Scam ‘Military Diet’ doesn’t pass muster, say experts

Drop and give me 10 pounds, soldier.

The so-called “Military Diet” promises just that, promoting itself as a “three-day weight loss diet that can help you lose 10 pounds in a week.”

And the name conjures up images of boot camp-style chow that helps produce lean, mean, combat-ready bodies.

The truth, however, may be camouflaged behind the promotional copy.

First of all, the diet has nothing whatsoever to do with any branch of the US military, which does not promote or endorse any particular diet.

And there’s nothing especially rugged or rigorous about a diet that asks people to consume processed junk food like ice cream and hot dogs on a regular basis.

Which brings us to the next point: Many of the foods the diet recommends aren’t especially nutritious.

“The Military Diet has ‘fad diet’ written all over it, claiming special food combinations can help you lose weight and allowing for unhealthy fake foods, like hot dogs and one cup of ice cream,” Kristen Kizer, a registered dietitian at Houston Methodist Hospital, told Men’s Health.

“With fad diets, we typically see that there’s some sort of ‘hook’ to attract people,” said Devon Peart, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic Canada’s Executive Health program.

“So, when things like ice cream are included as a prescribed part of the diet, that’s not an accident. That’s a way to make people feel more excited about what is otherwise a very sparse diet,” Peart added.

And while the Military Diet might help users lose weight — even 10 pounds in one week — that’s not the same as losing fat. When someone loses weight, it’s coming from either water, muscle or fat, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

And the type of eating that’s encouraged by the Military Diet would cause people to lose muscle and water weight, but not much fat.

“On a healthy eating plan, you want to encourage fat loss, not water or muscle,” Peart said.

“And that happens with modest weight loss over time, supported by weight-bearing exercise to keep up your muscle tone, and eating enough protein,” Peart added.

That might not happen with the Military Diet, which asks users to severely restrict their eating for three consecutive days, consuming only a fraction of the calories needed by most adults.

For the first three days, a person would consume 1,200 to 1,500 calories each day — less than half of the 2,400 to 2,600 daily calories needed by a moderately active, adult male.

This part of the diet plan can easily backfire, resulting in brain fog, poor sleep, irritability and endless cravings — especially on the other four days of the week, when binge eating is likely to occur.

“Pretty much any restrictive diet will work in the short term. If you severely cut calories like the Military Diet promotes, you probably will lose weight,” Peart said. “The bigger question though is, ‘Is it a good idea?’ And to that I’d say no, it’s not a good idea.”

Simply put, the Military Diet might help someone lose a few pounds in a week, but it’s simply not sustainable as a healthy, long-term diet.

“We’ve learned almost any fad diet will help you lose weight, but the regain rate is high,” said Kizer. “No one likes to hear it, but small, realistic changes done by the whole family with good social support is still the best way to make lasting change.”

Peart explained, “In all honesty, it’s not a three-day diet. What they’re actually suggesting is a forever diet. “But you can’t live forever on that extreme calorie restriction. Eventually, you have to go back to eating normally.” 

“Do I think it could be detrimental to the millions of Americans who already have an unhealthy relationship with food?” Kizer asked, answering, “Yes.”