The MRE Diet

Individual MRE's have between 1250 and 1350 calories, per envelope, depending upon the manufacturer of the meal. Typical "combat" calorie requirements are for a soldier to consume three of these meals, when possible, per day. That's between 3750 and 4050 calories PER DAY.

One must remember that a soldier in the field will be exerting him or herself way above the typical civilian's activity level, so that number of calories is essential to peak combat effectiveness.

I am hesitant to label what I do as "The MRE Diet," simply because it sounds like a fad. Also, I have only been doing this for eight days so I cannot, with a clear conscience, call it an actual diet just yet. It is just a way to closely monitor my caloric intake and judge the results as they become available.

So far, I have lost 2 pounds since I started eating this way. I am not experiencing any side effects that concern me (see below). Please understand that I am not advising anyone else to do this. I am simply passing along my experiences and results.

In the morning, when I wake up, I drink about six cups of coffee with Splenda for sweetening and a small amount of cream.

I go to work and park as far away from the building as possible, giving me a good 5 minute walk across the lot to my cubicle, down and then up two double-flights of stairs.

About an hour after I sit down, which is about 2.5 hours after coffee, I open the MRE and check the nutrition information in the My Fitness Pal database to make sure that the nutrition data are accurate. If not, then I add the food under the manufacturer name of "MRE - Sopakco," which happens to be the brand of these particular meals.

I enter my food for the day and save the entry. I then space out the MRE contents over the course of the work day, making sure that I do not allow my blood sugar to drop too low.

When I get home, I make dinner. This is a protein smoothie made with one scoop of protein powder, one cup of frozen fruit (strawberries or blueberries, usually), and a can of coconut milk. I add some Splenda for sweetness and some ice for consistency and let the blender do its job.

I drink half of this for dinner and save the other half for the next evening's dinner.

I have set my calorie limit to 1570 per day, and consistently come in under that number unless I decide to treat myself to some additional fruit or an ounce of beef jerky, just to provide some variety.

I currently weigh 250 lbs. My goal is 210-215, depending upon how I look and feel when I get down that far.

I used to be 315 lbs. 14 years ago, but dropped 50 lbs. over the course of time between then and now. Now I am in the "home stretch," as it were and am confident that I will reach my goal by the Fall.

MRE's are not haute cuisine by any stretch of the imagination. You want to be sure and drink water when you eat MRE's as some of the food tends to "firm" things up a little, especially the cheese spreads and peanut butters.

Until your body gets used to the food, you might also experience other digestive issues. Just keep the Imodium handy and you should be fine.

I have not had any problem sleeping. I have plenty of energy throughout the day. I have experienced a few periods of sharp hunger, but they do not last long and are usually brought on by the aroma of someone else's lunch in the cube farm at work.

If I discover any further "issues," I'll post them. Also, if anyone has any questions about MRE's, please feel free to ask. I am sure I am not the only one who has some knowledge of the meals.

Keep the focus!