Does Birmingham 3 Day Cardiac Diet Work?

Do you want to lose 10 pounds in just 3 days? Birmingham hospital at Alabama may have the answer for you. The Birmingham 3 day cardiac diet is designed to help patients to lose weight fast without surgery and weight loss pills. In 3 days you may lose as much as 10 pounds! You may have heard about this diet before, as it carries various names, including 3 Day Tuna Diet, Alabama Diet, Tuna Diet and so on. Before you start the Birmingham 3 day cardiac diet, you really need to find out: does this diet work? Will the weight loss be permanent?

Firstly, let us look at the menu of Birmingham 3 day cardiac diet. During the 3 days, you have to follow the menu very strictly to achieve maximum results. The foods are designed based on the concept of chemical breakdown to help you burn fat. Thus, you are not allowed to vary the amounts or make substitution of the menu. After 3 days, you can resume your regular meals. Then, after 4 days of regular meals, start the Birmingham 3 day cardiac diet all over again if you wish to lose more weight.

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Now, the problem with this 3 day diet is: it is extremely low in calories. I added the calories and got this number (rough estimation):

Day 1: 1035
Day 2: 1020
Day 3: 1040

In reality, you may lose weight. However, much of your loss may be water and muscle loss instead of fat loss! As soon as you resume your regular meals, you may gain all the weight back. In addition, low calories diet may hurt your metabolism. In addition, you may feel hungry with this diet as it is low in energy and calories. Unless you have rock solid will power, it is unlikely you will stick through the diet. In the following section you may refer to some of the users' experience.

User's Review
Dove from About.com Health: "Seriously, anyone thinking of doing this diet, take it from me, don't do it! You will feel like hell, and probably won't make it the 3 days.  It is just horrible!"

Does Birmingham 3 Day Cardiac Diet Work?

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3 Birmingham Cardiac Day Diet - What is It?

What is the 3 Birmingham Cardiac Day Diet? That's an interesting question addressed time and time again by health professionals. Some swear it is bad for you, while others swear it works. Which one is correct?

One thing is certain: Though the diet is often attributed to the Cardiac Unit at the UAB Hospital in Birmingham, doctors there have gone public to say it is not a product of their hospital. They have advised, furthermore, that it might actually be dangerous. Those who follow the diet, however, swear that they have suffered no ill effects and have lost weight quickly and easily.

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It's entirely possible that people have lost weight on this diet, and here's why: The most popular version of the 3 Birmingham Cardiac Day Diet floating around on the internet calls for about 1200 calories per day. If you were on a typical diet of 1800 calories or more before you started it, of course you will lose weight! The fewer calories you take in, the more weight you will lose.

Those who love the diet also say that the combination of foods is what triggers the weight loss. This might not seem to make sense, as there are some selections that are high in fat, such as peanut butter, and some that don't seem to make sense with a diet, such as ice cream. However, it has long been recognized that certain combinations of food will help burn fat, thanks to the way the foods interact in your body. This might be the case here, though there isn't much in the way of long-term studies to prove the theory.

Those who subscribe to the diet follow it for three days, then use the rest of the four days of the week to eat what they like, within reason, of course. Then they begin using the diet again, and do another three days of it. Some people feel like doubling up, and so they spend six days of the week on the diet, and use their seventh day as a "cheat" day. Some report weight loss of over 40 pounds in one month!

Though losing 40 pounds in a month might seem like a dream come true, beware of diets that allow you to lose so much so quickly. You should always be under a doctor's supervision when you are dropping weight, because as you lose weight your body makeup changes, and that could lead to serious issues if you have any underlying health problems.

The 3 Birmingham Cardiac Day Diet might seem to be a good jump-start to healthy eating, but it is warned about in medical circles. If you want to try it for a few days, do so at your own risk - but don't make it your lifelong plan to lose weight! That can only come with a lot of patience, hard work and lifestyle changes in your eating and exercise habits.

3 Birmingham Cardiac Day Diet - What is It?

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Birmingham Cardiac 3 Day Diet - Hospital Created Diet Helps You Lose Ten Pounds in Just 3 Days!

The Birmingham Hospital wanted a healthy way to help patients lose weight before undergoing a surgery. The Birmingham cardiac 3 day diet was created to be an effective way to lose ten pounds within three days. And it does work. The only catch is that you have to follow a strict diet regimen for the entirety of the program.

The Birmingham Cardiac 3 Day Diet:

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Day one

Breakfast
- 1/2 Grape fruit or Juice
- 1 tbsp Peanut Butter
- 1 Slice of Toast
- Tea or Black Coffee

Lunch
- 1/2 cup Tuna
- 1 Slice Toast
- Tea or Black Coffee

Dinner
- 2 Slices of any Meat
- 1 cup String Beans
- 1 cup Carrots or Beets
- 1 small Apple
- 1 cup of Ice Cream (vanilla)

Day Two
Breakfast
- 1 Egg (hard boiled)
- 1/2 Banana
- 1 Slice of Toast
- Tea or Black Coffee

Lunch
- 1 cup Cottage Cheese or 1/2 cup Tuna
- 5 Saltine Crackers

Dinner
- 2 Wieners
- 1 cup Cabbage or Broccoli
- 1/2 Banana
- 1/2 cup Turnip Greens or Carrots  
- 1 cup of Ice Cream (vanilla)

Day Three

Breakfast
- 1 Egg (hard boiled)
- 1 Slice Toast
- Tea or Black Coffee

Lunch
- 1 Slice Cheddar Cheese
- 1 small Apple
- 5 Saltine Crackers
- Tea or Black Coffee

Dinner
- 1 cup Tuna
- 1 cup Cauliflower or Green Beans
- 1 cup Beets or Carrots
- 1 small Apple or 1 cup Cantaloupe
- 1 cup of Ice Cream (vanilla)

In order to successfully lose weight with the Birmingham Cardiac 3 Day Diet, you just need to follow the diet exactly. By being able to discipline yourself for three days, you will be reward by the fact that you are ten pounds lighter.

Birmingham Cardiac 3 Day Diet - Hospital Created Diet Helps You Lose Ten Pounds in Just 3 Days!

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Mayo Clinic Cardiac Diet

When you first hear of the Mayo Clinic cardiac diet, you think that this must be the perfect diet. If they are endorsing this diet, it must be both healthy and effective. If you do a little research, you'll be shocked at what you'll discover.

This diet is also known as the grapefruit diet. Fruit is good for you and I remember reading years ago that grapefruit can act as a catalyst to help you lose weight. This really seems like the healthy weight loss program you've been looking for. You eat mostly grapefruit, eggs and meat and still lose weight.

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You may have read that this weight loss program is recommended in hospitals for cardiac patients that need to lose weight. This seemed a little odd. Usually you would expect a cardiac diet to be low in cholesterol and saturated fats. Why would the Mayo Clinic recommend a weight loss program that focuses on foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fats?

Then came the shocker. The Mayo Clinic does not endorse this diet! They did not develop this diet. In fact, they have nothing to do with this diet! No one knows why this diet was named after the famous clinic. Someone way back in the 1940s named it that way and the name has stuck for all these years. Don't be fooled by the name!

Since the Mayo Clinic cardiac diet is not the healthy diet you thought it was, now you're back to square one. You still want to lose weight quickly with a healthy diet. You certainly don't want to try a diet that focuses on meat and eggs, especially if you have a cardiac condition. The best weight loss programs are the ones that let you eat well balanced meals that incorporate all the major food groups. The Mayo Clinic Cardiac Diet does not qualify.

Mayo Clinic Cardiac Diet

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Cardiac Diet

Cardiac diets are extensively used and prescribed in most hospitals for patients with heart disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, hyperlipidemia, and dyslipidemia. A cardiac diet may be used as a part of a health regimen to either treat or prevent cardiovascular disease. It will typicallyconsist of foods that are classified as healthy because of their overwhelming nutritional advantages.

A cardiac diet will basically aim to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fibre while lowering the consumption of fats and sodium which have both been prominently associated with the development of heart disease. This health plan is often adjusted in the long-term based on the goals of the diet or the patient's diagnosis. After a patient has been treated using this diet recommendation he or she will normally be referred to a dietician who will help him or her to maintain this diet.

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Generally a cardiac or "heart healthy" diet as it has been called may be administered with the objective of restricting the intake of fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sometimes caffeine. In most instances, it will follow the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program which has issued the following recommendations:

Fiber 20-30 grams per day.

Trans fat "kept at a low intake."

Carbohydrates 50-60% of daily calories.

Total fat 25-35% of daily calories.

Saturated fat less than 7% of daily calories.

Monounsaturated fats up to 20% of daily calories.

Polyunsaturated fats up to 10% of daily calories.

Cholesterol less than 200 milligrams per day.

Dietary fats, especially saturated and trans fats, may actually contribute to elevating an individual's overall cholesterol levels, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and triglycerides which can encourage the development and accumulation of plaque within the blood vessel walls. This build-up of plaque will ultimately lead to a decrease in the size of the blood vessel lumen. Saturated fats are predominantly found in animal products. This kind of fat has been linked to an increase of low-density lipoprotein levels (LDL), which are strongly associated with a heightened risk of heart disease. Unsaturated fats differ from saturated fats because they have double bonds. They can be substituted in place of saturated fats and are preferred because they help lessen the LDL levels. Cardiac diets are also low sodium diets. Sodium has been found to increase blood pressure, and has an additional negative effect on the diuretic properties of certain medications. Sodium is generally restricted to 2,000-4,000 mg per day, in relation to the patients diagnosis and medical regimen. Many cardiac diets do not only restrict sodium and fats but also caffeine. This is enacted because caffeine is a stimulant and may affect the deteriorated condition of the heart.

Basically a cardiac diet considers both the advantages of restricting certain types of foods as well as improving the consumption of healthy foods and nutrients.

Cardiac Diet

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3 Day Cardiac Diet

The 3 day cardiac Diet originated from a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama which is also known as the Birmingham Hospital Diet. The system was developed for patients who needed to lose 10 kg of weight quickly.

This diet became known under different names, such as the diet of tuna,the Baptist Hospital 3 Day Diet, the Navy 3 day Diet, the Army Diet, the Alabama 3 Day Diet and more.

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In summary, the program has heart monitoring devices for breakfast, lunch and dinner for three consecutive days. Daily calorie intake is around 1,000 calories, so weight loss is probably caused by the reduction of calories, although some argue that the weight loss is due to the other chemical reactions involved.

For the plan to achieve results, it is important that the level of hydration is maintained by drinking plenty of water. This supports digestion as well.

An important source of protein is needed for the 3 days as well as a cardiovascular monitoring equipment. Half a cup of tuna is consumed in the first two days which is increased to 1 cup in the last day. Bread, small portions of vegetables, grapefruit, banana, cheese, eggs, biscuits and toast could be variations in their meals. Coffee or tea is allowed as well.

Enough food is given to the participants so they they would not feel extreme pangs of hunger and reduced energy levels, although they might feel a tinge of fatigue. Vitamins and minerals are also recommended as an additional source of supplement.

With only three small meals a day, your body may begin to recognize that only a small supply of food is available and begin to compensate through the reduction of fat to create enough energy to maintain the body's system. Therefore, it is easier to lose weight but it comes with a little feeling of hunger.

It is a program that offers more variety in protein, fats, carbohydrates and other nutrients which your body needs. It is also easy to follow the plan, which makes it more enjoyable.

It is suitable as a quick weight loss plan that offers a balanced and healthy diet using a unique technique called calorie shifting.

After 3 days, heart monitoring devices are used to check the duration of benefits and weight loss with a number of risks to health and physical stress. The diet is not a long-term weight loss plan, which may be offset by food binging results when you go back to normal. A better method would be to attach to it a diet that is more likely to enhance its fat loss program which allows for sustained long term weight loss, allowing you to have a thinner, trimmer and more attractive body.

3 Day Cardiac Diet

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3 Day Cardiac Diet Review

The 3 Day Cardiac Diet supposedly comes from the Birmingham Hospital in Alabama, hence it is also known as the Birmingham Hospital Diet. According to reports, this diet plan was designed for the use of patients who needed to lose up to 10 lbs weight quickly so they could undergo surgery.

The true origins of this diet are not clear and the Birmingham Hospital does not claim responsibility for it. Moreover, the diet now appears to have become the stuff of internet legend as there are versions of it widely known under a variety of names, including the Tuna Fish Diet, Baptist Hospital 3 day Diet, 3 day Navy Diet, 3 day Army Diet, Birmingham Cardiac Diet, Florida 3 Day Diet, American Heart Association Diet, Alabama 3 Day Diet, Hospital 3 Day Diet, and more.

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However, there is a strong correspondence between the menu plans of these different versions so, for all intents and purposes, they can be treated as the same diet and comments applicable to one are substantially applicable to them all.

In summary, the 3 Day Cardiac Diet comprises menu plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner covering a period of three days. The daily calorie intake is about 1,000 calories, so much of the weight loss benefit is likely obtained by the restricted calorie intake, although some claim is made that the benefit is due to chemical reaction. Eating a low level of carbohydrates will also mean that water is lost from the body.

For the plan to produce results, it's important to keep hydration levels up by drinking plenty of water: 6-8 cups is recommended. This also aids digestion.

An important source of protein for the 3 day Cardiac diet is tuna. 1/2 cup of tuna is consumed on the first two days, increasing to 1 cup on the third day. Variety and nutrition is provided with small portions of vegetables, grapefruit, banana, cheese, eggs, crackers and toast. Coffee or tea is permitted with meals. (For a detailed menu, do a quick search for my article, "3 Day Tuna Fish Diet- Menu and Diet Plan".)

Some concerns about this diet stem from the restricted levels of calories and nutrition. As the calories provided in this diet are so low, it's is likely that followers will feel hunger pangs and lower energy levels, especially by the third day. Vitamins and minerals are also low so that probably a multi vitamin supplement should be recommended as an additional source.

With only three small meals a day, your body may start to recognize that only a limited food supply is available and begin to compensate by reducing metabolism and energy levels to conserve fat reserves. This actually makes it harder to lose weight and, along with the feelings of hunger, places the body under additional stress.

The 3 Day Cardiac diet does not claim to be suitable for long term use and after 3 days you should follow a program that offers more variety in the content to provide the proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other nutrients that your body needs. More variety would also make it easier to follow this plan, as well as more enjoyable.

It is possible to follow a quick weight reduction plan that offers a more balanced and healthier range of foods. In particular, one which includes a technique known as calorie shifting and takes into account your own food preferences would be a good choice.

Following the 3 Day Cardiac Diet provides restricted calories and nutrients for its intended duration and the weight loss benefits come with some risk to health as well as bodily stress. Also, the diet is not a long term solution and any weight loss reduction could well be offset by food binging that results when your eating program returns to normal. A better approach would be to follow a dieting plan that is more likely to bring true fat loss and provide a continuing, long term loss of weight, along with a slimmer, trimmer, more attractive body shape.

3 Day Cardiac Diet Review

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