Andie Thueson » Wellness » Healthy Living » Detoxes » Military Diet

Military Diet

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Military Diet 

Welcome!! 

I KNOW you’re here because you’re curious about the 3 Day Military Diet! You’ve seen the results and you’ve heard all the buzz!!

Yes, the 3 Day Military Diet does work and I want you to ROCK it! So here it is, Your Ultimate Guide to the 3 Day Military Diet!! I am here to walk you through all the details and also some little hacks that will help to optimize your results and avoid major starvation in the process!

I’ve got your back! Let’s DO this!

 

Military Diet
The diet is very specific and there is not a large amount of leeway. But it is only three days and you get to eat ice cream every night… So it can’t be all bad 😉 

So here are the EXACT Diet Details for the Military Diet:

Legal Disclaimer: This information if only informative: Please consult with your doctor before starting this diet.

3 Day Diet

DAY 1:
Breakfast–1/2 Grapefruit, 1 Slice of Toast, 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter, and Coffee or Tea
Lunch--1/2 Cup of Tuna, 1 Slice of Toast, and Coffee or Tea (any brew, as long as it’s caffeinated)
Dinner–3 ounces of any type of meat, 1 Cup of Green Beans, 1/2 Banana, 1 Small Apple, and 1 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream (YUM)!!!

Hacks to Try:

  • Warm the apple and/or banana and eat them over the ice cream. Delicious!
  • Cook the green beans with the meat or simmer them in the broth. Mmmm 🙂
  • Substitute Ice Cream for Greek Yogurt – the added protein will help with hunger! 

DAY 2:
Breakfast–1 egg, 1 Slice of Toast, and 1/2 Banana
Lunch–1 Cup of Cottage Cheese (Or 1 Slice of Cheddar Cheese), 1 Hard Boiled Egg, and 5 Saltine Crackers
Dinner--2 Hot Dogs, (no buns), 1 Cup of Broccoli, 1/2 Cup of Carrots, 1/2 Banana, and 1/2 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

Hacks:

  • Use Dave’s Killer Bread for more nutritionally dense toast! {Top with a little Kerrygold Grass Fed Butter}
  • See Previous notes about substituting Ice Cream For Greek Yogurt 

DAY 3:
Breakfast–5 Saltine Crackers, 1 Slice of Cheddar Cheese, and 1 Small Apple
Lunch-1 Hard-Boiled Egg, and 1 Slice of Toast
Dinner–1 Cup of Tuna, 1/2 of a Banana, and 1 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

This diet works on chemical breakdown and is proven. Do not vary or substitute any of the above foods. Salt and pepper may be used, but do not use any other seasoning. The diet is to be used for three days at a time.
In three days you should lose up to 10 pounds. After three days of dieting, you can eat your normal foods, but do not over do it. After four days of normal eating, you may start back on the 3-day military diet again. You can lose up to 40 pounds in a month if this diet is followed precisely.
This is a safe diet and can be used by many different individuals and body types. Exercise is recommended. 
REMEMBER: Do not eat/snack between any of the meals!
NOTE: Coffee or tea for the first two meals of Day 1 only. Water only from then on. Water intake is always unlimited anytime.
Hacks: 
  • Flavor your water with these Flavored Water Recipes
  • To sweeten tea and coffee stevia may be used! 
  • Drink plenty of water – at least 2/3 your weight in ounce this will help you to feel fuller! 

NERDY Science Alert!!! Food Choices Explained

Toast = 1 slice of any type of bread but preferably whole wheat bread. Can be toasted or ate without toasting.
Peanut Butter = Can be home pressed or bought by the jar for convenience. Choose brands with less sugar (such as JIF®). Can be crunchy or smooth.
Coffee or Tea = Plain, black coffee or tea that is caffeinated. Nothing added.
Tuna = Fresh or Canned tuna fish.
Any type meat = Exactly that, any type of meat, May be fresh, or canned meat. Includes but not limited to: Seafood, beef, pork, or poultry. If opting for canned or deli meat, buy the lowest in sodium and fillers, and the closest to fresh as possible.
Vanilla ice cream = Plain, straight, and regular vanilla ice cream. Nothing added.
Egg: Where it’s not specified, the egg can be cooked in any manner that you prefer. For a hard-boiled egg, start in cold water and bring to a boil. After water begins boiling, cook for about 12 minutes.
Saltine crackers = Plain soda crackers. If not available, just use plain crackers.
Hot Dogs: Beef franks, turkey franks, etc. Franks with only one type of meat. The cheap, mixed meat wieners, with unhealthy fillers, are not recommended.
Slice of Cheddar = About two ounces of cheddar cheese.

Approved and Tested Military Diet Substitutes:

  • Stevia 
  • Small amounts of mustard
  • Small amounts of relish
  • Lemon pepper
  • Sugar-free gum and mints 

I have personally tested this diet and so have many of my readers! All have had varying levels of success with the military diet. It really is dependent on how much you have to lose and how focused you are during the 3 days! 

I highly recommend using a glucose metabolic management supplement to help stabilize your blood sugar levels while attempting the military diet.

I really like this one from NOW® Foods.

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110 Comments

  1. Queen Spade says:

    Hello Andie:<br />Just wanted to say that i have done this 3 day diet and the first time i did this, i drank ALOT of water and followed this schedule to a T! i lost a total of 9 lbs.!!! and i didn&#39;t work out for the 3 days… i have since then started doing this diet the first tues-thurs of the month!! at times it does suck, but i feel better about myself and doing this and the p90x and or

  2. How many hours in between do you eat?

      1. Patricia Johnson says:

        where do I go to follow you and get more tips?

        1. Patricia, I am on Instagram @andiethues, on Pinterest AndieThueson and I offer lots of tips and help on my Facebook page Maybe I Will!! Love connecting with my readers anywhere they prefer to follow! 🙂 Thanks For Stopping By!

          1. hi Andie
            can I drink plain sparkling water on military diet?

      2. What can i substitute for the saltine crackers?

  3. can you smoke or chew tobacco while doing the 3 day military diet?

    1. I think you would be okay since both do not have a caloric value

      1. Cheryl Jones says:

        I just noticed that my green tea is decaffeinated . does that really matter?

        1. It shouldn’t matter too much – caffeine just acts as an appetite suppressant on this diet 🙂

  4. Josefina rodriguez says:

    Can you eat chicken instead of hot dogs

    1. I think that would be a great swap!

  5. Losing pounds on this diet really depends on how much an individual weighs. It would be helpful if people posted their weight and height to get an idea. I`m 5″9′ and weighed 135 lb before trying this out. I`ve lost 4.4 pounds but only because I tweaked the diet. Instead of ice-cream I ate 2% Total Fage Greek yogurt with cinnammon, mixed the apple or banana in it, very filling because of the added protein; instead of Saltine crackers I ate Passover whole wheat matzos, did not eat the cheddar cheese but substituted with cottage cheese and instead of hot dogs I ate Trader Joe`s uncured chicken sausage. I`m not a fan of green beans, so I ate spinach instead, mixed uncured turkey and some yogurt in it. All this made this diet quite healthy. I`m a very fit person and this diet left me with no energy throughout the day, all I kept thinking about was my next meal since I`m used to eating every 4 hours. It was pretty hard but I made it. I didn`t give up my coffee, drank it black or added 1 plain coffee-mate creamer. As far as exercise, I jogged for about 30 minutes the first day, played light tennis for a couple of hours on the second day and rested the third day, had no energy left. I`m used to aerobic workouts every day but that was impossible to do with the lack of energy. I really believe that the ice-cream is a reason why people don`t lose as much weight as they hope for. So I suggest trying the greek yogurt, its quite tasty and filling! Good luck to everyone!

  6. Tried it so much times, and it was very tough that I cant stand smelling tuna now!! but it did work for me and I really dont eat the ice cream maybe thats why I lost from 2 to 4 pound a time. And I did drink coffee all the 3 days with .5 to 1 hour of exercise a day.

  7. Hi, I am on my 1st day of the diet. In between the hours, I ate 2 graham crackers because I just could not go without feeling like I would pass out. 2 graham crackers are less than 25 calories. Do you think I should continue or stop because of the 4 graham crackers (halves) so that would equal up to one full graham cracker.

    1. Just keep going and try to stay as close to the outlined diet as possible 🙂

      1. Antionette Cunion says:

        Hello I’m on day 2 of the military diet and I was doing really good until my mom came in with a cheesesteak and I ate it because I didn’t want to waste her money. Afterwards I went jogging for 30 minutes. Should I kust start the whole diet over or continue it?

        1. Antionette, Since it is more of a body chemistry equation than calorie restriction – You’d be better to start over. Next time a little tip 😉 Save a slice and put it in the fridge for when you’re done! No hurt feelings and you stay on track! I know that is easier said than done, cheesecake is hard to say no to! 🙂

          1. Antionette Cunion says:

            AWWw man ???? Even though I workout afterwards?

        2. Hi there! I also have been using the military diet to drop some weight. So far, I lost 45 lbs in less than 3 months, and I am aware of some substitutions that work. I’m not sure what kind of cheesecake you had, but it’s the calories that really matter. I have occasionally substituted tiramisu for the 1 cup of ice cream, but made sure it matched the same amount of calories as the ice cream before doing so. With that said, I think eating the ice cream gave me slightly better weight loss results, so good to stick with it instead. If you are eating both the cheesecake and the vanilla ice cream, then you should redo the diet. ????

  8. may i eat almond butter instead of peanut butter?

  9. I have about 30 pounds to lose, right now i am at 150. I hit this diet on Friday and saturday night i really felt hungry but that is usually our pizza night. I had a difficult time fighting the hunger cravings that night…but i want results. Sunday i got on scales and noticed i was down 5 pounds! Monday morning i was down another 3, so total of 8 for me without working out! Im impressed!

    1. Terry!

      That’s awesome! Every “body” responds to these diets differently! So glad it worked for you! 🙂

      1. Heey soo do u repeat the diet the whole month or do it for 3 days, eat regular food for 4 days and start over ?

        1. You do the diet for 3 days and take 4 off then repeat!

        2. I’ve been on this diet for for just about a year now and have had amazing results I do the 3-day and I know I’m going to lose 6 pounds by doing it the rest of the week I tried to stay under 1200 calories if you cheat you will gain the weight but be disciplined and go back to the 3-day and you’ll be fine

  10. Hi Andie,
    This is my 4 th time trying.
    I feel I am doing good each time, but some where I cheat.I did one last week.I lost 3 pounds between 1st and 2nd day.Third day I end up eating two slices of pizza :/ I gained the weight I lost.
    I am trying again today. It is very difficult as we cannot snack on anything. I did good so far. But I can’t wait for dinner.
    How do I overcome this?

    1. Annie, Try upping your water intake or try calorie free flavored sparkling water…All these will help you feel fuller 🙂

      1. Thankyou so much Andie

  11. I am on day 3 of the diet. I have followed it to a T and i jumped on the scale this morning and i was the same weight as when i started! I guess i will see what tomorrow morning says but so far i am frustrated with this diet. It hasn’t done anything for me. I have also been drinking alot of water in between. I havent felt hungry really which is good but i havent seen any pounds drop. I will check my weight tomorrow morning after the diet is complete and comment the results.

    1. When I did it initially my results were lackluster as well…. I think this diet works best if you have significant weight to lose.

  12. Is it ok if I add one garlic clove to tuna

    1. Absolutely! Sounds Yummy!

  13. Sara Patel says:

    Can I chew gum? The gum I have is sugar free, but it has 5 calories.

    1. Yep you may chew gum! 🙂

  14. Marry Kate ( diet weight) says:

    Thank you for sharing!

  15. So today was my 2nd day I did good all the way up to lunch came home from work and I was frustrated at the fact that I couldn’t eat what everybody else was eating in the house .. Long story short I slipped up and ate a couple of things I shouldn’t have ! Can I just go walk it off and and start where I left off from tomorrow or start over completely ??? I was really doing good though even though I had only lost 1 pound from the 1st day (yesterday)

    1. Just keep going! You got this!

  16. My question is about the ice cream- plain, yes; but the one I have has 7g of fat & 13 sugars-is that still ok?
    I’m not looking to substitute! I just want to be using the ice cream that will help me loose weight the most.

    1. That should work just fine!

  17. I actually have this gift that I don’t dislike ANY food on the planet (haven’t found any yet) so the plan is not a problem at all, food-wise… I just finished my second day… first time I started feeling a little weakness, although not hungry or craving food. I’m drinking tons of water throughout the day so I’m hydrated. Will push through the last day and hope for the best. Just was wondering… is there anything, and I mean ANYTHING else you can put into your mouth during this diet besides water and gum?

    1. That’s awesome! What a cool super power! Unfortunately your eating options are SUPER limited on this one! – Try one of my other detoxes with the meal plan! Way more food!

    2. That’s awesome! What a cool super power! Unfortunately your eating options are SUPER limited on this one! – Try one of my other detoxes with the meal plan! Way more food!

  18. Starting Sunday august 20th

    1. Just seeing this! How’d it go??? 🙂

  19. Maria Smith says:

    Hi! I’ve tried the diet and I can say I’m one of the happy ‘losers’! Well, I lost around 7 pounds but for me, that’s quite an achievement already. I learned about the diet from my sister who invited me to join her on this new diet. I was quite the skeptic, even scouting the web for some reviews and references like https://3daysmilitarydiet.com/results-reviews/does-the-military-diet-work.html

    I just stumbled on your site and I was glad I did! Losing less than 2 pounds isn’t bad at all. Maybe you don’t need to lose that much excess fat. While at the diet, did you suffer from irritability or changes in moods because of the low-carb?

  20. Is it ok to fill a little weak?

    1. It is totally normal to feel a little weak! You’re eating at a pretty big deficit

  21. Today is my frst day diet .I am feeling so hungry ,what do for feel full and i ‘ll interest to one month . I ‘ll get result or not ,becoz I tried lot of diet plan .

    1. This diet is not for the faint of heart! I personally do better with one of my detox water recipes and following the 7 day detox meal plan you can subscribe to at the top of my blog!! Good luck! 🙂

  22. I am on day 2, and have not lost anything. I have followed the diet to the letter, but I am drinking water infused with apple and cinnamon. Does that hurt anything?

    1. Not all!! If anything the cinnamon apple water will help!

  23. Hi Andie, I made a mistake. I had 1 cup of vanilla cream instead on 1/2 cup. I’m in day 2. Will it affect the diet? I feel so bad. Should I start again? Thank you

    1. Just keep going strong and you’ll be just fine!! 🙂

  24. Can I substitute organic applesauce for the small apple? I googled it and can’t find a clear answer. A small apple is 95 cals and the organic applesauce is 50 cals.

    1. Drea – stick with the apple it will not have the added sugar of applesauce and will provide more fiber to keep you fuller!

  25. Hi I am on day 2 of this diet and so far I have lost 4lbs between following this diet and going back to the gym. Any suggestions on other healthy meals for the 4 days off? I would like to stay on a healthy eating schedule. Thank you!

    1. Rock on that is awesome!!! What is your email and I will send you my free 7-day clean eating guide – it’s full of yummy healthy, recipes and snack ideas!

      1. Sheryl neufeld says:

        Hi Andi! Going to start this tmw also, could you send me you clean eating guide also? Thanks

  26. Lisa Carlo says:

    What is the healthiest way to season my chicken while on the military diet?

    1. Lisa, Any low sodium seasoning will work just fine. If you are wanting to use salt and pepper – use a sea salt. Hope that helps! Good Luck!

  27. Hi I finished the diet yesterday and lost 4lb. I was dissapointed ( only because I hadn’t read this tread, and thought I would be losing 10lbs) I think I will try it again after 4 day rest.

    Another thing was I used granary wholewheat bread is that ok? & Lastnight I had an awful pain in my body it felt as though I was in labor I couldn’t sleep and felt really very weird. I feel fine now though.

    One more thing can we take vitamins like sea kelp and vitamin d?

    Thanks ????

    1. Kay, Congrats on the 4lbs!! The weight loss is really dependent on how much overall you have to lose. I only lost a couple pounds but percentage wise it was a healthy drop for 3 days! Vitamins are totally ok to continue taking while doing the day diet! In fact, I recommend doing so!

      On the bread – just try and stay away from any bread that contains high fructose corn syrup. A lot of “healthy” breads actually contain it. 🙁

  28. This is my 3rd week on the diet
    1st week was really tough because i like to snack
    I have lost about 10 altogether
    I gotta have my coffee tho and i use a little stevia
    I also use celery in my tuna on the 3rd day to make it bearable…
    Drink lots of water…….chew gum…and excercise….

    1. Nancy! Thanks for your feedback and for sharing your success!!

  29. I’ve been doing this diet for about a month and I am totally super happy I’ve lost 10 pounds and I’m hoping for another 5 I look forward to all of the meals sometimes I substitute the vanilla for coffee ice cream because it’s less sugar and less fat. Sometimes too if I’m super hungry I’ll have to Saltines with a little peanut butter and that calms me down and of course a lot of water on the days I don’t do it I pulled up the 1200 calorie military diet for the other four days so I can pick what I want to eat from that list which are all very good and easy to make I’m 70 years old and I am totally happy with this diet and plan to do it for a long time to come

    1. Congrats!! Thank you for sharing your success!! Keep it up! 🙂

      1. Hi Andy I’m a little bit concerned because I’ve been on this diet for 4 months and I’m plateauing I cannot get below 139 and I am doing this 1200 calorie when I’m not on the diet it just my stomach won’t give it up what in the world can I do

    2. Hello again I’m going into my third month of doing this diet religiously and I’m still plateauing at 1:38 39 the main problem is a bulging stomach the rest of me is skinny what can I do to get rid of that what about the apple cider vinegar and Garcinia Cambogia my clothes fit but my stomach sticks out please help

  30. Hi! I’m on day 2, I followed everything exactly as it said on the diet plan. But I only lost 1 pound since yesterday! And I’ve seen that people lost more than me since day 1:(
    Is that ok?:(( I’m feeling so disappointed:(

    1. Yasmin – That is totally normal – stay the course and you might see a big drop tomorrow! Depending on how much you have to lose a lower weight drop can happen – I am at a healthy weight and I dropped 3 pounds. I was bit disappointed too but percentage wise that was a good drop for me in three days!

  31. It’s my third day now…
    I’ve lost 4 pounds!
    But for dinner, I had chicken and a little bit of mashed potato with spinach and I’m feeling SOOOOO disappointed and saaaaad:(
    Is that ok? I didn’t had too much but I’m still feeling bad:(

    1. I found of I stay exactly on the 3-day the weight will come off. I’m hungry right now but since this diet is working for me the benefits,are worth the hunger pains. Stay with it you can do it.

      1. Thanks Carol for your encouragement! Glad you are having success!!

    2. 4lbs in 3 days is fantastic!!! How did you weigh in on the 4 the day??

  32. I am totally ecstatic that I lost 14 pounds on this diet I started in March however I am plateauing at 137 to 140 and I am still doing the 3-day diet every week and watching my calorie count I walk 3 miles a day and drink water and I’m 70 years old so I don’t know why I am plateauing any suggestions. I do substitute coffee ice cream for vanilla and on Monday nights I have my 3 oz of chicken green beans along with a vegetable stir-fry mix is that okay

  33. I forgot to hit the reply button sorry

  34. Can I season the meat?

    1. With salt-free seasonings! 🙂

  35. I’m on my third month of doing this diet and I’m very happy that I have lost 12 pounds but even though I do it every week and watch my calorie intake I’m just plateauing at 139-140 nothing is happening my clothes are big and I’m happy for that but the scale isn’t budging what am I doing wrong

  36. MOMMA with excess weight says:

    Can you do apple cider vinegar while doing this diet?

  37. Came across this after I completed my first try. I followed the diet down to he letter and my last meal was consumed by 6pm. It was hard the first day and I was hungry but I actually looked forward to the different food combinations everyday. The most exciting meal was of course Dinner. I tried to part my meals 4 hours apart. and I infused my water with cucumbers. I did notice a little mood swings probably because I was hungry. I was only able to exercise once while on the diet. and as much as wanted to, I did not substitute anything. I’m 5’3 I weighed in the morning before I started at 230 pounds and not to mention I was eating not so healthy meals the day before. I am now on my second try and ill admit haven’t lost as much as my first o round but I am still happy withy results. Since then I have maintained the weight loss with low calorie meals and regular exercise.

    I would love to see your free 7 day clean eating guide 🙂

  38. Should I not put any seasoning on the chicken for the first day of the diet ?

    1. Stick with salt-free seasonings like Ms. Dash!

      1. Thank you ! I just seen this but I only put Cayenne Pepper on the chicken but I have lost 8lbs. Thank you so much for this. I plan on going a whole month and I will let you know the results.

  39. You mentioned substituting greek yogurt (I usually eat Chobani) for the ice cream. Does this hurt the diet? I assume the ice cream doesn’t have much of a part regarding the chemical breakdown that you mentioned but is simply used to keep people from starving too much.

    1. This will not not hurt the diet! Good Luck!

  40. Missy Dail says:

    Hi! I just started this diet and I am
    anxious to see how it works for me! Thank you for your advice on the other replies! Im starting at 230# I have faith!

    1. Good Luck Missy!! You got this!

  41. Hello I am a 13 Year old and i would like to Try a diet… do you think The Military Diet would be the right one for me to use and do you have some Hacks for the way?

    1. Adriana, At 13 this diet may be a little extreme and you will not get the proper nutrition your young body needs. I was much like you when I was your age and tried a lot of extremely weird diets {including this one}. The best advice I can give you is to learn to love and care for your body! Learn to nourish and give it proper nutrition – this is a lesson it took me decades to learn but if I had learned it at your age, oh my what a wonderful thing that would have been! — Keep your head up!! I wish I could give you a big cyber hug! You are beautiful even though you may not feel like it! <3 Andie

  42. i am hungry can i eat cucumber or lettuces between meals ??

    1. Yes, eat some cucumbers or celery! Sorry for the delayed response 🙁

      1. Can you eat pickles between meals?

        1. As long as you’re not overdoing it a couple baby pickles between meals should be fine.

  43. Hello! The diet calls for 1 slice of cheese, which is supposed to be about 120 calories. Is it okay to eat 2 Sargento cheddar sticks which totals 120 calories (60 calories per stick)?

    1. Yep – that will work!

  44. I am about ti start this diet tomorrow and was wondering if you could send me meal ideas for the 4 days off. I really want to do well and dont want to blow it on the 4 days off.

    1. What is your email address and I will send you my 7-day guide to clean eating it has a bunch of clean eating recipes and snack ideas! – Andie

  45. Can I use sugar free water flavoring instead of plain water?

  46. Kelly Haynes says:

    Hey there I wanted to know a few things. 1) can we use salt and pepper on the eggs and tuna and vegatables? 2) On the 4 days off can I drink the Clear American water from walmart it has no calories, no sugar, no caffeine but contains aspartame?

  47. I am not small or fat (pleasing plump) and have been on the military diet for 2 days and today is my 3rd day. I have lost a total of 8.5 pounds so far. By the end of the day I will weigh myself again and should have lost the total 10. I love the diet. If you follow it you will lose the weight.

  48. can i add knor to my green beans ??

  49. Shani Lynn says:

    Please se3 day military nd me the 7 day clean eating recipes! Thank You!

  50. Hi Andie,
    I’m looking forward to trying this diet but am also very interested in your 7 day clean eating recipes. Would you mind sending me a copy?
    Thank you so much! My daughter got me your 30 day fitness challenges book for Christmas. I love it and your website! Thank you!
    Shala

  51. This is my 1st day. How do I prepare the meat. Is oil allowed? Also, would you please send me your free eating clean and healthy plan?

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