The Kaiser 3-Day Diet Plan has been around for a long time. It goes by many other names including the Cardiac Diet, Birmingham Diet, American Heart Association Diet, Army Diet, Navy Diet, Hot Dog Diet, and Oregon Health and Science Diet. While there are slight variations in the precise menus of the different three-day diets, the basic concept is the same -- to restrict calories severely in order to produce rapid weight loss. The perpetrators of this diet are clearly trying to associate their diet plan with prestigious health organizations. But most of these organizations have objected to the use of their names and condemned the diet as ineffective and possibly dangerous to your health.
The Diet
The Kaiser 3-Day Diet, and other similar diets that promise quick weight loss, are known as very low-calorie diets (VLCD) of 800 or less calories per day. The Kaiser Diet allows the following meals, with no substitutes, on the first day. Breakfast consists of half a grapefruit, 2 tbsp. peanut butter and 1 slice of toast. Lunch brings 1/2 cup tuna, 1 slice toast and coffee or tea. The dinner menu consists of 3 oz. meat, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup beets, 1 small apple and 1 cup vanilla ice cream. It is worth mentioning that dinner on day two includes two hot dogs and 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, the reason the diet is sometimes referred to as the Hot Dog or Hot Dog and Ice Cream diet. Day three allows you to eat a bit more food with a bit more variety. Instead of hot dogs, you can choose from one cup of tuna, chicken or turkey. And you still get vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Purpose
The Kaiser 3-Day Diet is designed to help you lose weight quickly. Proponents claim you can lose 10 lbs. in three days and 40 lbs. in one month. Some proponents use the diet every week, using the diet for three days, eating normally for four days and then resuming the diet.
Effectiveness
The Kaiser 3-Day Diet and other forms of three-day diets may help shed some pounds, but it is not because of the particular foods in the diet -- it is because you are consuming only 600 to 1,100 calories per day. Any weight you lose is likely to come right back after you conclude the diet. Health organizations such as the American Heart Association have denounced quick-weight-loss diets as ineffective and possibly a danger to your health.
Dangers
The Kaiser 3-Day Diet and other quick-weight-loss diets may be okay to try on an occasional basis, but they can be extremely dangerous if used too often. Isadore Rosenfield, professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, told CNN Health, "A crash diet won't hurt your heart. But crash dieting repeatedly increases the risk of heart attacks." The best way to safely lose weight is to eat a healthful, nutritionally-balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products; regular physical activity must also be a part of the regimen.
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