I Tried The Military Diet For A Week And This Is What Happened

A little backstory on why I did this. Since before 2019 I have been motivated to try to lose weight. Not because I want to be as skinny as a girl on the cover of a magazine, but because I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time. The fast changes to my body actually resulted in me needing to get surgery because spinal fluid was building up on my brain and I could possibly lose my eyesight. Scary stuff I know. I listened to the doctors and actually lost 25 pounds, but I need to be going so I don’t risk this becoming a problem in the future.

I have done a lot to change the way I take care of myself. I go to the gym at least three times a week, I don’t drink soda anymore, I rarely drink alcohol, and I only allow myself to have bread at breakfast so I have all day to burn it off. There are slip ups though and a little setback can really slow your motivation down. SO I thought why not try the military diet to really make a dent on those numbers on the scale. Supposedly you can lose ten pounds in only three days and the rest of the week you can eat more of what you like, but just on limited calories. I’ve already limited my calorie intake to a healthy amount per day so I thought this was definitely something I could do.

The Meal Plan

Day 1

• Breakfast -A slice of toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, half a grapefruit, cup of coffee or tea (optional).
• Lunch – A slice of toast, half a cup of tuna, and 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, and one cup vanilla ice cream.

Day 2

• Breakfast – A slice of toast, one hard-boiled egg, half a banana, and a cup of coffee or tea (optional).
• Lunch – One hard-boiled egg, A cup of cottage cheese, 5 saltine crackers, and 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, and half a cup of vanilla ice cream.

Day 3

• Breakfast – A 1-ounce slice of cheddar cheese, 5 saltine crackers, a small apple, and a cup of coffee or tea (optional).
• Lunch – A slice of toast, one egg, cooked however you like, and a cup of coffee or tea (optional).
• Dinner – A cup of tuna, half a banana, and 1 cup of vanilla ice cream.

Now I am super picky eater. Like the most obnoxiously picky eater you have ever met. A lot of the food on this list I eat, but I don’t eat bananas, or grapefruit, or cottage cheese, or broccoli, and I absolutely do not drink coffee. While I am told you can see better results if you completely sick to the plan, it was easy enough for me to find healthy substitutions. Honestly though while I went through this for the week I didn’t really suffer that much. After the first three days were up I just went back to day one on the meal plan. Even though it was just six days eating the same foods did get a bit boring. I just had to keep reminding myself that this was for a healthier and happier me.

Even though I was already used to a low calorie intake I was still getting a bit hungry in between my meals, which might be a problem if you try this because there is no snacking in between your meals. To try to ease my hunger I would chug about 16oz of water to fill my stomach and that honestly did the trick. I also began drinking a full glass before and after my meals as well to fill up my stomach. I also didn’t count on the food to bring down my weight alone. I made sure to go on a thirty minute walk everyday or to the gym for some sort of exercise. By the end of the week I lost five pounds, which some of you might think “Well five pounds is nothing” but five pounds is still something. Taking a diet five pounds at a time is how you’re going to make it to your final goal no matter what meal plan you try. Just keep pushing forward and don’t give up.

While I wasn’t exactly perfect at sticking to the military diet meal plans, I think I learned some new healthy alternatives to my meals. I’ve always thought dieting shouldn’t be about taking away all the stuff you enjoy eating, but learning to eat healthier portion sizes. While I am such a pain about what I was eating, I still think I would do it again if I needed a little extra push when my weight has plateaued. Let me know if this helps you get to your weight goal finish line too!

Feature Image Source: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-choosing-colorful-healthy-foods/