Contents:
- Medical Video: How to Lose Weight and Get More Energy in 15 Days
- What is military diet?
- Guides go through the military diet
- The first day
- The second day
- The third day
- Is this military diet really effective for losing weight?
- The choice of food menu from the military diet is doubted by many world nutritionists
Medical Video: How to Lose Weight and Get More Energy in 15 Days
"Many roads lead to Rome," the saying goes. Maybe this saying also inspires many people to do a variety of extreme ways to get the ideal body weight. One of them is by following the military diet. Adherents of this extreme diet believe that weight can drop dramatically - 15 kilograms in just a month! But, is it healthy?
What is military diet?
Basically, military diets are low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diets that help you lose weight up to 5 kilograms in a span of 1 week. The military diet pattern involves a 3-day strict diet followed by 4 days off. The weekly cycle will repeat again and again until you reach the dream weight goal.
Guides go through the military diet
Here is a meal plan that you must follow during the first phase of the military diet (first 3 days)
The first day
The total calorie intake during 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 of bitter black coffee or fresh tea (may use Stevia)
Lunch (138 calories)
- 1 piece of plain whole wheat bread
- 1/2 portion of canned tuna
- 1 cup of bitter black coffee or fresh tea (may 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 of vanilla ice cream
The second day
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 of cottage cheese
- 1 boiled egg
- 5 pieces of fresh oat crackers
Dinner (619 calories)
- 2 sausages
- 90 grams of boiled broccoli
- 65 frams of boiled carrots
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
The third day
Total calorie intake during the second day (from breakfast, lunch, to dinner) only reached 762 kcal.
Breakfast (232 calories)
- 5 pieces of fresh oat crackers
- 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 of vanilla ice cream
- 1 can of tuna
During these three days, you are not allowed to eat snacks. Drink plenty of water, at least 3-4 liters per day.
In the next 4 days, you can set your own healthy diet - just stay away from oily, high-calorie foods and high salt and sugar. You will still be required to limit food intake to no more than 1200 calories (for women) or 1500 calories (for men) in a day to keep your weight from increasing. You can still drink coffee or drink, as long as you don't add sweeteners, creams or milk (although stevia is allowed).
Is this military diet really effective for losing weight?
A low-calorie diet forces your body to stay in "starvation mode" because of little food consumption. As a result, the body begins to be vigilant and saves energy by reducing the number of calories burned. This is the body's natural mechanism to protect you from starvation. Hunger mode can occur when the body does not receive enough calories in the long run.
Hunger mode causes the body to choose to use energy from the muscles so that the muscle mass and water weight decrease. As a result, your metabolism also slows down. In a general low-calorie diet, your body weight will rise again as soon as you start eating as usual. But on the other hand, this military diet is also believed to help you burn fat stores.
However, how much weight you will lose from each person will depend on your age, health, and current weight. But even though it looks easy to do,military diet is an extreme diet method that is not necessarily safe for everyone.
"If you are used to eating 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day, drastic restriction of intake will be difficult to do," said registered dietitian Lisa Drayer told CNN. You will feel tired and easy to anger, it is also difficult to concentrate. You may also be less focused and energetic to exercise because of hunger weakness.
The choice of food menu from the military diet is doubted by many world nutritionists
The protein intake obtained for 3 days of the military diet comes from sausages and canned tuna, which are processed meat. Processed food itself has long been associated with an increased risk of cancer. In addition, ice cream is also not the right food choice to support calorie intake during the diet to keep hungry. There are many other food choices that are healthier and can keep you full longer.
The adherents of the military diet believe that the combination of foods above can increase your metabolism. "There is no truth behind the claim that combination foods in the first few days will increase metabolism and burn fat," said Ellaine Magee, a registered nutritionist.
That is, starvation mode when dieting will actually slow down the body's metabolism, as described above. Moreover, the military diet method does not even encourage activists to exercise. Enough to limit food intake. Lightning diet methods can cause fluctuating weight which can weaken the immune system, disrupt your metabolic rate, and increase the risk of other health problems, such as gallstones and heart problems, Magee concluded.
