The Three Day Diet is a meal plan that promises a weight loss of ten pounds in three days.
It is highly specific as to the kind and amount of food and drinks to be taken.
Food and liquid intake are done only during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which means that no snacking is allowed.
The meal plan is as follows:
Day One
Breakfast
- One piece of toast with one tablespoon of peanut butter
- ½ grapefruit or juice
- Black coffee or tea (taken with one to two packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)
Lunch
- One piece of toast
- ½ cup tuna
- Black coffee or tea (taken with one to two packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)
Dinner
- Three ounces of any lean meat or chicken
- One cup of green beans
- One cup of carrots
- One apple
- One cup of regular vanilla ice cream
Day Two
Breakfast
- One piece of toast
- One egg (any style)
- ½ banana
- Black coffee or tea (taken with one to two packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)
Lunch
- One cup of cottage cheese or tuna
- Eight regular saltine crackers
- Black coffee or tea (taken with one to two packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)
Dinner
- Two beef franks or hot dogs
- One cup of broccoli or cabbage
- ½ cup carrots
- ½ banana
- ½ cup regular vanilla ice cream
Day Three
Breakfast
- Five regular saltine crackers
- One ounce of cheddar cheese
- One apple
- Black coffee or tea (taken with one to two packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)
Lunch
- One piece of toast
- One hard-boiled egg
- Black coffee or tea (taken with one to two packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)
Dinner
- One cup of tuna
- One cup of carrots
- One cup of cauliflower
- One cup of melon
- ½ cup regular vanilla ice cream
As indicated by its name, the diet runs for three days.
Dieters are supposed to alternate these three days with four days of “normal” eating if they plan to do this regularly.
The Three Day Diet is also known under other names such as the:
- American Heart Association Diet
- Kaiser Diet
- Cleveland Clinic Diet
- Birmingham Heart Hospital Diet
However, the Birmingham Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, and the American Heart Association all deny any association or endorsement of this diet.
People should also take note that the Three Day Diet has long been marked as a “fad diet”.
Despite proliferation all over the Internet, one would notice that the diet has no backing from dietitians, doctors, nutritionists, and other health experts.
The Three Day Diet does have healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables but it also includes hot dogs, peanut butter and ice cream.
Overall, the diet is low in calories, carbohydrates, and consumption of whole grains but high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
It also does not cover proper intake of other nutrients. Since the diet is low on carbohydrates, weight loss is primarily on one’s water weight.
The plan of alternating the three days with four days of “normal” eating is also counter-productive.
When the dieter goes back to consuming normal levels of carbohydrates, the water weight lost during the three days will be gained back.
The diet is also monotonous that during the four days off, there is a tendency for the dieter to indulge in favorite unhealthy foods to satisfy a psychological need of “rewarding” oneself after three days of apparent starvation.
Instead of going through the Three Day Diet, people are advised to consult a nutritionist or dietitian for a healthier alternative tailor fit to their lifestyle, body type and nutritional needs.