The 3 Day Diet Plan

A very short diet plan but does it actually help with any weight loss?

The 3 day diet plan is a short term diet designed to help people lose weight quickly. It is very calorie restrictive, and is not meant to be used as a long term diet.

What is the 3 Day Diet?

The 3 day diet is a very specific eating plan. There are few substitutions allowed, and dieters are expected to follow the eating plan very carefully.

The diet is very calorie restrictive, but those who developed the 3 day diet say that dieters can lose 10 pounds during the three days.

If you have more than 10 pounds to lose, it is recommended that you go off the diet for about 5 days before doing another 3 day round.

Day 1 of the 3 day diet

On day 1 of the 3 day diet, your meal plan is as follows

1. Breakfast - ½ grapefruit, slice of toast with 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter
2. Lunch - ½ cup of tuna or chicken with a slice of toast
3. Dinner - 3 ounces of lean meat, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup carrots or beets, 1 apple and ½ cup of vanilla ice cream.

Day 2 of the 3 day diet

1. Breakfast - 1 egg, half a banana, slice of toast
2. Lunch - 1 cup cottage cheese and 3 saltine crackers
3. Dinner - 2 hot dogs, ½ cup of carrots, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

Day 3 of the 3 day diet

1. Breakfast - 3 saltine crackers, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 1 small apple
2. Lunch - 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 slice of toast
3. Dinner - 1 cup of tuna, 1 beet, 1 cup of cauliflower, half a cup of cantaloupe and half a cup of vanilla ice cream

No snacks are allowed on the 3 day diet. You are allowed tea, black coffee or water with each meal and between meals.

Is the 3 Day Diet Effective for Weight Loss?

In such a short period of time, most of the weight lost on the 3 day diet will be water weight. However, if you complete the diet multiple times, you will likely see some weight loss over time, so long as you don't gain the weight back during the 5-6 days you're off the program between rounds.

Over the long term, this is not a healthy diet because it is so calorie restrictive. While the diet does prescribe foods in particular combinations, there's no reason to believe that this combination of food causes any weight loss. The weight you lose on the 3 day diet is lost purely because your calorie intake is so low.

Diets like the 3 day diet work well for people who want to be told exactly what to eat and when to eat it. For these people, a more flexible diet often leads to overeating.

However, even if you're a person who needs a very structured plan in order to stay focused on your diet, there are healthier ones than the 3 day diet, that will allow you to feel less hungry and lose weight in a more healthy way.