Military diet, a crash diet that can lose 15 kilograms in a month

"Many roads lead to Rome," the saying goes. Maybe this proverb also inspires many people to take various extreme ways to get the ideal body weight. One of them is by following the military diet. Adherents of this extreme diet believe that you can lose weight dramatically - 15 kilograms in just a month! But, is it healthy?

What is the military diet?

Basically, the military diet is a low calorie and low carbohydrate diet that helps you lose weight up to 5 kilograms in a span of 1 week. The military diet involves 3 days of a strict diet followed by 4 days off. The weekly cycle will repeat over and over again until you reach your dream weight goal.

Guide to undergoing the military diet

Here is the meal plan you should follow during the first phase of the military diet (first 3 days)

The first day

Guide to the military diet plan (source: CNN)

The total calorie intake for the first day (from breakfast, lunch, to dinner) is approximately 1,400 kcal

Breakfast (308 calories)

• 1 slice of whole wheat bread with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1 cup bitter black coffee or plain tea (you can use Stevia)

Lunch (138 calories)

• 1 slice of plain whole wheat bread
• 1/2 serving of canned tuna
• 1 cup of bitter black coffee or plain tea (you can use Stevia)

Dinner (619 calories)

• 3 ounces of meat of your choice (chicken, beef, goat, pork, turkey, fish and so on)
• 125 grams of boiled green beans
• 1/2 banana
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup vanilla ice cream

The second day

Second day military diet plan guide (source: CNN)

The total calorie intake during the second day (from breakfast, lunch, to dinner) is approximately 1,200 kcal

Breakfast (223 calories)

• 1 boiled egg
• 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread
• 1/2 banana

Lunch (340 calories)

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 boiled egg
• 5 pieces of plain wheat biscuits

Dinner (619 calories)

• 2 sausages
• 90 grams of boiled broccoli
• 65 fram boiled carrots
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup vanilla ice cream

The third day

Guide to the third day of the military diet plan (source: CNN)

The total calorie intake during the second day (from breakfast, lunch, to dinner) only reaches 762 kcal.

Breakfast (232 calories)

• 5 pieces of plain wheat biscuits
• 1 sheet of cheddar cheese
• 1 small apple

Lunch (170 calories)

• 1 boiled egg
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread

Dinner (460 calories)

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

During these three days, you are not allowed to snack. Drink lots of water, at least 3-4 liters per day.

Within the next 4 days, you can adjust your own healthy diet - just stay away from foods that are oily, high in calories, and high in salt and sugar. You will still be required to limit your food intake to no more than 1200 calories (for women) or 1500 calories (for men) a day to keep your weight from gaining any more. You can still drink coffee or tea, as long as you don't add sweeteners, creamer, or milk (although stevia is allowed).

Is this military diet really effective for weight loss?

A low calorie diet forces your body to go into "starvation mode" due to the consumption of less food. As a result, the body starts to be alert and conserves energy by reducing the number of calories burned. This is the body's natural mechanism to protect you from hunger. Starvation mode can occur when the body doesn't receive enough calories in the long run.

Starvation mode causes the body to prefer to use energy from the muscles so that muscle mass and water weight are reduced. As a result, your metabolism slows down too. On most low-calorie diets, the weight will come back up once you start eating as normal again. But on the other hand, this military diet is also believed to help you burn fat deposits.

However, exactly how much weight each person will lose will depend on their age, health, and current body weight. But even though it seems easy to do,military diet is an extreme diet method that is not necessarily safe for everyone.

"If you're used to eating 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day, drastic restriction of your intake will be difficult," registered dietitian Lisa Drayer told CNN. You will feel tired and irritable easily, and it is difficult to concentrate. You may also become less focused and energized to exercise because of hunger fatigue.

The choice of food menu from the military diet is doubted by many world nutritionists

The protein intake obtained during the 3 days of the military diet came from sausages and canned tuna, which are processed meat. Processed foods have been linked to an increased risk of cancer for a long time. In addition, ice cream is also not the right food choice to support calorie intake during a diet to keep hunger at bay. There are many other food choices that are healthier and will keep you fuller for longer.

Adherents of the military diet believe that the combination of the above foods can increase your metabolism. In fact, "There is no truth behind the claim that the combination of foods in the first few days will increase metabolism and burn fat," said Ellaine Magee, a registered dietitian.

What is, starvation mode when dieting will actually slow down the body's metabolism, as explained above. What's more, the military diet method doesn't even encourage activists to exercise. Enough to limit food intake. The crash dieting method can cause weight fluctuations that can weaken your immune system, mess up your metabolic rate, and increase your risk of other health problems, such as gallstones and heart problems, Magee concluded.

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