Anyone try the military diet?....

I came across a pin on Pinterest for the military diet. Read the plan and it's really easy to follow. 3 days on (eating their food plan) and 4 days off (still eating healthy but not following their meal plan). It boasts that you can lose up to 40 lbs in a month if done correctly. Anyone try this diet? Thoughts? Success? Bad reviews?
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Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    You can eat however you like as long as you're in a deficit. That's really what it comes down to. Meal timing/frequency is just a preference.


    ETA: I don't know what this diet is, just basing it off of the info you provided in your post.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    no. avoid pinterest for diet information.

    all that matters is proper caloric deficit. you can figure that much out using any number of online calorie/BMR/TDEE calculators, still eat regular food that doesn't follow any particular diet, and lose weight successfully.

    ETA: missed it by that much. Adini has ninja reflexes.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    We're on a roll here today with the fad diet threads.

    This is basically an anorexic diet.

    Rule of thumb. If something is called "The [Something] Diet" and boasts "Lose up to [x] lbs in [y] days", it's not even worth your time or bandwidth to click on the link.
  • MichaelBrewer2634
    MichaelBrewer2634 Posts: 91 Member
    I tried the military diet for 4 years. Lost and gained tons of weight on it, and then I just did not re-enlist. Lol I wouldn't recommend anything like that. Uniform eating is much better with a cheat day here, or there. Out with the bad, and in with the good. It's as simple as that. Good luck.
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
    Is that the diet where you dont get breakfast due to budget cuts?
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    3 day diet, mayo clinic diet...This isn't a military diet. Have you put those foods in the tracker to see what kinds of calorie counts those are for a day to even see if they are at an appropriate level for you? If you could keep up with this restriction, why not a healthy diet with a moderate caloric deficit daily where you can pick foods you enjoy?
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    How about just eating healthy and at a deficit and exercise!! :happy:
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
    I came across a pin on Pinterest for the military diet. Read the plan and it's really easy to follow. 3 days on (eating their food plan) and 4 days off (still eating healthy but not following their meal plan). It boasts that you can lose up to 40 lbs in a month if done correctly. Anyone try this diet? Thoughts? Success? Bad reviews?

    I did that for a couple of years. Not a fan.
  • dewsmom78
    dewsmom78 Posts: 498 Member
    I hate following "diets". They're expensive - you have to buy the food they tell you to eat. And realistically, are you going to cook youself separate meals from the rest of the family? No way could I make my husband and daughter eat according to a diet plan. This is why I love MFP where I can make my own diet plan and record my calories.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    It is definitely fad diet day here....
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
    I've heard of it and I've heard that there are different versions where you eat different things. I've only seen one version and so my comments are only referring to the one I've actually seen: The amount you would be consuming would definitely help you drop weight quickly as the overall calorie count is low, but it didn't look like something a nutrition-conscience person would be able to maintain as it was high in fat, sodium, and sugar. I also read that there couldn't be any substitutes, so you couldn't make adjustments. As I am mainly looking to keep my sugar in check, I wouldn't do it.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    If you do a simple search on the boards you will see this gets brought up all the time. Its dumb. Just eat in a moderate caloric deficit and you will lose.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Are you talking about the creamed chipped beef on toast diet? I thought we had moved beyond that barbarism. (Though, I loved it as a kid!)
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
    MRE's?
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    http://themilitarydiet.com/

    From the website:
    What is the Military Diet?

    The Military Diet lets you lose up to 10 pounds per week without strenuous exercise or prescriptions. And best of all, the Military Diet is free! The 3 day military diet plan is probably less expensive than what you’re already eating. The chemically formulated food combination is designed to burn fat, kick start your metabolism and lose weight fast. In fact, the Military Diet is one of the best natural diets known for rapid weight loss without a prescription.

    Chemically formulated food combinations? Kick start metabolism? Rapid weight loss? 10 lbs per week?

    This all sounds like a bad idea!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Is that the diet where you dont get breakfast due to budget cuts?

    That's the one this military family is on :laugh:

    OP this diet and others like it are just fads. There's nothing special about the food combinations, it's just a steep calorie deficit. I'd personally rather eat my calories the way I want to than by someone else's arbitrary system.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    This has been done to death countless times on MFP - there is currently a live thread started yesterday. Have a search and you will find out all you want to know...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911983-military-diet?hl=military+diet#posts-13817587
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/908831-the-military-diet?hl=military+diet#posts-13767493
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/741436-3-day-military-diet-information-and-a-rant?hl=military+diet&page=4#posts-13749836
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/732807-three-days-diet-who-wants-to-try-it?hl=three+day+diet#posts-10804780
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/721748-has-anyone-tried-the-3-day-diet-with-success?hl=three+day+diet&page=3#posts-14000774

    Etc etc

    (in a nutshell, you eat very low calories - under 1,000 calories - three days a week, there is no magical 'chemistry' to the foods - any foods under 1,000 will have the same effect, it was not invented by the Mayo Clinic/military/heart doctors etc etc, it's a fad that has been doing the rounds for years and if it was effective we would all be doing it)
  • TainaLeirmoe10
    TainaLeirmoe10 Posts: 41 Member
    GUYS! This is silly!!!! I am in the military (not that this matters) but dropping 10lbs / week.... Come on. Don't hurt your bodies like this.
  • Smackemdanno
    Smackemdanno Posts: 83 Member
    Lost crazy weight doing it but after I could no longer convince myself to keep it up, i hit a plateau that could only be reversed by eating heavy for a month to reset my metabolism and I gained 10 of the lbs I had previously lost. I didn't lose 10 lbs per week any of the weeks I did it so that was false advertising. I am never hungry eating my 500 calorie per week deficit and I am almost back to where I was starving myself on the military diet.
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    don't do it, MREs taste like butt and they are NOT low cal.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    is this the one that you eat hot dogs and ice cream, then cottage cheese and grapefruits? "chemical reactions trigger weight loss"
  • Tom_Jones74
    Tom_Jones74 Posts: 108
    Rule of thumb. If something is called "The [Something] Diet" and boasts "Lose up to [x] lbs in [y] days", it's not even worth your time or bandwidth to click on the link.


    This. Common sense for the win.
  • a_mandolin_
    a_mandolin_ Posts: 336 Member
    Are you talking about the creamed chipped beef on toast diet? I thought we had moved beyond that barbarism. (Though, I loved it as a kid!)

    Oh, nostalgia. I loved that stuff too. I remember something just like that with asparagus as well.

    As for a military diet, check out Bataan, I heard they got wicked skinny. (too soon?)
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Rule of thumb. If something is called "The [Something] Diet" and boasts "Lose up to [x] lbs in [y] days", it's not even worth your time or bandwidth to click on the link.


    This. Common sense for the win.

    OMG I actually agree with you :laugh:

    That is an excellent rule of thumb.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    is this the one that you eat hot dogs and ice cream, then cottage cheese and grapefruits? "chemical reactions trigger weight loss"

    This would be the one, yep. I always marvel at how people can fall for the idea that those foods of have chemical interactions that magically drop pounds.....seriously....hot dogs???
  • lalaglo30
    lalaglo30 Posts: 33
    That's what I'm doing now...
  • Talleifer
    Talleifer Posts: 44 Member
    don't do it, MREs taste like butt and they are NOT low cal.

    I kind of liked MREs. Well, as long as I avoided the "bad" ones.
  • believe22
    believe22 Posts: 210 Member
    Is that the diet where you dont get breakfast due to budget cuts?

    Haha :) I like you.
  • Bailey532
    Bailey532 Posts: 65 Member
    This. Just eat healthy and move your body. End. Of. Story. I read a girls post who did it and said she had to choke her grapefruit down. Why eat it if you have to choke it down? Just eat mindfully and eat what you like.
    We're on a roll here today with the fad diet threads.

    This is basically an anorexic diet.

    Rule of thumb. If something is called "The [Something] Diet" and boasts "Lose up to [x] lbs in [y] days", it's not even worth your time or bandwidth to click on the link.
  • Olivia1977
    Olivia1977 Posts: 84 Member
    "If it fits in your day, it's okay". This is my motto!!