The 3-day diet is a low-calorie diet that promises to help people to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in three days.
As the name suggests, 3-day diet is maintained for 3 days, and then regular diet is taken for 4 days followed by the 3-day diet plan again.
The 3-day diet was most likely not developed by nutrition experts. No one accurately knows about the origin of the 3-day diet.
Sources suggest that the design of 3-day diet dates back to 1980s faxed from one person to another.
It was famously known as the Fax Diet in the 1980s because offices everywhere were inundated with unknown faxes offering this Miracle Diet.
3-day diet is also known by various other names which include the Military Diet, Army Diet, Navy Diet, and Cleveland Clinic Diet.
Several versions of the 3-day diet have been developed by one health-related association or another, but no health-related association has ever come ahead to maintain responsibility or to encourage any of these diets.
Many health associations including Cleveland Clinic or the British Heart Foundation have these diets named after them step out of their approach to tell dieters that the diet did not originate where its name promises.
What is the diet plan for 3 Day Diet?
The dieter should stick to the 3-day diet strictly with no modifications.
The following diet shows a precise measurement of how the 3-day diet should be followed.
Day 1- The meal plan for Day 1 amounts to around 1,400 calories.
Breakfast on Day 1 is black tea or coffee, half a grapefruit and a slice of toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter.
Lunch is half a cup of tuna, another slice of dry toast and another cup of black coffee or tea.
Dinner is 3 ounces (85 grams) serving of meat with a cup of green beans, 1 cup carrots, a small apple and 1 cup vanilla ice cream.
Day 2- The meal plan for Day 2 amounts to around 1,200 calories.
Breakfast on Day 2 is a slice of dry toast, 1 hard-boiled egg, half a banana and a cup of black coffee or tea.
Lunch on Day 2 is nothing but a cup of cottage cheese and 6 Saltine brand crackers.
Dinner is 2 hot dogs with no bun, a cup of broccoli, half a cup of carrots, half a banana and half a cup of vanilla ice cream.
Day 3- The meal plan for Day 3 amounts to around 1,100 calories.
Breakfast on Day 3 is a 1-ounce slice of cheddar cheese, 5 Saltine brand crackers, a small apple and a cup of black tea or coffee.
Lunch includes one hard-boiled egg, a slice of dry toast and a cup of black coffee or tea.
Dinner is a cup of tuna, a cup of carrots, a cup of cauliflowers, a cup of melon, and half a cup of vanilla ice cream.
Remaining 4 Days
The remainder of the week also involves dieting.
Snacks are permitted, and there is no food restriction.
However, the total calorie intake should be under 1,500 per day.
What is the principle behind the 3-day diet?
The 3-day diet is a quick weight-loss diet that claims to help the follower to lose 10 pounds in 3 days is the diet is followed accurately.
The diet tells the followers can perform the diet repeatedly soon after a couple of days of usual routine eating.
Certain variations of the 3-day diet permit for 2 days of regular eating and some other demands approximately 4 to 5 days.
The diet promises that it is possible to lose 10 pounds in 3 days for the reason that the arrangement of foods in the diet menu triggers a certain type of enhanced metabolism that possibly burns the fat.
Drinking extra water when on a diet helps the dieter to feel full without having any extra calories and also helps to flush the toxins out of the system.
What are the benefits of a 3-day diet?
The 3-day diet helps in rapid weight loss through enhanced metabolism that will burn pounds of fats.
The 3-day diet plan is simple to follow.
The chart is way too easy to pursue and continue.
It is a highly cost-effective fad diet that includes food that is low cost and easily available.
Moreover, there are no additional expenses for pills or multi-vitamin supplements.
Compared to other diets, the 3-day diet includes some fruits and vegetables and restrict high fat and high sugar intake.
Each food has a relatively low-calorie count as well as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that interact and promote fat burning action.
The food combinations speed up the metabolic process so that pounds of fat melt away. Drinking water while following the 3-day diet plan helps to remove toxins from the body.
Is the 3- day Diet Safe?
The 3-day diet is a low-calorie diet that can be unsafe for some as this can lead to gallstones and cardiovascular problems.
The low-calorie diet may not be able to provide enough energy to carry on the routine activities.
Very low-calorie diets can slow the metabolism.
This diet should be followed under the supervision of medical professionals as these are not safe for the dieters to follow on their own.
For diabetic and cholesterol patients, the 3-day diet chart may turn out to be more harmful than beneficial.
The 3-day diet doesn’t promote lifelong lifestyle changes such as behavioral changes or exercise and don’t assist followers to set up healthy and balanced eating practices.
The 3-day diet encourages a disordered eating pattern and sticking with the 3-day diet for 3 days might not affect in serious nutrient deficiencies, but it can direct to cyclical loss and gain of weight that can deteriorate the body organs and immune system ( a yo-yo dieting effect) .
The 3-day diet can produce adverse effects on people who are allergic to caffeine and since caffeine is the main ingredient so this cannot be ignored either.
Precautions associated with 3 Day diet
Stick to the plan exactly and don’t make lots of substitutions as the 3-day diet is restricts the calorie intake and includes specific food combinations that maximize fat burning.
But the substitutions will not produce the optimal results that the diet promises.
It is likely to be hungry, cranky and constipated but doesn't snack and follow the plan exactly.
Do follow a sensible diet after the initial 3 days and don’t cycle multiple rounds of the 3-day diet plan back to back as the body needs more calories and nutrition than the diet provides.
Hence, it is necessary to keep the post-3-day diet plan healthy to progress towards weight loss goals.
Men burn more calories than women. Therefore they need to add an extra 100 calories in their 3-day diet plan.
Consult a doctor before beginning a new diet as daily requirements of calories varies from person to person depending on age, weight, and sex.
Pregnant or nursing women should not follow the 3-day diet plan as the baby receives nutrition from its mother’s diet and lack of essential nutrients in mother’s diet can affect the growth and development of the baby.
Elderly or anyone with a chronic medical condition should also avoid the 3-day diet.
Conclusion
There are no scientific research studies that prove the effectiveness of the 3-day diet plan.
Overall, This plan is considered as an unhealthy, short term option to lose weight as the weight that is lost during the diet is gained back as the diet is over.
Since the 3-day diet is based on low-calorie intake, experts suggest that the dieters probably lose the water weight along with a little fat and muscle mass.
Sustainable diets for healthy weight loss should include enough calorie intake.
Several research studies prove that exercise and diet are the most effective option for weight loss when done together.
3-day diet doesn’t include changes in eating practices, behavioral habits, and exercise but instead promotes a diet plan with specific food combinations to maximize fat burning while the follower need not make any extra effort.
Therefore, one should necessarily to opt for a healthy weight loss plan that includes both a sustainable diet plan and a regular exercise routine.