What is the military diet? The military diet is a 3-day short term diet which claims it can help you lose up to 10 pounds in one week. It is a 3-day restricted diet plan which gives you 4 days off. The first 3 days is a diet plan that is between 1000 and 1400 calories a day.
What is the military diet? iStock-photo credit:78image
And the remaining 4 days a week have you eating 1500 calories a day. The diet allows you to drink water, herbal tea and caffeinated coffee or tea at least twice a day with no sugar or creamers.
A small example of a good military diet plan is the following:
Breakfast– 1 Medium apple, 1 piece of toast, 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.
Lunch– 1 cup of Tuna and 1 slice of wheat bread.
Dinner– 1 medium apple, 3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 banana.
The remaining 4 days of the week of the military diet plan have no real rules in terms of the type of healthy foods you should be eating. The most important thing in the remaining 4 days for the week for the Military Diet is you will be consuming about 1500 calories a day. And this still puts you in a caloric restriction and deficit. 1500 calories a day is still considered a low-calorie diet plan.
Can you lose weight on this military diet? Yes, you can because the calories are low enough that would illicit weight loss. But because the calories are so low it would also illicit muscle loss too. It would be difficult to maintain 100% of your lean muscle mass being on such a low-calorie diet with this military diet plan.
The diet is also unbalanced in terms of having the necessary carbs, proteins and healthy fats that your body needs. And when you have nutrient deficiencies in your diet it can potentially lead to health issues. The military diet isn’t sustainable from a long-term health perspective.
A diet that focuses on long-term health and is sustainable is diet that encompasses:
• Protein foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, eggs.
• Fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas, green beans, broccoli, spinach, etc.
• Whole grains such as oatmeal, wheat bread, barley, etc.
• Legumes, beans and nuts.
The Bottom Line is the Military diet is a 3-day restricted diet where the calories are between 1000 and 1400 calories a day. The rest of the days of the week are 1500 calories a day.
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References
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