3 Day Hospital Diet – Birmingham Hospital Diet Review
The 3-day hospital diet, which is also known as the Birmingham hospital diet, has become popular due to claims that the diet was created as a means of allowing patients who were going to undergo surgery to lose weight. weight up to 10 pounds in a three-day period. . Other sources attribute the origin of this diet plan to the University of Alabama.
It should be noted that these institutions do not make that claim and do not accept any responsibility towards those who follow the diet.
Despite the uncertainty of its origins, there is no doubt that this simple diet plan has caught on and many people have used it, often coming across the weight loss strategy under one of its many names. In addition to the 3-Day Hospital Diet, it is also known as the Alabama 3-Day Diet, 3-Day Tuna Diet, Tuna Diet, 3-Day Cardiac Diet, and others.
The content of these weight loss diet plans is very similar and will be treated here as essentially the same.
A key element of the 3-Day Hospital Diet is that it contains a low daily calorie level of approximately 1,000 calories with specific ingredients to provide the protein, carbohydrates, fat (very little), and other nutrients we need to survive. For a full overview of the menu plan, do a quick search for my article “3 Day Tuna Diet: Menu and Diet Plan.”
In short, the plan outlines the foods that will be included in breakfast, lunch, and dinner over a three-day period.
There are many reports of weight reduction from those who have followed the diet. The amount of reported weight lost during that time varies, as might be expected with so many different metabolisms and dietary requirements involved. However, a minimum weight reduction of at least 2.5 pounds seems achievable and likely.
Much of the weight loss from such a short diet probably comes from water loss. Also, with a calorie count of about 1000, this would be well below the normal requirements for most adults, so the energy expended would also account for some of the loss.
However, while not a “starvation diet”, the Birmingham Hospital Diet is likely to cause problems for the user if continued beyond the recommended 3 days. For example, it is normal for our body to make adjustments when a food shortage is detected. This is a survival mechanism that protects us when there is little food available, such as in times of famine. The body slows down metabolism and conserves fat stores to allow us to survive longer on less food. This actually makes it harder to lose weight, we have less energy, and we tire more easily. Not a satisfactory long-term condition!
Although there may be some short-term loss benefit, the feeling of hunger experienced at the end of the diet encourages additional food intake once the diet has been completed. A better alternative is a program that does not cause cravings, does not cause the body to slow down, and takes into account nutritional requirements so that changes in eating habits allow fat loss to occur over a longer period of time. long and lasting. .
Instead of following a simple, low-calorie diet plan, losing weight over a long period of time allows you to employ other tactics in the plan, such as “calorie shifting,” placing more emphasis on fat loss and proper nutrition. It is more likely to provide health benefits and sustainable weight loss in the long term.