Can You Really Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days? Investigating the Military Diet Trend

There’s a diet making rounds online, promising rapid results, often suggesting you can How To Lose 10 Lbs In 10 Days. It presents itself as a rigorous regimen, like a bootcamp designed to whip you into shape quickly. This is the allure of the Military Diet.

As part of Shock Naue’s ongoing coverage of trending topics and viral phenomena, we’re investigating whether the Military Diet lives up to its bold promises. Does this internet-famous plan actually deliver rapid weight loss, and more importantly, is it safe and sustainable? We consulted top dietitians and experts to get the facts.

What we found suggests the Military Diet is less a structured diet and more of a crash eating plan, potentially an internet hoax. While it claims you might drop significant weight, possibly even aiming to lose 10 lbs in 1 week, the effectiveness and the science behind it are highly questionable. Before you consider trying this rapid weight loss method, there are crucial, and often strange, details you need to understand.

Person squeezing a grapefruit, a common food item in the military diet plan

What is the Military Diet?

From a structural standpoint, the Military Diet appears straightforward. According to its associated website, it involves consuming specific foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner over three consecutive days. This meal plan is significantly calorie-restrictive. For instance, on the first day, calorie intake is capped at roughly 1,078 calories.

To put this in perspective, a moderately active male typically requires around 2,400 to 2,600 calories per day. This means on certain days of the Military Diet, you might consume less than half the recommended daily calories. Unlike many popular weight-loss programs that eliminate entire food groups, the Military Diet doesn’t strictly forbid broad categories. The first three days involve eating between 1,200 and 1,500 calories daily, spread across three meals. For the following four “off” days, maintaining a 1,600-calorie limit is recommended, with an emphasis on healthy eating.

It’s important to note that even the 1,600-calorie recommendation on “off” days is still substantially below the needs of a moderately active male. This severe restriction can predictably lead to hunger, decreased energy levels, reduced exercise performance, and even irritability and mood swings.

What Does the Military Diet Involve?

Here is a typical example of the daily meal plan on the Military Diet:

Breakfast

• A cup of black coffee
• Half a grapefruit
• A slice of dry toast

Lunch

• Half a cup of tuna
• A slice of dry toast
• Black coffee

Dinner

• 3 ounces of any type of meat
• A cup of green beans
• Half a banana
• A small apple
• A cup of ice cream

Looking at this list, many people react with surprise, wondering if that’s truly the extent of the food allowed. Yes, it is quite limited.

What Can’t You Have on the Military Diet?

The restrictions on the Military Diet are somewhat arbitrary. The diet advises against eating snacks or drinking alcohol. The primary reason given is that these items are often high in calories, and the core principle of this diet is extreme calorie reduction.

Artificial sweeteners are also prohibited. Proponents claim these interfere with insulin levels and promote weight gain, although scientific evidence for this is inconsistent. As a result, the diet leans towards natural sweeteners like Stevia. The diet’s website does provide substitutions for foods people dislike or can’t eat. For example, if you dislike grapefruit, you are told you can achieve similar weight loss benefits by drinking baking soda stirred into water – a rather unusual suggestion.

The Mystery Behind the Name: Why “Military”?

Honestly, no one seems to know for sure why it’s called the Military Diet. While TheMilitaryDiet.com website offers various details, including FAQs, a blog, and options for vegetarians, it lacks transparency regarding authors, experts, or owners. There are testimonials from online personalities, but no accredited experts are listed as creators or endorsers.

Despite the name implying a connection to the armed forces, the website makes no such claim. MensHealth.com (the source of the original report this analysis is based on) attempted to contact the website for clarification years ago and has not received a response. Therefore, definitively, there is no actual accreditation or scientific backing linking this diet to any military organization.

Image implying a soldier eating outdoors, referencing the mysterious origin of the military diet name

Military Connection? Experts Weigh In

The name strongly suggests that this diet has been used by the U.S. military to rapidly get soldiers into peak condition and is proven “in the field.” However, this is incorrect.

Roland Paquette, PA-C, an assistant professor at UT Health San Antonio and a former Green Beret (2004-2006), confirmed that the army did not implement a specific diet plan like this for cadet training. He stated that soldiers in training were extremely active and generally ate broadly, including items like pancakes and biscuits and gravy for breakfast, which are not on the Military Diet menu.

Maj. Carla Gleason, a Pentagon spokeswoman, also confirmed that the United States Department of Defense does not endorse any particular meal or diet plan.

Furthermore, this plan has circulated under various other names over the years, including the Cleveland Clinic diet, the Mayo Clinic diet, the Kaiser diet, and the Birmingham Hospital diet. News reports, such as from CNN.com, have clarified that none of these reputable medical organizations have ever endorsed this specific diet.

Is the Military Diet Safe?

In short, no, it is generally not considered safe or healthy by nutrition experts. While severe calorie restriction often results in weight loss, what you’re primarily losing on such a drastic plan is likely water and muscle mass. Both water and muscle are crucial for overall health and bodily functions.

Moreover, consistent undereating – especially falling far below the recommended 2,400-2,600 calories for active men – can lead to negative health consequences. These include impaired cognitive function (“brain fog”), poor sleep quality, increased irritability, and intense cravings that can trigger cycles of binge eating.

Paquette acknowledges one minor point in the Military Diet’s favor compared to some other fad diets: it doesn’t completely eliminate entire macronutrient groups. It includes a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, albeit in extremely small quantities. The diet also avoids demonizing specific foods or food groups (apart from artificial sweeteners, where the scientific link to insulin issues is debated). Diets with fewer rigid restrictions can sometimes be easier to adhere to initially.

However, Paquette emphasizes that the diet’s guidelines are far too general and the calorie levels too low to be considered healthy for sustained periods. The risks associated with chronically low calorie intake, like brain fog and mood swings, are significant concerns. If you’re interested in whether you can how to lose 10 lbs in 3 days or similar rapid timeframes, this type of restrictive approach is often behind those claims, and experts warn against it.

Addressing the Big Question: Losing 10 Pounds in 10 Days

The Military Diet’s promises, including the idea of losing around 10 pounds in a week, tap into the popular desire to How To Lose 10 Lbs In 10 Days. This plan might result in some weight reduction in the short term, but achieving a 10-pound loss, particularly in just 10 days, and keeping it off long-term, is highly unlikely and not healthy. Experts agree that most rapid weight loss on such restrictive diets is primarily water weight, not fat.

Kristen Kizer, a registered dietitian at Houston Methodist Hospital, points out that the Military Diet’s claims about specific food combinations “burning fat” are characteristic of a fad diet and lack scientific basis. Healthy weight loss is generally advised by health professionals at a rate of only one to two pounds per week. Even this rate can be challenging, as weight loss is influenced by numerous personal factors like genetics and starting body weight. Making a blanket claim that everyone will lose a certain amount of weight, like how to lose 10 lbs in 2 days (an even more extreme goal), is unrealistic and misleading.

Even if you manage to lose a few pounds on the Military Diet, it’s likely water weight that will quickly be regained. Kizer also warns that engaging in “feast-or-famine” cycles, common with crash diets and methods like intermittent fasting when done incorrectly, can negatively impact your metabolism over time, making it harder to keep weight off and easier to regain it.

The diet’s website does suggest pairing the Military Diet with intermittent fasting (eating within an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 hours) to enhance fat burning. However, applying intermittent fasting on top of an already severely calorie-restricted plan is questionable and could exacerbate negative side effects.

Man checking his weight on a scale, illustrating the potential but often temporary results of rapid weight loss diets

Does It Actually “Work” Long-Term?

As any successful dieter or medical professional will affirm, sustainable weight loss is a gradual process. Paquette describes weight loss as a “long-term game.”

Dr. Holly Lofton, director of the medical weight management program at NYU Langone Health, recommends starting with manageable steps, such as tracking your current food intake to identify easy areas for reduction (e.g., cutting back on portion sizes). Focusing on removing “empty calories” from processed foods, sugary drinks, and snacks is a more effective starting point. A truly healthy diet emphasizes vegetables, high-fiber fruits, and lean protein.

The expert consensus is clear: low-calorie crash diets like the Military Diet may lead to minimal short-term weight loss (mostly water), but they do not provide lasting results. Kizer notes that while almost any fad diet can help you lose some weight initially, the rate of regaining that weight is very high. Both Paquette and Kizer conclude that the Military Diet is likely more detrimental than beneficial, particularly for individuals with pre-existing unhealthy relationships with food. For those aiming for goals like how to lose 20lbs in 30 days, a sustainable, balanced approach with expert guidance is always recommended over crash diets.

The Bottom Line: Rapid weight loss doesn’t automatically equal improved health. The Military Diet is a vague, severely calorie-restricted plan lacking scientific validation or association with any military body. While it might appeal to the desire to lose 10 lbs in 7 days or 10 days, it risks muscle and water loss, negative health impacts, and is highly likely to lead to weight regain. This approach is not a sustainable or healthy way to achieve weight loss goals.

Dezi Abeyta, RDN, is a Men’s Health Nutrition Adviser, author of Lose Your Gut Guide, and founder of Foodtalk Nutrition LLC.

Melissa Matthews Health Writer

Melissa Matthews is the Health Writer at Men’s Health, covering the latest in food, nutrition, and health.

Paul Kita

Paul Kita is the Food & Nutrition Editor at Men’s Health, where he has covered the science of eating healthfully and the art of cooking simply for more than 10 years. He is also the author of two Men’s Health cookbooks, Guy Gourmet and A Man, A Pan, A Plan.