The 3-Day Diet originated in 1985 and is also known as the Cleveland Diet. The diet is very specific and promises to lower cholesterol, increase energy, cleanse the body, and provide quick weight loss. What has attracted many people to the diet are the 3-day diet foods, followed by 4 or 5 days of normal eating, which seems to be an easy protocol to follow. The challenge in maintaining the diet is the adherence to exact portions that include a combination of foods that are supposed to create a metabolic reaction that burns fat at a high enough rate to lose weight quickly and effectively.
What to Look for
The 3-day diet foods include proteins, vegetables and fruits as well as coffee, tea and water. An average menu will include coffee, half a grapefruit, and a piece of toast with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter for breakfast. For lunch, the meal may consist of a can of tuna, a piece of toast and black coffee. Dinner will include 3 ounces of chicken or another type of lean meat, 1 cup of green beans, 1 cup of carrots, 1 apple and 1 cup of regular vanilla ice cream. The remaining 2 days of the diet are basically variations on the same theme. Once the 3 days have elapsed, you are free to eat normally for the next 4 or 5 days. The diet can then be resumed, on and off, until you are satisfied with the weight loss achieved.
Common Pitfalls
Though the diet states that it is possible to achieve a weight loss of 10 pounds during the time that you are strictly observing the 3-day diet foods, there is no real substantiation for this claim. The weight that you lose will mostly be fluids, as the diet is low in carbohydrates which normally cause water retention. Once you return to your normal eating pattern, you will undoubtedly gain the water back. For this reason this diet has also been termed the “yo yo” diet. In addition, there is no recommendation for any type of exercise to accompany the diet, which is not a good sign. Without proper exercise, no diet can fully achieve its goals. Though the diet has had some popularity, it has faded in favor of those that educate dieters on how to achieve healthy weight loss through changing their overall eating patterns.
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