In 1985 the famed three day diet first came on the scene. It boasted creation of a “specific metabolic reaction” to cause quick weight loss and the system to be cleansed. This reaction has never been validated or even attempted to be explained. The diet is to be followed for only 3 days, with an off period of about 5 days in between diet times. All the versions of this diet share in common nebulous steps that must be followed and foods that must be eaten in order for the diet to work.
What better way to blame the dieter when it doesn’t work than “you botched the formula.”
Breakfast on the first day begins with coffee (no sugar), one half a grapefruit, and a piece of toast with 1 Tbsp peanut butter. For lunch, you are to eat a can of tuna, a piece of toast, and black coffee. For dinner it’s 3 ounces of chicken or lean meat, a cup of green beans, one cup of carrots, one apple, and one cup of regular vanilla ice cream. The following two days of the diet are pretty similar in meal quantity, though the specifics change, for example Day 2 recommends two beef franks for dinner in place of three ounces of lean meat. Supposedly it’s possible to lose as much as 10 pounds in only three days.
Baloney! How’s that for specific? And no baloney is not part of the diet. As stated the metabolic reaction has never been explained much less proven. Any weight loss would be mostly water loss due to a lack of carbs which help the body store water. That could lead to dehydration.
Because of binge eating after such starvation and because most of the weight lost is from water, the weight will quickly return after the three days.
Furthermore, such water loss could result in some serious medical issues. But hey, then you’d lose some real weight in the hospital.
The 3 day diet is best treated as a no day diet. In other words, don’t do it.
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