The three-day military diet has been observed to help weight watchers lose up to 4.5 kilograms or 10 pounds per week. This is a huge deal considering that the typical weight loss rate is about 1 to 2 pounds weekly through the slow-and-steady method.

If you are able to maintain the effort and momentum you gained after succeeding in a weeklong military diet, then you could be well on your way to hitting your weight loss goals the faster way.

However, while the method for adopting the military diet is generally the same regardless where you are or what weight you start out with, people’s bodies respond to it differently. This means that although Person 1 was able to shed 10 pounds in seven days, you cannot expect the same result for Person 2 or Person 3. People’s bodies function uniquely as a factor of the current weight, age, genetics, lifestyle, and more. The good news is, while the responses to the three-day military diet are different, it cannot be denied that a good amount of weight will be lost in the process.

Understanding How the Military Diet Works

The three-day diet is a quick weight loss strategy that covers three days of eating very specific types of food, and then followed by four days of a low-calorie but more relaxed meal plan. With the ultimate goal to lose 10 pounds in just one week, serious followers can stand to shed up to 30 pounds in just one month. The better news is that its meal plan does not require you to say “no” to your typical favorites. You can still enjoy a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some hotdogs once in a while.

The point of the military diet is to combine certain types of food so that they interact with each other to prompt your metabolism to rise and your excess fat to melt away. Here’s how it works: in the first three days, you should consume a maximum of 1,400 calories per day only (depending on your body type), while the next four days should be limited to max 1,500 calories.

Note that this amount might not be enough to fuel some people to power through the day, so expect to feel slightly sluggish and weak while on this program.

Military Diet Cycle

The military diet is a weekly personal project that you can choose to maintain and repeat as the weeks pass, until you hit your weight goal. Once you have succeeded, it is recommended that you continue with the four-day meal plan to maintain your weight and not suffer a rebound.

Take note that this diet involves a specific combination of food, so be sure to read up on substitutions (if the original ones are not available) and quantities to maximize its benefits.

weight loss machine
A new study suggests steadily shedding pounds each week can be more effective for long-term weight loss than crash diets, Aug. 28, 2017. In this photo, a Malaysian police officer checking his weight while taking part in the special weight-loss and fitness program 'Trim and Fit' at police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 21, 2016. Getty Images