The Three-Day Diet

Having been stuck at this plateau, hovering back and forth over the same 3 pounds, for over a month now, I decided it was time to try just about anything. I’ve been carefully logging every bite I eat, making time for intense workout sessions, and yet nothing would force the scale below 170.

I decided to try a three-day diet that promises major weight loss just by eating the specific foods in order. Now, I know that food combinations and the order of the food you eat doesn’t have any effect on weight loss. It’s all about calories in, calories burned, and it was easy to see this was a very low calorie diet. But I threw logic out the window and made up my mind to give it a go. Three days isn’t that long, right?

Actually, three days can feel like a long time when everyone around you is eating more than you.

The first day, I was hungry by mid-day. But I kept my eyes on the prize and didn’t stray from the plan. By the end of the day, I felt pretty good and wasn’t even hungry. Eating something every 2-3 hours helped fight off that hunger.

Day two was the hardest. While I was eating every few hours, it wasn’t a lot of food. I tried to drink extra water to make up for it, but my stomach was too clever to fall for that trick.

Day three was actually easier. I didn’t even eat my last snack of the day because I didn’t feel like I wanted to eat. I still had energy in spite of the low-calorie diet, and I had stuck to the plan. I was expecting big results when I stepped on the scale in the morning!

What I was not expecting, though, was to see 169 appear on the scale. Two pounds. Three days of a jumpstart diet and I only lost two pounds.

Even better? The next day I was back up to 170. Hahahahahahaha! So much for the super diet – my metabolism can beat up your puny diet!

So it didn’t work. Ah well. It was only three days, and while it required some discipline, it wasn’t torture. I took a few tips away from it as well. Eating every 2-3 hours did help keep my energy level up. And eating smaller meals kept me from feeling run-down and bloated like I often feel after a large meal.

There was a tiny glimmer of good that came after the diet, too: days later, my weight has dropped back to 169 again. It’s quite possible the diet gave my body a slight wake-up call to get back in the game again. At least I’m going to hope that’s what it is. ‘Cause I’m really sick of the 170’s.

—

Want to read about why I like fitness DVDs as a way to get in shape? Well, you’re in luck – I’ve written an article on just that topic over at Diets in Review. Go check it out!