3 Day Military Diet

I don't know if this has ever been a topic before, I'm sure it has. But has anyone ever tried it? What were your results? Did you gain the weight back after the diet ended?


The 3 Day Diet is a very specific food plan that must be followed precisely. Portions must be eaten exactly as specified and dieters are warned not to overeat -- otherwise the promised 10 pound weight loss may not be achieved. Likewise, dieters should not under-eat, even if they are not hungry. The detailed plan does not mention or recommend any exercise.
The 3 Day Diet meal plan:
Day 1
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
1/2 grapefruit or juice
1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Lunch
1/2 cup tuna
1 piece toast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
Dinner
3 ounces any lean meat or chicken
1 cup green beans
1 cup carrots
1 apple
1 cup regular vanilla ice cream
Day 2
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
1 egg
1/2 banana
1 piece toast
Lunch
1 cup cottage cheese or tuna
8 regular saltine crackers
Dinner
2 beef franks
1 cup broccoli or cabbage
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 banana
1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream
Day 3
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
5 regular saltine crackers
1 ounce cheddar cheese
1 apple
Lunch
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
1 boiled egg
1 piece toast
Dinner
1 cup tuna
1 cup carrots
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup melon
1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream
In addition to its strict daily food prescription, dieters drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily.
How It Works
By some unspecified magical force, the combination of the suggested foods included in this plan is supposed to create a unique metabolic reaction and boost fat burning.

Any diet plan that includes vanilla ice cream in the meal plan is fine by me  

I'm quite curious to see if it works, though. I love all of those foods.

Quoting Mrs. Potato Dick:" Any diet plan that includes vanilla ice cream in the meal plan is fine by me   I'm quite curious to see if it works, though. I love all of those foods."

I'm going to try it. I'm very curious to see if it really works. I normally don't eat breakfast. And only 2 cups of coffee a day is going to be difficult.

1, Diets only work while you're on them. You'll gain the weight back once you eat normal again
2, DH is military, and even says that sounds like a huge crock of smurf.

If you want to lose weight do it in a smarter fashion than that

If I had to guess, it works by using minimal calories and the coffee makes you poop the extra pounds away!

I think you would drop a few but I can't imagine it would be permanent.

this diet has nothing to do with the military. its the same stuff thats in the regular 3-day diet.
and for me it didnt work, but there is a support thread for the 3-day diet where a lot of girls do lose weight with it.

That will probably last for the time you are on it and that is it. The next day it will be right back to where you were. My ex is a marine, he said when they were in extended in-field training they would all be fit and where they were supposed to be weight wise because they were living on MRE's. The next normal workday after they got back to base they were moving back to their normal weights because they were back to eating their usual junk food.

Quoting Mum to a Monster:" That will probably last for the time you are on it and that is it. The next day it will be right back ... [snip!] ... they got back to base they were moving back to their normal weights because they were back to eating their usual junk food."

I'm almost 100% sure that they didn't gain it back because of what they ate when they came home. If you eat 3 MREs, that's almost 4000 calories (roughly). They probably just lost a ridiculous amount of weight because of the strenuous things they were doing.

I would do a diet like this if I wanted to lose a couple of extra pounds for a wedding or a beach day. I wouldn't count on the weight to stay away.

Quoting Mrs. Potato Dick:" I'm almost 100% sure that they didn't gain it back because of what they ate when they came home. If ... [snip!] ... this if I wanted to lose a couple of extra pounds for a wedding or a beach day. I wouldn't count on the weight to stay away."

It's just what he said. He has always very active(Parkour, Dagorhir, different forms of Martial arts and self defense, Yoga, ect.) and said that was always where his down fall was he would be at or below weight for his category during that time. Once they were back to normal day to day routine without having to live on the MRE's and had the option to eat the bad for you junk food his weight went right back up to that same area.

Quoting Mrs. Potato Dick:" I'm almost 100% sure that they didn't gain it back because of what they ate when they came home. If ... [snip!] ... this if I wanted to lose a couple of extra pounds for a wedding or a beach day. I wouldn't count on the weight to stay away."

1 MRE is enough calories for about 2 days

Quoting Pirate Hooker {BAMW}:" 1 MRE is enough calories for about 2 days"

I think I've seen different calories on some. There was a chicken variation that had 1,900 calories in the whole package. It's pretty nuts.

Quoting Mrs. Potato Dick:" I think I've seen different calories on some. There was a chicken variation that had 1,900 calories in the whole package. It's pretty nuts."

Yeah, give or take. I hate when DH goes on field ops, and he's surviving solely on MREs...he come back a little softer and MUCH stank-er. It's bad

Regardless of whether this is a real military diet or not.... I decided to try it to kick start my New Years goal of losing 20 lbs. obviously if you start eating junk food immediately after the 3 day program you will gain the weight back. But, if you continue to eat healthy and exercise there is no reason it should come back on. I am currently doing this diet and drinking Jillian Michael's Detox drink to flush my system. I am on day two and I have lost 3.8lbs. I am sure this is all mostly water weight. But, it sure is nice to step on the scale and see progress!!!! Aside from the ice cream and hotdogs all the food is very healthy. I love mustard so I have been poring that on a lot of my foods to add some flavor. Plain tuna is tough to eat! But, I don't feel like I am really starving. Yesterday afternoon I hit a spot where I felt like I wanted to chew my arm off. So, I ate a pickle to hold me over until dinner. I feel like if you eat a negative food it won't mess up the diet. ( ie. celery, cucumber, pickle, greens, etc.)

I'll let you know the final result Thursday morning! By the way, I'm 29 and my starting weight was right at 150 lbs.

I lost 5 lbs as of this morning! Down to 145 and on my third day! I'll see what the final count is tomorrow after I have completed day 3. I'm happy with a 5 lb start in two days though for sure! Felt a little dizzy a couple times... But, luckily it has been right before dinner so I could eat. Dinner is pretty big and satisfying. I have been craving pasta like crazy though for some reason! Lol