the body needs daily. Cutting calories by an excessive amount can lead to more rapid weight loss, but it also tends to be less sustainable.
Weight Loss
Calorie restriction, as promoted by the military diet, can lead to weight loss. However, the diet's claims of losing up to 10 pounds in a week may be unrealistic. Rapid weight loss often results from reduced water weight and muscle mass rather than actual fat loss.
Potential Health Improvements
Losing weight and keeping it off may lead to benefits that go beyond the number on the scale. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people with overweight or obesity who lose just 5 percent of their body weight may experience improved health, potentially lowering their risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, prediabetes, and diabetes.
Disadvantages and Risks of the Soldier Diet
The greatest short-term risks of losing weight too quickly, which the military diet claims to facilitate, are the potential adverse health effects.
Loss of Muscle Mass
Rapid weight loss can lead to a loss of muscle mass and, over time, the bodily tissue that supports the skeletal system, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
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Nutrient Deficiencies
Limiting certain foods puts individuals at risk of losing out on essential nutrients, which a multivitamin cannot fully replace. Restrictive dieting may also lead to adverse effects such as electrolyte imbalance, hormone shifts, and potential organ damage.
Low Calorie Intake
The military diet recommends as few as 1,100 calories, but most experts say people need more than that to meet their nutritional needs daily. For example, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that women ages 31 to 59 get around 1,600 to 2,200 calories per day and that men in the same age range get around 2,200 to 3,000 calories per day. Calorie recommendations differ for each person based on factors like sex, body weight, and activity level.
Binge Eating
Restrictive diets like the military diet may lead to binge eating. Over-restricting calories can lead to binge eating habits, where someone starts eating all the foods they were denying themselves in large amounts when they go off the restrictive diet, leading to rapid weight regain.
Unhealthy Relationship with Food
Research shows that people who deprive themselves of calories have higher food cravings and a higher likelihood of disordered eating, including binge eating. In people who are overweight or have obesity, binge eating disorder may lead to adverse effects such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and sleep disorders.
Sustainability and Long-Term Weight Management
It may be difficult to keep weight off in the long term by following a prescribed diet plan like the military diet. A study published in 2019 of 2,785 individuals found that "dieters" were more likely to gain weight over long periods than those who did not diet for weight loss.
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To lose weight more sustainably, the CDC recommends aiming for a reduction of 4 to 8 lb per month and focusing on more than just diet by also engaging in physical activity, getting enough sleep, and managing stress.
Beginner Tips for the Military Diet
If you have decided to try the soldier diet, consider these tips:
- Keep Expectations Realistic: Remember that, as a fad diet, it’s unlikely to keep weight off in the long term. Have a plan of how and when you will transition from this diet to a healthier way of eating and know what that will look like.
- Balance Your Macros: Even when you’re cutting calories, it’s still important to get the nutrients you need. Aim for a balance of healthy carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats for every meal.
- Listen to Your Body: The drastic calorie restriction of a soldier diet could have some unpleasant side effects. If you start getting lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, or fatigued, then you should consider an alternative way to lose weight.
- Be Prepared for Challenge: This eating plan requires serious discipline, so be prepared for the challenge of eating significantly less than you likely do now.
- Stick to Only Light Exercise: High levels of activity could be too taxing during the diet’s calorie-restriction phase: “I would advise only light exercises, if any at all, while they are on the three-day super restrictive part of the plan.”
Alternatives and Sustainable Approaches
Given the potential risks and lack of long-term sustainability associated with the military diet, it's essential to explore alternative approaches to weight management.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes plant-based foods and healthy fats, focusing on overall eating patterns rather than strict formulas or calculations. In general, you’ll eat:
- Lots of vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, and nuts.
- A good amount of whole grains, like whole-wheat bread and brown rice.
- Plenty of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as a source of healthy fat.
- A good amount of fish, especially fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- A moderate amount of natural cheese and yogurt.
- Little or no red meat, choosing poultry, fish, or beans instead of red meat.
- Little or no sweets, sugary drinks, or butter.
- A moderate amount of wine with meals (but if you don’t already drink, don’t start).
The Mediterranean Diet has many benefits, including:
- Lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, including a heart attack or stroke.
- Supporting a body weight that’s healthy for you.
- Supporting healthy blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
- Lowering your risk of metabolic syndrome.
- Supporting a healthy balance of gut microbiota (bacteria and other microorganisms) in your digestive system.
- Lowering your risk for certain types of cancer.
- Slowing the decline of brain function as you age.
- Helping you live longer.
Sustainable Eating
Sustainable eating involves diets with low environmental impacts that contribute to food and nutrition security and healthy life for present and future generations. Eating green isn’t just about following a healthy diet today but ensuring that our children and grandchildren can eat nutritious food, too. To eat green:
- Eat a varied balanced diet to maintain a healthy body weight.
- Eat more plant-based foods, including at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
- Value your food. Ask about where it comes from and how it is produced. Don’t waste it.
- Moderate your meat consumption, and enjoy more peas, beans, nuts, and other sources of protein.
- Choose fish sourced from sustainable stocks. Seasonality and capture methods are important here, too.
- Include milk and dairy products in your diet or seek out plant-based alternatives, including those that are fortified with additional vitamins and minerals.
- Drink tap water.
- Eat fewer foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt.