Lose Up to 10lbs in a Week
We've all heard of fad diets, diets flashing in bright, shiny letters"LOSE 10LBS FAST," and sure enough there are many people who attempt them everyday. One in particular i would like to survey is The Military Diet, also known as The Grapefruit Diet or The Coffee Diet. The synopsis of the diet is simple. Eat a strict 3-day menu and take the other 4 days of the week off to eat as you normally would. Following this routine will allow the dieter to lose up to 10lbs per week. Sounds pretty simple, right? For anyone who has dieted before, it's not an easy game. Eating a salad with little dressing, while all your friends chow down Big Macs can be downright miserable especially the first week or so while your'e starving your butt off. It's really no surprise that fad diets were created. Everyone wants an easier, faster route to lose those last few pounds before the big wedding day or prom, but is there any truth to these diets? Well sure, theoretically. Each person is different, for instance someone who is 50lbs overweight is going to have an easier go of it losing 5lbs on a diet faster than say somebody who is 10lbs overweight. So back to the question at hand: Is The Military Diet codswallop, or is there actually some truth to the claim?
The Menu...Can you Handle It?
What strikes me the most about this diet is lack of propaganda. This is one of the only diets I know of that doesn't claim that a product they created is going to be your miracle weight loss solution. All of the menu items on this list can be bought at your local grocer for around 20 bucks. The menu, as seen below is very simple to make.
DAY 1
Breakfast
1 slice of whole wheat toast
1/2 grapefruit
1 cup coffee or tea (caffeinated)
1/2 grapefruit
1 cup coffee or tea (caffeinated)
Lunch
1 slice of whole wheat bread or toast
1/2 cup tuna
1 cup coffee or tea (caffeinated)
1/2 cup tuna
1 cup coffee or tea (caffeinated)
Dinner
3 ounces of ANY meat (about the size of a deck of cards)
1 cup green beans
1/2 Banana
1 small apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream (Does NOT have to be sugar-free)
1 cup green beans
1/2 Banana
1 small apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream (Does NOT have to be sugar-free)
DAY 2
Breakfast
1 egg (cooked how you like)
1 slice of whole wheat toast
1/2 banana
Coffee or Tea
1 slice of whole wheat toast
1/2 banana
Coffee or Tea
Lunch
1 cup cottage cheese
1 hard-boiled egg
5 saltine crackers
1 hard-boiled egg
5 saltine crackers
Dinner
2 hot dogs (no bun)
1/2 cup carrots
1 cup broccoli
1/2 banana
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup carrots
1 cup broccoli
1/2 banana
1 cup vanilla ice cream
DAY 3
Breakfast
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 small apple
5 saltine crackers
coffee or tea
1 small apple
5 saltine crackers
coffee or tea
Lunch
1 slice whole wheat bread or toast
1 egg (cooked how you like)
1 egg (cooked how you like)
Dinner
1 cup tuna
1/2 banana
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 banana
1 cup vanilla ice cream
The Trick
The menu items above don't seem too unhealthy, right? So lets break it down. The grapefruit in the diet is supposed to adjust your pH levels, bringing your liver in high gear to start breaking down fats. The proteins from the peanut butter and meats require more energy for your body to burn. The apples you eat on the diet have pectin in them, which supposedly limits the amount of fat your cells store. Sure these things may help a bit, but when it comes down to it, it's ALWAYS about the Calories. 1 pound of fat is made up of 3500 calories. The Military Diet only consists of consuming around 1000 calories during the 3-day menu. Add the fact that usually even a mostly sedentary person can burn 1000 calories a day and the diet will most definitely work. Keeping those pounds that you lost once you stop the diet however can present a bit of a challenge. If you read on www.themilitarydiet.com, it will tell you this diet is considered a form of fasting. Any diet where you consume 1000 calories or less a day is a form of fasting. When you go from consuming 2000 or more calories a day, and suddenly cut your intake in half, it's going to shock your system a bit, this can boost your metabolism and cause weight loss. On the diet, to achieve maximum results, the dieter is told to only drink water, coffee, or tea. This will also, to be blunt, make you pee more, which is going to reduce the amount of water weight your body will hold in. So all in all, yes the diet can work, but how about keeping the weight off?
For the other 4 days of the week, you're encouraged to eat as you normally would. Well, that could be a recipe for failure. Many people will over-compensate for the lack of calories they consumed while on the diet. The best way to really keep this weight loss off is going to be to follow a 1500-2000 calorie diet, and making sure to burn the calories you consume.
A Testimonial
After having my son, I had some unwanted weight leftover to lose. I had heard of this diet in the past and decided to give it a try. i went to the grocery, pumped up and ready to diet my booty off. I bought all the items and began the diet the very next day. The first day of the diet wasn't bad at all. I rationed my food, knowing that i only had a certain amount I could eat for that day. i went to bed that night feeling light and fit. The next morning, I felt like an empty pit. I woke up to my stomach growling so I guzzled a cold bottle of water to try to fill what seemed to be the giant empty black hole in my belly. The small breakfast, along with the water and coffee seemed to take the edge off my hunger. As the day progressed and I kept myself busy, I found it a bit easier to stop thinking about the huge Caramel Frappucino I would love to down. I finished out the day and went to bed, still feeling hungry but hoping that I had lost some weight. The third day is without a doubt the hardest, my body felt weak and I felt tired most of the day. The day after I finished, the first thing i did was go weigh myself, and TA-DA! I had lost 5 pounds! I was super happy, but I made the mistake of over-compensating what I lacked in calories those few days. the next week I weighed and had gained 2 of the pounds back. I did the diet every week for an entire month, during the diet itself, I rarely had enough energy to do a high-powered workout, so I took those three days off and the rest of the week I ate around 1700 calories a day and worked out. I found that seemed to be the ticket. In one month I lost 23 pounds. As the month progressed each time I followed the diet, I would see a bit less of weight loss. Naturally my body was getting used to it. So if I had any advice at all for someone looking to attempt this diet, I would suggest trying the diet every week for a month, then giving yourself a month off of it. This diet, for me personally, gave me some structure. After finishing it, the next month I gave myself some restrictions, but I also gave myself one day a week to where I could have pretty much whatever I wanted. I think if you allow yourself a bit of a reward here and there, you're more likely to keep it up and not feel miserable.
Words of Advice
Any diet is difficult, even this one. Always have a feel for how your body is doing. It will tell you if you're able to handle it or not. If this diet doesn't work for you, there are always more ways to lose weight. Don't get discouraged and give up. Allow the failures of past diets teach you the ways of the future. Remember, water is key to fitness. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day will help to rinse your system. Finding 20 minutes a day to work out IS possible, maybe not everyday, but try for a few times a week to start. Losing weight is not easy. It will take time, the more time it takes usually the longer it will stay off. Lastly, dieting is changing your lifestyle, but don't let that make you think you can't have a splurge day here and there. Food is one of the simplest pleasures of life. Denying yourself completely is cruel.