The Military Diet
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Give the creators of the Military Diet some credit: they know how to market! A man hears “military something-something” and his attention is immediately grabbed. Whatever it is, it's got to be more macho and hardcore and cooler than its civilian equivalent, right?
Unfortunately, the Military Diet has no affiliation with the U.S. Army – or anybody else's army, for that matter. (Not quite as scandalous as you think: The Cleveland Clinic Diet, British Heart Foundation Diet, Mayo Clinic Diet and Navy Diet aren’t linked to those outfits, either!) What it does have is a buzz around its three-day “strict” / four-day “maintenance” week, and its promise that you'll shed 10 pounds in that week.
A recommended meal plan for the Military Diet looks like this:
Day 1 (1,400 calories)
Breakfast:
- A slice of toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- Half a grapefruit
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Lunch:
- A slice of toast
- Half a cup of tuna
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Dinner:
A 3-oz (85 grams) serving of meat with a cup of green beans.
- A small apple
- Half a banana
- One cup vanilla ice cream
Day 2 (1,200 calories)
Breakfast:
- A slice of toast
- One hard-boiled egg
- Half a banana
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Lunch:
- One hard-boiled egg
- A cup of cottage cheese
- 5 saltine crackers
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Dinner:
- Two hot dogs, with no bun
- Half a cup of carrots and half a cup of broccoli
- Half a banana
- Half a cup of vanilla ice cream
Breakfast:
- A 1-ounce slice of cheddar cheese
- 5 saltine crackers
- A small apple
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Lunch:
- A slice of toast
- One egg, cooked however you like
- A cup of coffee or tea (optional)
Dinner:
- A cup of tuna
- Half a banana
- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Part of the Military Diet's secret sauce is supposed to be that the food combinations in the meal plan increase your metabolism and actively burn fat. Which sounds great, except that it is not true. Coffee and green tea contain compounds which (slightly) accelerate your metabolism (an effect known as thermogenesis), but no other foods listed in the diet plan do that. Adherents to the Ketogenic Diet are aware that foods high in protein give a slight boost to your metabolism, but unfortunately there are no such foods included in the Military Diet.
Will you lose weight on the Military Diet? Short term, sure. But as with the launch phase of so many fad diets, the weight lost will be mostly water weight. You will put that back on when you drop the diet eventually. And drop it you shall, as you will be putting yourself at risk of nutrient deficiencies long term if you stay on it.