There are many different diet plans such as Paleo diet, Atkins diet, etc… to help you achieve your weight loss goal. Today we’re discussing about a special diet called The Military Diet.
The Military diet is a 3-day diet plan that is becoming more popular nowadays. It claims to make you lose weight for up to 10 pounds after 3 days of having their diet plan.
They have a combination of foods that you have to take in specific amounts for three times in a day.
Some critics say that this is a fad diet because not all foods that are included in the meal plan is completely healthy, like ice cream and hot dogs.
Although that is true, the meals in the military diet are of small proportions. It is better to look at it as something to jump-start your body into eating smaller proportions and slowly incorporating healthier foods.
Some critics also question their claim of losing weight in three days because most of the weight that you will lose are water weight.
Again, that is a fact but the key to actually losing weight is by keeping a low-calorie diet. You must not splurge into burgers and pizza and other junk foods after the three-day military diet.
What to Eat
Note: You are not allowed to take sugar or creamer for your coffee. You may use stevia instead
Day 1
Breakfast:
1/2 Grapefruit – if you do not like grapefruit, they suggest that you take a glass of water with ½ teaspoon of baking soda instead. Do not use orange or any other fruit as a substitute.
1 Slice of Toast
2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter – if you do not like peanut butter, use sunflower seed butter, bean dip, almond butter, soy butter, pumpkin butter or hummus
A cup of Coffee or Tea (with caffeine)
Lunch:
1/2 Cup of Tuna – you may use tofu, cottage cheese, chicken, or almonds as substitute
1 Slice of Toast
A cup of Coffee or Tea (with caffeine)
Dinner:
3 ounces of any type of meat
1 cup of green beans – you may use spinach, lettuce or tomatoes
Half of a banana
1 small apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Day 2
Breakfast:
1 egg
1 slice of toast
Half of a banana
Lunch:
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 hard-boiled egg
5 saltine crackers
Dinner:
2 hot dogs (without bun)
1 cup of broccoli – you may use cauliflower, asparagus, or Brussel sprouts as a substitute.
1/2 cup of carrots – you may use parsnip, celery, or beets as substitute
Half of a banana
1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream
Day 3
Breakfast:
5 saltine crackers – you may use rice cake or any gluten free crackers as a substitute.
1 slice of cheddar cheese – you may use ricotta cheese or Greek yoghurt as a substitute.
1 small apple
Lunch:
1 egg (may be cooked however you like)
A slice of toast
Dinner:
1 cup of tuna – you may use tofu, cottage cheese, chicken, or almonds as substitute
Half of a banana
1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Another thing that they do not emphasize is that it does not work in just three days.
Days 1-3 – follow the Military diet plan
Days 4-7 – you may eat anything you want as long as you do not consume more than 1500 calories per day
Days 8-10 – follow the Military diet plan
Days 11-14 – you may eat anything you want as long as you do not consume more than 1500 calories per day
Days 15-17 – follow the Military diet plan
Days 18-21 – you may eat anything you want as long as you do not consume more than 1500 calories per day
Days 22-24 – follow the Military diet plan
Days 25-28 – you may eat anything you want as long as you do not consume more than 1500 calories per day
You can have this kind of diet for as long as you want especially if it works for you. But as you can see, it is not suggested that you do the Military diet for more than three consecutive days.
You can search further online for the blogs of other people who have tried it before doing it yourself.
You must understand that like any other diets, the results vary per individual. your diet prior to doing this may also affect the results.
If you are not eating that healthy and are used to consume big servings of food, you might have more weight loss than an individual who is already on a healthier low-calorie diet.
Besides all the critiques, the Military diet plan is generally not bad for your health because it does not starve you and nor does it suggest that you indulge on unhealthy foods.
In the end, if you want to lose 20 pounds quickly, it is still best to consult with a nutritionist or a dietician. But if you want to experiment this military , you can try this diet yourself.
21 Tips To Reduce Weight
Tip #1 – Do some research
Before you jump into a diet or any work-out plan, learn about important matters first. You don’t need to get a course in Physiology or health studies, but you should, at least, know basic things about how your body works.
Tip #2 – Get inspired
Post pictures of your favorite inspirational quotes on places where you look at most of the time to keep you motivated.
If you are inspired by a celebrity or someone else’s figure, make photos of them your cell phone background. It will constantly remind you of your dream figure. Weight loss motivation is needed to help you achieve your goal faster.
Tip #3 – Cut-out on carbs
We need carbohydrates for energy, but too much of it would be stored as fat, mostly in your tummy. So, keep it to a minimum and make sure that you are getting it from healthy sources such as fruits and vegetables, instead of getting it from pizza or burger.
Tip #4 – Get more protein
Protein is another good source of energy. Another good thing about it is that it will make you feel full a lot easier compared to carbs. Therefore, it will make you eat less.
Tip #5 – Protein shakes
Protein shakes are very popular nowadays. But, you must know the proper way of taking it if you want to lose weight.
It is not something that you add to your meals, because when you do that, it will make you gain more weight. Protein shake alone should be used as a full meal substitute if you want to lose weight.
Tip #6 – Eat good fat
Not all kinds of fat can make you fat. Some sources of good fats come from olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and salmon. Yes! Coconut oil is good for weight loss!
The fats that you get from these foods are mostly omega 3 fatty acids that help regulate blood cholesterol levels and also improves your metabolism.
Tip #7 – Eat fiber-rich foods
Fiber-rich foods will not only make you feel full easily, it also improves your metabolism and digestion. Green, leafy vegetables are good sources of protein as well as fruits with pulp and those with thick skin like that of apples.
Tip #8 – Water
If you have been searching for ways on how to reduce weight for a while, then this should not be new to you.
Drinking water will not only help you reduce weight, but it will also keep you hydrated and more energized throughout the day.
The trick is, drink a glass of water before meals, another glass after meals, one glass a few minutes after waking up and another one about an hour before going to bed.
Check these drinks to lose weight because they are very effective.
Tip #9 – Food preparation
Always consider how your food is prepared. Too much oil while cooking is not good for your health and it will make losing weight even harder. You can have your food grilled or steamed instead.
Tip #10 – Avoid eat-outs
In reference to the previous tip, you do not fully know how your food is prepared whenever you eat in restaurants. You do not know if they recycle the cooking oil that they use; and if they do, that is not good for your blood cholesterol levels.
It is best to prepare your own food and in the long run, you will see that it also saves you a lot of money.
Tip #11 – Clean out your food cabinet
Remove all the sweets and junk foods in your pantry. If you don’t see them you would not want them. these foods are called junk for a reason, and the reason is that these foods are packed with a lot of calories but they do not make you feel full.
They are useless for your body and usually, they have high sodium content which will make your body store more fats. Fill-up your food cabinet and refrigerator with healthy foods instead; like fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and granola bars. It’s hard to switch at first, but if you are committed to reducing some weight, it will be all worth the sacrifice.
Tip #12 – Say NO to alcohol
Yes, it is fun to hang out with friends once in a while over some beer, but this will do you no good if you really want to lose weight. Alcohol plays a big role in your tummy fat and that is the hardest fat to lose. So, by cutting out on alcohol, you are not only doing your liver a big favor but also, it will help you lose weight.
Tip #13 – Say NO to soda
To make it simple, soda is just sugar in a can with some flavors that will only make you feel bloated. It doesn’t do any good for your health because soda messes up your blood-sugar levels and will make your body store more fat in your tummy area.
Tip #14 – Plan your meals
Another reason why losing weight is hard is because you just eat anything on-sight whenever you get hungry. Plan your meals throughout the day ahead of time. Getting your diet meal plans right is very important.
If you are busy, then you can plan your meal for the whole week and have one day scheduled for grocery shopping and preparing your food.
It might be hard to keep up at first, but being organized with your meals will do wonders for your weight loss.
Tip #15 – Count calories
Calorie counting is very good when you are trying to lose weight because it will serve as your guide and limit on how much food you need every day.
You can do so by simply reading the labels on your grocery items. There are some apps available online where you just have to input the item and they will automatically show you how much calorie it has.
The average daily minimum calorie required per day is 2400cal for men and 1700cal for women; but calorie requirement is also affected by your age, weight, and height.
There are also apps available online where you just have to input your data and they will automatically do the computations for you. Consulting to a dietitian would be more accurate.
Tip #16 – Make a food journal
You have to keep track of everything that you eat. With this, you will know which food combinations are giving you more weight loss results. Make sure to write everything. Even the foods you eat during your cheat day.
Tip #17 – Portion control
No matter how healthy you eat, if you eat more than you are supposed to, then you will not lose weight. Your body has a natural way of telling you that you have had enough.
So once you feel it, stop eating. Another thing to consider is that your fist is approximately the same size as your stomach. So, if you think that you’ve already eaten about a fist full of food, then that should be enough for that meal.
Tip #18 – Exercise regularly
Of course, dieting alone wouldn’t make you lose weight. You have to burn those fats. But that does not necessarily mean that you have to go to the gym religiously.
Simple tasks like cleaning your house, jogging or walking regularly are good as long as you are doing some activity every day. You don’t have to go crazy with exercise to lose weight. Just keep it simple and consistent and you will see the results.
Tip #19 – Plan your workouts
If you do have time to go to the gym, that would be better; but you should have a workout plan before doing so. You can’t do all the workouts at the same time when you go to the gym.
You will only get exhausted easily and might want to give up too early. Plan your workouts.
There are a lot of fitness professionals that have workout routines posted online that you can try out. But keep in mind that when you work out, focus on one muscle group at a time.
Also, remember to do some stretches before working out so that you don’t get muscle cramps.
Tip #20 – Get active
Find an activity that you can do during your days off. You can do some sports like, basketball, badminton, volleyball, or swimming. You can even to hiking or mountain biking. As long as you are always active, you will surely lose some weight in no time.
Tip #21 – Get good quality sleep
A lot of researchers have shown how a lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. Simply because when you don’t get enough rest, you always feel tired and your body will need more energy.
And where do you think your body wants to get that energy? From food of course, so you would tend to eat more when you don’t get enough sleep.
It is understandably very hard to get a 7 to 8-hour sleep when you are busy, but the important thing is the quality of your sleep.
As long as you get continuous sleep, then you will not feel tired the next day. Establishing good sleeping pattern is the key.
