You’ve heard about the so-called military diet and how it has helped thousands of people lose the weight that they couldn’t get rid of with other weight loss methods. But is the famous military diet actually safe? With proper guidance, the military diet can help you achieve your weight loss goals without having to survive on water.
The Military Diet vs. Other Diet Trends
Despite the name of this rapid weight loss, it has no connection to the military. This three-day program offers a specific guideline on what to eat, when, and how much you are allowed to consume. When the diet is followed to its exact directions, the diet claims that you can guarantee a successful weight loss or rather loss of bloat.
However, if you plan to cheat during the three-day detox, you will only end up adding more weight than when you had started. The best way to follow the Military Diet is to continue with an improved diet with fresh fruits and vegetables along with regular exercise as this diet was only meant to work as a kickstart to boost your weight loss.
Does the Military Diet Affect Your Health?
A crash diet like this will claim that you can lose as much as 10lbs. within three days. However, the meal plan is basic with restrictive calories. As a result, you will end up losing mostly water weight and potential muscle mass. When the body restricts the necessary carbs and calories it needs on a daily basis, the water weight will quickly drop as the glycogen in the body declines. While weight loss may occur during the process, it will ultimately come back once you return to normal calorie consumption.
Ingredients of the Military Diet
If you take a closer look at the meal plan, you will notice some odd food items that are the least expected to be found in a weight loss program. Some meals recommend eating hot dogs (or any processed meats as substitutes). However, some physicians strongly recommend staying away from such food items as they are found to be associated with the risk of cancer.
As for the ice cream as dessert, you could have a full 3 cups of fresh garden salad for 100 calories rather than a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Instead of filling up on empty calories, stock up on nutritional calories that will keep the body satisfied and hold back hunger.
In truth, there is no scientifically proven evidence behind the claims that the food combinations of the military diet will increase your metabolism and boost weight loss. While caloric restriction will indeed cause you to lose weight, the Military diet is another fad diet that won’t lead to sustainable weight loss.