Four day off Menu Plan
For the best results on the Military Diet, we advise following a diet of 1500 calories or less on your days off. Most people will continue to lose weight on a diet of 1,500 calories per day as long as 1500 calories is less than what you burn per day. To calculate how many calories you burn per day, use the following rough guide:
Multiply your current weight by 12 = the calories you burn per day.
Pick and choose from these menu items for a 4 day off meal plan for the Military Diet. Choose one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner and two snacks for an approximate 1500 calorie per day diet plan.
Breakfast
(Choose ONE of the following per day):
Yogurt Parfait: 1 cup of plain yogurt layered with 1 cup mixed berries, 1/4 cup granola and 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds.
Cheerful morning: 1 cup milk, 1 sliced banana and 1 cup cheerios. You can also eat 1 orange.
Egg on toast: 1 egg scrambled in 1 teaspoon butter on a slice of whole grain toast with tomato slices and 1/4 avocado sliced.
Bagel and lox: 1/2 whole-wheat bagel topped with 1 tablespoon cream cheese and 1 oz smoked salmon. Add thin tomato, cucumber and red onion slices.
Cinnamon Oatmeal: 1/3 cup rolled oats cooked with 2/3 cup milk and 1/2 cup chopped apple. Top with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts & cinnamon.
Walnut Waffles and Berries: 2 whole grain waffles topped with 1/4 cup strawberries and 1/4 blueberries and 7 walnuts.
Florentine Egg and English Muffin: scramble 2 eggs and 1 cup fresh spinach and eat on top of a whole wheat toasted english muffin.
Pear and Almond-Butter Toast: one slice of whole wheat toast topped with 1 tablespoon almond butter and 1 pear sliced.
Tomato-Basil Ricotta Toast: one slice of whole wheat toast topped with 1/3 cup ricotta cheese, 4 slices of tomato and fresh basil leaves.
Banana & Honey Smoothie: Blend (in a blender) 1 cup plain soy milk, 1 banana, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons oatmeal and 1 tablespoon of flax seeds.
Cheesy Omelette: 2 egg omelette with cheddar cheese.
Protein Power: 2 lean sausages, 1 soft boiled egg and a kiwi fruit
Lunch
(Choose ONE of the following per day)
Tuna Pita: Mix 1/2 can of tuna with 1/4 cup white beans, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Serve in a 4 inch whole-wheat pita with 2 leaves lettuce. Eat 1 cup of grapes on the side.
Protein Salad: Toss 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup chopped raw vegetables, 1 hard-boiled egg, 2 teaspoons of raisins and 2 teaspoons of almonds. Top with 2 teaspoons of balsamic dressing.
Mediterranean Plate: 1 piece of wholewheat pita bread stuffed with 1 ounce feta cheese, 1 cup of tomatoes, 6 olives, 1/4 cup hummus and 1 cup raw spinach drizzled with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Veggie Lunch: 1 cup of lentil soup with 1 slice of toasted whole wheat bread topped with 1 teaspoon pesto, 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella and 1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
Vegetarian Quesadilla: 1 whole-wheat tortilla stuffed with 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar, 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup each sliced peppers & mushrooms, sautéed in 1 teaspoon olive oil. Serve with 1/4 avocado, sliced.
Tuna Walnut Greens: Toss 2 cups of spring greens, 3 ounces of tuna, 3 tablespoons of walnuts, and 1 cup of grape tomatoes cut in half. Top with 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Turkey, Pear and Swiss Sandwich: 2 slices of whole grain bread with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 5 slices of turkey, 1 pear sliced, and 1 slice of Swiss cheese.
Black-Bean Wrap: Wrap 3/4 cup of black beans, 1/4 avocado, 1 cup of romaine lettuce, 2 tablespoons of salsa inside 2 whole wheat tortillas.
Chicken Salad Pita: Mix together 1 cup diced and cooked chicken, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup chopped scallions, 1 stalk of chopped celery and 1 cup of salad greens. Stuff inside a whole wheat pita.
Dinner
(Choose ONE of the following per day)
BBQ Black Bean Burger and Slaw: 1 black bean burger cooked with 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, served in a whole wheat bun. You can eat the slaw in the burger or on the side. Mix 1.5 cups of shredded cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta: Cook 2 ounces frozen or fresh shrimp with 1 clove of garlic, 1 cup chopped zucchini, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Serve on one cup of whole wheat pasta noodles of your choice.
Hot Peanut Chicken Wraps: Saute 2/3 cup of sliced chicken, 1/4 cup scallions, 2 tablespoons of peanuts, 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 1 cup of shredded cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix in cooking spray. Wrap all this in 2 whole wheat tortillas.
Sushi: 1 cup miso soup, 1 Tuna roll and a small seaweed salad.
Pepper Cilantro Fajitas: Cook 1 cup bell peppers (red, green or orange), 1/2 small onion and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup refried beans on 2 whole wheat tortillas. Top with sauteed vegetables and cilantro.
Black Bean and Zucchini Quesadilla: Saute 1 cup chopped zucchini, 1/2 cup black beans, 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Place mixture on 2 whole wheat tortillas, sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar. Fold in half and cook in a pan until the cheddar melts. Top with 2 teaspoons of salsa.
Tortilla and Cheese Chili: 1.5 cups of warm vegetarian chili topped with 2 tablespoons of chopped scallions, 8 broken tortilla chips, 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar. Eat with a side salad: 2 cups mixed greens and 1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing.
Florentine Goat Cheese Flatbread: Saute 4 ounces of chicken, 3 cups of baby spinach, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and 1 garlic clove. Put all this on a piece of whole grain flatbread, topped with 1 ounce goat cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or so.
Shrimp Fried Brown Rice: Saute 1 cup cooked brown rice, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 garlic clove and 1 tablespoon grated ginger. Then add 3 ounces of precooked shrimp and 2 cups of bok choy. Saute another few minutes.
Cheese and Artichoke Pizza with side salad: Top a whole grain flatbread with 3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, 2 tablespoons parmasean cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella and bake for about 10 minutes. The side salad is 3 cups mixed greens, 2 tablespoons pine nuts and 2 tablespoons of Italian salad dressing.
Stuffed Chili and Cheese Potato: Top a baked potato with 1/2 cup of turkey or vegetarian chili, 1 cup cooked broccoli and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar.
Italian Sausage Pasta: Saute 1 sliced italian sausage, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped onions and 1/2 cup chopped zucchini. Add in 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce to warm and serve over 3/4 cup of whole wheat pasta topped with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese.
Cajun Chicken With Rice: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon dried Cajun seasoning on 4 ounces of chicken breast. Bake or grill. Saute 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 bell pepper, in 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a few sprinkles of Tabasco sauce. Add 3/4 cup of precooked brown rice. Serve the chicken on top of the rice.
Snacks
(Choose TWO of the following per day)
Fruit-and-nut bar
1 cup snap peas with 1/4 cup hummus
1 cup of cantaloupe with 1/2 cottage cheese
1 cup carrot sticks with 3 tablespoons of hummus
1 apple and 22 pistachios
12-oz latte and 1 clementine or mandarin orange
10 tortilla chips with 1/4 cup guacamole
1 banana with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
2 Crispy rye crackers with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
1 cup plain yogurt with 1 cup mixed berries
1/2 ounce raisins and 2 tablespoons soy nuts
14 almonds and an apple
1/2 cup sorbet
1 ounce chocolate-covered almonds
100-calorie mini bag popcorn
1 ounce string cheese and 4 whole-grain crackers
3 cups air popped popcorn, nothing added