Military Diet Metabolism Boosters | Military Diet

The Military Diet has a number of foods that boost your metabolic rate like coffee, grapefruit, eggs and peanut butter. The word ‘metabolism’ describes all the chemical reactions in your body that keep you alive and functioning, but it’s your metabolic rate that determines how many calories you burn.

Since burning calories is the key to weight loss, anything we can eat to boost that rate is a plus. With all the metabolism boosting foods in the Military Diet, it’s no wonder the diet has such a high success rate.

Here are some of the diet’s metabolism boosters explained:

Coffee

Studies show that caffeine can boost metabolism by 3-11%. Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant that boosts your metabolic rate. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, heart and muscles, helping you fight tiredness and kick your energy into high gear.

Coffee is a great part of any weight loss plan, but you need to skip the added sugar and highly processed creamers to get the maximum benefits of this weight loss hack. Most of the studies done on caffeine’s weight loss properties are done on plain coffee, not pumpkin spice lattes!


Grapefruit

Eating grapefruit lowers your insulin levels which in turn leads to weight loss. Grapefruit effects your insulin because of the antioxidant naringenin which keeps your blood sugar in check. It also takes more energy to digest grapefruit, meaning you burn more calories. Foods rich in vitamin C also metabolize fat faster. Researchers at Scripps Clinic found that participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal in a 12-week period lost an average of 3.6 pounds.

Peanut Butter

Nuts are high calorie, but even on a calorie restricted diet like the Military Diet, nuts help with weight loss. Peanuts contain more protein than other nuts, in addition to their high fat and fiber content. Because of their high fat, protein and fiber content, nuts keep you feel satiated for longer. According to a study in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, peanuts increase your metabolic rate and fat burning potential. Subjects in the study increased their metabolic rate by 11% when they ate about 500 calories of peanuts daily for 19 weeks. 500 calories of peanuts is far more than what you’re eating on the Military Diet, but it all adds up.

Tuna

Tuna is low-calorie, high protein, and full of Omega 3 fatty acids that increase metabolic rate. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off. The omega three fatty acids in tuna play a crucial role in fat burning. One study found that when healthy young adults took 6 grams of fish oil per day for 12 weeks, their metabolic rates increased by around 3.8%. And you just can’t eat healthier meat than tuna and other fish. Omega-3 fats are essential for your cells to run properly,” says Mark Hyman, M.D. “They help balance your blood sugar and speed up your metabolism.” Omega 3s reduce hunger and appetite which is great for people on calorie restricted diets like the Military Diet.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the most perfect whole foods you can eat, rich in high quality protein, healthy fat and all the essential amino acids. For their size, eggs are low calorie but pack a big punch. High protein foods like eggs reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness. A protein rich diet has been shown to boost metabolism by up to 100 calories a day through the thermic effect. Protein increases the metabolic rate because the body needs to use more energy to digest protein than with fat or carbs. This is what creates the thermic effect of food. Eggs are one of the easiest and most delicious additions to a diet if you’re trying to lose weight. Forget about bagels for breakfast. Another 8 week study showed that that eggs for breakfast instead of bagels increased weight loss on a calorie restricted diet.

Whole Grains

The Military Diet includes bread, but we recommend eating whole grain bread on the diet instead of refined grains. Whole grains affect the micro biome and help with the absorption of fiber which revs up metabolism and fat burning. Substituting whole grains for refined grains on the Military Diet speeds up your metabolism, suggested by this study.

Broccoli

It comes as no surprise that broccoli is part of a successful weight loss program. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, in the same family as Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. These veggies are high in fiber and really filling. And for veggies, they also have a high protein profile compared to other veggies. Broccoli’s high water and fiber content boosts the body’s ability to burn fat and helps you feel full. A combination of protein, fiber and low energy density makes cruciferous vegetables the perfect foods to include in a weight loss plan. Broccoli increases metabolism because of a substance called glucoraphanin, which also lowers blood fat levels.

Ice cream to lose weight, it’s true!

People always find it hard to believe the Military Diet is so effective because it includes ice cream. The secret of ice cream is calcium. Women who ate one scoop of ice cream a day lost 26 percent more body weight that those who didn’t according to an ABC news article. Other research shows that overweight people who take a calcium supplement lose 26 percent more body weight and 38 percent more fat than those who don’t take a supplement. Guess what, ice cream has calcium. When you don’t get enough calcium, your body stores fat. You could take a supplement to see similar results, but when a diet already includes ice cream and promotes weight loss, why not do both?

What It Is, Foods You Can Eat & Meal Plan Ideas

It’s tempting to think of trying to lose weight as a battle. We all want to “win” healthier habits, right? The trending Military diet capitalizes on that reasoning, but, despite the name, the Military diet actually has nothing to do with the military. “It is called the Military diet because it takes discipline and stamina to achieve results, just like in the military,” according to the Military diet website. In other words, the Military diet is intense and restrictive.

The Military diet is a three-days-on and four-days-off low-calorie eating plan. For three days, you follow a meal plan that includes so-called fat-burning foods and claims to combine foods in ways that will boost your metabolism. For the other four days, you can eat whatever you like. You’re encouraged to keep your calories under 1,500 on your Military days to maintain your progress and to repeat the cycle until you reach your goal weight.

What is the Military diet?

On the Military diet, you’re meant to follow a structured diet that provides 1,100 to 1,400 calories — men can have 100 more calories than women — per day for three days of the week. The foods you can eat include proteins, fat, dairy, eggs, grains, fruit, vegetables, vanilla ice cream, water and coffee. You can choose Military diet substitutions if you have dietary restrictions or prefer vegetarian or vegan options. You can eat whatever you want the other four days.

The Military diet purports to help you lose weight fast. Advocates say you can lose 10 pounds in three days and that it’s one of the best diets for rapid weight loss that doesn’t require weight-loss pills or supplements.

You might also see Military diets called the Army diet, the Navy diet, the 3-day diet or the 3-day Military diet.

Is the Military diet healthy?

The Military diet has no rank in the world of nutrition. In fact, it’s never even made it onto US News’ annual best diet list. That may be because there’s no clinical data about the Military diet. “There is a dearth of research regarding the military diet so its safety and effectiveness are not known,” Jen Bruning, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, told TODAY.

No studies support the Military diet’s claim that you can lose up to 10 pounds in a week.

A 2016 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who cut their calories by 25% lost an average of almost 17 pounds over two years.

A study of low-calorie and very-low-calorie diets published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports an average weight loss of 27 pounds in people who dieted for eight weeks on average. However, they were eating 1,000 calories per day or less.

A small study of alternate-day calorie restriction published in BMC Public Health found that people lost a little over seven pounds on average after eight weeks. However, they changed their caloric intake every other day. They ate about 400 to 500 calories on “fast” days and as much as they wanted on “feed” days.

Weight loss on the Military diet might not last. “Weight loss would likely be due to severe calorie restriction and water loss, and is very likely to be regained once the diet is no longer being followed,” Bruning said.

Is the Military diet effective long-term?

No. It’s not intended as a long-term diet. Military diet results are designed as a way to lose weight quickly.

Talk with your doctor before starting the Military diet or any other diet — your doctor can recommend the best eating plan for you, based on your health needs.

How can you tell if the Military diet is a good choice for you?

Dietitians who spoke to TODAY don’t recommend it. “If you want to go on this diet, don’t. That’s the quickest summary I can give you,” said Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian and author of “Read It Before You Eat It: Taking You from Label to Table.” “It says you can lose up to 10 pounds in a week. When would that ever be a healthy thing to do? It’s a sure sign to stay away.”

Bruning agrees: “Due to its severe calorie restriction, lack of research and lack of nutritional adequacy, I cannot recommend the Military diet.”

It has its fans, though, with 78,000 people who like the Three Day, Military Diet Facebook page and 50,000 posts on Instagram tagged #military diet.

You may be interested in it if you want to lose weight quickly and you like a regimented diet. If you don’t like the restrictions, you might find it hard to follow.

If you try it, you’ll want to make sure you get the nutrients you need on the “off” days. “The restricted-day meal plans do not contain enough calories to supply all essential nutrients to the vast majority of people,” Bruning said.

On the plus side, the food list for the Military diet includes a lot of foods that are inexpensive and readily available. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include much diversity. So, if you like variety, you will likely find the Military diet challenging.

Foods you can eat on the Military diet

• Apples
• Bananas
• Bread (in small amounts, whole-wheat only)
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cheddar cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Coffee
• Eggs
• Grapefruit
• Greek yogurt
• Green beans
• Hot dogs
• Ice cream
• Meat
• Peanut butter (preferably salt- and sugar-free)
• Saltine crackers
• Tea
• Tuna
• Vanilla ice cream

Military diet meal plan

For the 3-day Military diet menu, you follow these meal plans for losing weight:

DAY 1 (1,400 calories)

Breakfast

• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1 slice of toast (whole-wheat preferred)
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 cup caffeinated coffee or tea

Lunch

• 1/2 cup of tuna
• 1 slice of bread or toast (whole-wheat preferred)
• 1 cup caffeinated coffee or tea

Dinner

• 3 ounces of any type of meat
• 1 cup of green beans
• 1/2 banana
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

DAY 2 (1,200 calories)

Breakfast

• 1 egg
• 1 slice of toast (whole-wheat preferred)
• 1/2 banana

Lunch

• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 5 saltine crackers

Dinner

• 2 hot dogs (no bun)
• 1 cup of broccoli
• 1/2 cup of carrots
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream

DAY 3 (1,100 calories)

Breakfast

• 5 saltine crackers
• 1 slice of cheddar cheese
• 1 small apple

Lunch

• 1 hard-boiled egg (or cooked however you like)
• 1 slice of toast (whole-wheat preferred)

Dinner

• 1 cup of tuna
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

For the next four days, you can eat what you like, ideally keeping calories under 1,500 per day. You repeat the three-days-on and four-days-off cycle until you reach your goal weight.

While that program may sound appealing, it could have some major drawbacks — namely that it’s pretty difficult to maintain such a restrictive diet for very long. Not only that, but experts are concerned that the Military diet could prevent you from developing healthy habits. “It discourages lifelong good eating habits to be on a diet for three days and eat what you want for four days,” Taub-Dix said.

Stephanie Thurrott

Stephanie Thurrott is a writer who covers mental health, personal growth, wellness, family, food and personal finance, and dabbles in just about any other topic that grabs her attention. When she’s not writing, look for her out walking her dog or riding her bike in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. 

Military diet | All-Ukrainian sports portal Mixsport

10.08.2020

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The military or, as it is also called, the army diet is one of the most stringent nutrition systems. We figure out how to properly adhere to it and what its advantages and disadvantages are.

What is the Military Diet

The Military Diet was developed by Israeli nutritionists for soldiers who need to lose weight quickly. It lies in the fact that within 3 days you need to adhere to the most low-calorie diet, and on the rest of the days you should eat the way you are used to. This pattern can then be repeated.

Read also: Scandinavian diet: what is it, a list of products, pros and cons.

For drinks, pure water, tea or coffee without sugar are allowed. Juices, lemonades and milk are prohibited.

For best results, it is recommended to combine diet with exercise. However, in those 3 days when the diet is low in calories, training should not be too intense. It is best to choose yoga, Pilates, stretching, walking or jogging.

Military diet: menu

There is no list of permitted or prohibited foods for the military diet. The main thing is that in the first 3 days the products contain few calories. For example:

• breakfast: a piece of whole grain bread (67 kcal), half a grapefruit (52 kcal), tea or coffee without sugar, milk and cream;
• lunch: 150 grams of boiled hake (120 kcal), a piece of whole grain bread (67 calories), half a banana (53 kcal) tea or coffee without sugar, milk and cream;
• dinner: 100 grams of green beans (31 kcal), small apple (55 calories).

The next 4 days you can eat according to the usual diet, in which there are no restrictions. It is allowed to eat everything: fast food, sweets, starchy foods, etc. But still, it is recommended to monitor the caloric content of the diet and consume healthy food: vegetables and fruits, greens, eggs, poultry meat.

Pros and cons of the military diet

The main advantage of the military diet is fast results. According to reviews, with the help of a military diet, it is possible to lose weight by 4-8 kg per week. Another plus is that there is no need to buy special or exotic food for this diet. People with any diet and access to food can follow the military diet. Moreover, the products are interchangeable. For example, if you do not like apples, you can replace them with oranges, and vegetarians can eat tofu instead of meat.

Illustration by: Iuliana Archire

However, the military diet has several drawbacks. Firstly, such strict food restrictions are harmful to the body and are prescribed only in individual cases. A constant lack of calories and nutrients causes fatigue, lethargy and a variety of different diseases. Secondly, if after 3 days of the strictest diet you start eating everything, it will be a huge stress for the body, which is also harmful. And thirdly, as soon as you return to your usual diet, the weight will begin to grow again. Moreover, strict diets contribute to weight loss due to fluid loss, and not fat mass, which is not an effective method.

Therefore, if you want to keep the result for a long time, adhere to proper nutrition and exercise regularly. And the military diet can only be resorted to as an express method when you urgently need to lose a few kilograms. But remember that you should stick to the military diet for no longer than 3 weeks and try not to do it too often.

Read also: Mediterranean diet: what is it, benefits, menu.

Food

4.5 kilograms of fat is consumed in a week!

Three-day military diet: 4.5 kilograms of fat per week!

Reliable meal plan.

Warmer! It only means that very soon shorts, skirts, airy dresses and, of course, swimsuits will be used. It is always necessary to keep the body in good shape, but the closer to summer, the more urgent the issue of losing weight becomes. Many are familiar with trendy diets, but they are all quite radical. And often extra pounds go away, and health problems come.

Today we will tell you about the military diet. It was developed by nutritionists in the military to get the military in shape quickly. The diet is designed in such a way as to burn excess fat in the body and speed up the metabolism in order to quickly become slim.

Military Diet

This is a popular low-calorie meal plan that will help you lose an average of 0.5 kilograms of fat in 3 days plus 2-3 kilograms of extra fluid. Calculate the duration of the diet depending on the goals. With this diet, you don’t need to buy expensive supplements or organic foods. All ingredients are available and can be found in any store.

Three days of the diet are followed by 4 days when you eat as usual, and then the cycle repeats until you lose weight to the desired volume.

DAY 1 (1400 CALORIES)

1. Breakfast: a cup of hot tea or coffee without sugar. A slice of whole grain bread with nut (peanut) butter and one grapefruit.
2. Lunch: a slice of bread with 200 g of steamed tuna. You can have a cup of tea or coffee.
3. Dinner: 100-120 g of any boiled meat with 200 g of asparagus. Also eat an apple and half a banana. Treat yourself to 150 g of ice cream as a bonus for endurance.

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DAY 2 (1,200 CALORIES)

1. Breakfast: a slice of whole grain bread, 1 boiled egg and a small banana. You can also drink any hot drink without sugar.
2. Lunch: fat-free cottage cheese, 6 crackers, 1 boiled egg.
3. Dinner: 2 chicken sausages, a couple of steamed or baked broccoli florets, 150 grams of ice cream, an apple.

DAY 3 (1,100 CALORIES)

1. Breakfast: 5-6 crackers, apple, 2 pieces of cheddar. A cup of tea or coffee of your choice.
2. Lunch: toast, boiled egg.
3. Dinner: 200 g boiled tuna, half a banana, 150 g ice cream.

The menu is thought out in such a way that you do not have time to get hungry, and sufficient calories will provide you with energy for the whole day. Snacking between meals is not allowed, but you can drink as much water as you like.