As the school year quickly approaches, I want to shed some pounds before I head back for another semester of studying. I heard of a new diet that promises amazing results in an even more amazing time frame called the Military Diet.
Coming across this diet, I was really intrigued; it is a seven-day program where you technically “diet” the whole seven days but only the first day days are set meals. Days four through seven are calorie-restrictive to 1500 a day and that’s it. Here is where you can read more about it and its wonderful claims. Sounds easy, right? I thought so, too.
Photo By Kimberly Fu
The Night Before
With my Oreo McFlurry in hand, I did some meal prep. Through the week, I’d need some hard boiled eggs and cooked veggies. My mom joined in on my diet plan just because. Savoring the last bites of the creamy McDonald’s treat, I was honestly excited to start and see what results I could get with such a well-known plan.
Day 1
Breakfast
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Breakfast was the perfect amount for me but I usually have eggs in the morning so it took some adjusting to settle with peanut butter for protein. I actually was pleasantly surprised with the grapefruit because I thought it was going to be really tart and sour but it was sweet. The green tea was what I normally drink so that wasn’t too hard. This breakfast wasn’t quite filling, but I was satisfied nonetheless.
Lunch
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I was starving when lunch time rolled around. On my lunch break at work, I was not too thrilled about eating tuna and toast. Honestly, it was my first time trying canned tuna and, I mean, I love it on sushi so I should love it on bread, right?
I needed around 1/2 cup of tuna but my safe self swapped out half of it for a hard boiled egg. I ended up mixing the tuna and crushing the hard boiled egg for some tuna salad mix on the toast. It tasted alright but definitely lacked some mayo and celery and red onions. I was pretty full after that meal and expected the protein to help me last through the day.
Dinner
Photo By Kimberly Fu
Ahhh. Some real food. I was excited to have some steak even though it was a mere 3 oz. I blanched the green beans and cooked the steak to a nice medium rare. The apple and banana were nice snacks although it would be nice to have the whole banana (because who has use for half a banana?).
The dinner was a good amount and I even got a full cup of vanilla ice cream for dessert. I went out and got some vanilla ice cream from my favorite ice cream shop, Halo Pub. Overall, today was satisfying and I was not left as hungry as I thought I would be.
#SpoonTip: If you are worried about all the half bananas you’ll have lying around, make this 1-ingredient banana ice cream for your friends who aren’t on the diet.
Day 2
Breakfast
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I woke up absolutely starving. Breakfast was an egg (cooked any way you like it), a piece of toast, and half a banana. It was barely enough to pull me through the morning. I was already craving something else as I headed off to my morning workout.
Lunch
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Cottage cheese…. I’ve never had it before and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It was interesting to say the least but I can definitely get used to it because now all I can think of is a nice toasted bagel with cream cheese. Then again, I’ve never tried these ways to transform cottage cheese.
The hard boiled egg was alright with some bland but crunchy saltines. I’m not full so, hopefully, I can survive until dinner time without my usual snack attacks.
Dinner
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I honestly had to get out of the house or I was going to crack. After some shopping, I finally made my dinner. Interestingly enough, I was getting two hot dogs and lots of veggies, as well as half a banana. The hot dogs were surprisingly filling and did I enjoy the salty meat.
The veggies I sauteed in some oil were nice and crunchy. The half banana was nice but the real star was the 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream I savored. Second day in a row. The ice cream was a perfect ending and I was most certainly full.
#SpoonTip: Want to try making ice cream yourself? Try this recipe for no-churn ice cream.
Day 3
Breakfast
Photo By Kimberly Fu
I was excited to see cheese and crackers… but for breakfast? Eh, I’ll take it. The apple has a refreshingly nice crunch in the morning and I took my time eating it. I could already see a flatter stomach. I felt better and not super hungry this morning.
Lunch
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Alright, I’m really hungry now. But just a hard boiled egg and a slice of toast to eat. Scarfing it all down in seconds, I’m left unsatisfied and I buckle a couple hours later. Around 4 pm, I knew I was not going to make it until dinner time. I had 5 saltine crackers and 1 oz. of cheese, the same serving from breakfast, and at this point, any food tasted great.
Dinner
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Dinner time rolls around and I just can’t bear to eat a cup of plain tuna. My patience is low and I just want a real meal. I ate my half of banana but I just couldn’t eat the tuna. I jazzed it up and made myself a tuna melt. I was still hungry but more satisfied, even though I broke the diet on the last meal. Forgive me, but on the last day, I was starving and my willpower was at an all-time low.
Days 4-7
GIF courtesy of giphy.com
The rest of the diet is not restricted to anything specific other than trying to stay under the 1500 calorie range. I have to say I tried my best to stay under that. I keep a relatively healthy diet and I exercise every day. I had the occasional slice of pizza, as do most people. I was not as strict as I could have been with the amount of carbs and “bad stuff” I consumed.
I typically had a veggie scramble for breakfast after my morning workout of cardio and weights. I had steak or chicken salads for lunch, and dinner was all over the place. Plenty of snacks ranging from fruit to goldfish.
After the Week
I lost a couple of pounds, which was a plus. I think this diet was alright but no way to keep as a lifestyle. I liked the diet as it was flexible and not completely impossible to do. It was a great diet, although I think the major weight loss was within the first three days. The key is not to go straight back to heavy eating after the initial three days. Since the calorie intake was so low, it trains your body into thinking it is fasting. Here is where you can read more about what it does.
I expected to lose more than just three pounds but satisfied with the results. I still don’t believe that it was worth it for me personally. It is important to maintain a balanced diet and exercise. Staying active and eating right is the ultimate key to a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy everything in moderation and put good food into your body to make you feel even better.