Can You Really Lose 10 Pounds in 2 Days Without Exercise? The Truth About the Military Diet

LISTEN UP! There’s a diet that promises rapid results, cutting through the noise of conventional weight loss advice. It’s structured like a bootcamp, aiming to quickly whip you into shape and achieve significant weight reduction in a short time frame. Many people searching for How To Lose 10 Pounds In 2 Days Without Exercise stumble upon plans promising such rapid transformations, and the Military Diet is often presented as one such option.

As part of our ongoing investigations into trend diets and quick-fix weight loss methods, we contacted top dietitians to determine if the Military Diet actually delivers on its aggressive promises, such as losing up to 10 pounds in a week.

And what we found out is that the Military Diet is less a sustainable eating plan and more of a crash diet that may or may not be a total internet phenomenon with little scientific backing.

While you might see some weight drop initially on the Military diet—with claims as high as 10 pounds in a week according to its website—there are too many major concerns surrounding the safety and long-term effectiveness of this plan.

But before you consider trying the Military Diet or any plan promising extremely fast weight loss like achieving how to lose 20 pounds in 30 days or even 10 pounds in just 2 days, there are a few very important and questionable things you need to understand.

cropped image of person squeezing grapefruit slice against yellow background military diet men

What is the Military Diet?

From a structural standpoint, the Military Diet is deceptively straightforward.

According to its proponents, the Military Diet requires you to eat specific foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the course of three days. The meal plan is extremely calorie-restrictive; on the first day, for instance, you might consume only around 1,078 calories.

For comparison, the average, moderately active male requires roughly 2,400 to 2,600 calories per day to maintain weight. So, yes, during some days on the Military Diet, you could be consuming less than half of the recommended calories.

Unlike many popular weight-loss programs, the Military Diet doesn’t prohibit broad food groups entirely. For the initial three days, you eat between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day, spread out over three meals. For the subsequent four days, referred to as “days off,” it’s recommended that you adhere to 1,600 calories a day, and you are encouraged to eat healthfully during this period.

Again, it’s worth noting that even on days you’re consuming 1,600 calories, you are still significantly below the typical caloric needs for a moderately active male. This severe restriction can lead to hunger, dips in energy levels, impaired exercise performance, and potentially general irritability and mood swings.

How Much Weight Can You Lose on the Military Diet?

If you follow the Military Diet plan for a whole month, the creators suggest you can lose up to 30 pounds. However, this claim is based purely on the diet’s website and is not supported by scientific evidence or clinical trials. As we will discuss, the supposed scientific basis and field-tested nature of this diet are highly questionable.

What Do You Eat on the Military Diet?

Here’s a typical sample plan. There are variations day-to-day, but this provides an illustration of the restrictive nature of the diet.

Breakfast

• Cup of black coffee or tea
• Half of a grapefruit
• A slice of dry toast

Lunch

• Half a cup of tuna
• Slice of dry toast
• Black coffee or tea

Dinner

• 3 ounces of any type of meat (or a vegetarian substitute)
• Cup of green beans
• Half of a banana
• Small apple
• Cup of ice cream

Many people looking at this list might react with surprise at the limited portions and unusual combinations.

What Can’t You Have on the Military Diet?

The restrictions can seem somewhat arbitrary.

The Military Diet advises against eating snacks or drinking alcohol. This is primarily because snacks and alcohol are often high in calories, and the core principle of this diet is severe calorie restriction.

Artificial sweeteners are also banned. According to proponents of the diet, these sweeteners interfere with insulin levels and promote weight gain. The diet therefore tends to suggest natural sweeteners like Stevia as alternatives.

Intriguingly, the website offers substitutions for individuals who dislike or cannot consume certain specified foods. For instance, if you don’t like grapefruit, it claims you can achieve the same weight loss benefits by drinking baking soda mixed into your water – a suggestion health professionals would widely advise against.

soldier taking a break, he is eating his meal in the wild military diet

Why is it Called the Military Diet?

Honestly? No one truly knows why it’s named this.

While TheMilitaryDiet.com provides information, including FAQs, a blog, and alternative plans for vegetarians, there are no named authors, experts, or clear webpage owners listed. There are a few testimonials, but nothing substantial from actual accredited experts.

Despite the name implying a military connection, the website itself does not actually claim any ties to the armed forces. MensHealth.com, the source of the original article, reported reaching out to the website for clarification years ago without receiving a response.

Therefore, there is no actual accreditation or verifiable scientific basis behind the Military Diet, despite its authoritative-sounding name.

Have Soldiers Used the Military Diet?

No. This is perhaps the most misleading aspect of the diet’s name.

The name wrongly implies that it has been used by the U.S. military to help soldiers get into shape quickly and that its effectiveness is proven “in the field.”

We do know, however, that this plan has circulated under various other names in the past, including the Cleveland Clinic diet, the Mayo Clinic diet, the Kaiser diet, and the Birmingham Hospital diet. According to CNN.com, none of these reputable organizations have ever endorsed this specific diet plan.

Furthermore, Roland Paquette, PA-C, an assistant professor in physician assistant studies at UT Health San Antonio and a former Green Beret, confirmed that The Military Diet is not associated with the armed forces in any way. Paquette, who served in the United States Special Forces, stated that the army did not institute a specific diet for cadets. He recalls eating freely due to high activity levels, with common breakfast items like pancakes and biscuits – none of which are on the Military Diet plan.

Maj. Carla Gleason, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon, corroborated this, stating that the United States Department of Defense does not endorse any specific meal or diet plan like the Military Diet.

a mid adult mother and father watch a childrens program with their preschool age son they are watching the program on a laptop they are in the kitchen in their home military diet

Is the Military Diet Safe?

In short, no, it is not generally considered safe by health professionals for sustained use.

While severe calorie restriction often results in initial weight loss, what you are primarily losing is likely water and muscle mass – both of which are vital for overall health and metabolic function.

Even more concerning, consistently under-eating (remember that active men are recommended to consume between 2,400 and 2,600 calories daily, significantly more than the Military Diet provides) can lead to negative health consequences. These include cognitive issues like brain fog, disturbed sleep patterns, negative mood changes, and intense cravings that can potentially lead to binge eating cycles. For those wondering how do you get rid of fat in a healthy way, extreme calorie restriction is not the answer.

According to Paquette, the Military Diet does have one theoretical advantage over some other restrictive diets: unlike plans like keto, which eliminate entire food groups, the Military Diet includes a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, although in extremely small quantities. Also, aside from the restriction on artificial sweeteners (and science hasn’t definitively linked them to insulin issues and weight gain in the way proponents claim), the diet doesn’t demonize any specific food or food group. Diets with fewer absolute prohibitions can sometimes be easier to adhere to psychologically in the short term.

That said, Paquette emphasizes that the diet’s guidelines are simply too general and the calorie levels too low to be considered healthy or sustainable. The specific foods listed, while containing macronutrients, are insufficient in volume and nutritional diversity for adequate intake.

Worse still, chronic under-eating can result in significant negative health impacts, as mentioned previously, including brain fog, poor sleep, mood swings, and intense cravings that may lead to unhealthy eating patterns. Trying to achieve goals like how to get rid of your belly fat requires a balanced, long-term approach, not severe restriction.

low section of man checking weight on scale in gym men

Can You Lose 10 Pounds in 1 Week on the Military Diet (or 2 Days)?

Sure, this plan could result in some weight loss initially, but likely not 10 pounds in a week, and almost certainly not 10 pounds in 2 days. More importantly, it definitely won’t help you keep any weight off long-term. Most of the rapid loss observed is typically water weight, according to numerous health experts.

Kristen Kizer, a registered dietitian at Houston Methodist Hospital, states unequivocally that the Military Diet’s claims about specific food combinations “burning fat” are untrue.

“The Military Diet has ‘fad diet’ written all over it,” she says, pointing to its reliance on unsubstantiated claims about metabolic effects from particular food pairings.

Most health professionals recommend a healthy weight loss rate of only one to two pounds per week. Kizer notes that even this modest rate can be challenging for some individuals. Weight loss is influenced by a complex interplay of factors, including genetics, initial body weight, metabolism, activity levels, and overall health, making it impossible for one diet to guarantee a specific amount of weight loss for everyone within a fixed timeframe like a week or two days.

Even if you do shed a few pounds rapidly on the Military Diet, it’s most likely water weight that will be quickly regained once normal eating resumes, Kizer adds. Furthermore, crash dieting and the resulting “feast-or-famine” cycle can have negative long-term effects on your metabolism, potentially making it easier to regain lost weight and harder to lose it in the future. If you’re asking can you lose weight in 2 weeks sustainably, the answer lies in consistent, healthy habits, not extreme short-term diets.

The Military Diet website sometimes even suggests pairing the diet with intermittent fasting for purportedly better results. Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and voluntary fasting. The Military Diet website suggests eating within an 8-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours each day to boost fat burning, further emphasizing restrictive practices over balanced nutrition.

Does the Military Diet Work for Long-Term Results?

As any successful dieter or medical professional will attest, achieving sustainable weight loss takes time and consistent effort. “Weight loss is a long-term game,” Paquette emphasizes.

Dr. Holly Lofton, director of the medical weight management program at NYU Langone Health, advises individuals beginning their weight loss journey to first track their average daily caloric intake using a food journal. This helps identify areas where simple changes can be made, such as reducing portion sizes or cutting back on sugary beverages.

She recommends starting gradually by eliminating empty calories from processed foods, unhealthy snacks, and sugary drinks. Crucially, a healthy, sustainable diet should prioritize plenty of vegetables, high-fiber fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains. These are the fundamentals of what is the best diet to lose weight fast in a healthy, lasting way.

Simply put: very low-calorie diets like the Military Diet might help you shed a pound or two in the immediate short-term due to water loss, but they are highly unlikely to provide long-lasting results or sustainable fat loss.

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

Ultimately, both Paquette and Kizer agree that the Military Diet likely causes more harm than good, particularly for individuals who may already struggle with unhealthy eating habits or disordered eating patterns.

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

The Bottom Line: Chasing rapid weight loss goals like “How To Lose 10 Pounds In 2 Days Without Exercise” or even 10 pounds in a week, as claimed by diets like the Military Diet, is unrealistic and potentially harmful. Just because a restrictive plan causes the number on the scale to drop doesn’t mean you are becoming healthier. The Military Diet is a vague, excessively low-calorie plan lacking scientific backing and endorsed by no credible health or military authority. While it might offer temporary, water-weight driven results, it is not a sustainable or healthy way to live or achieve lasting fitness.

Dezi Abeyta
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.