3 Hour Diet

The 3 Hour Diet was created by fitness journalist Jorge Cruise and has practitioners eating every three hours every day, stopping three hours before going to sleep.c

3 Hour Diet Basics

1. Eat breakfast within one hour of waking in the morning.

2. Eat every three hours after breakfast.

3. Stop eating three hours before going to sleep at night.c

By eating this way, Cruise claims that your baseline metabolic rate (BMR), or how fast your body burns calories, increases. This is accompanied by increased energy and a decrease in appetite.c

Allowable Foods

The 3 Hour Diet is all about portion control, not necessarily the types of foods you eat. WebMD explains that Cruise advocates visualizing what you are eating by seeing the following on a nine-inch plate:

1. A Rubik's cub that represents your portion of carbohydrates.

2. A deck of cards that represents your portion of protein (approximately three ounces).

3. A water bottle cap that represents your portion of fat (just over one teaspoon).

4. Three DVD cases that represent your portion of fruit or vegetables.c

This method allows all meals to be balanced at around 400 calories, according to Cruise and WebMD.c

3 Hour Diet Meal Plan

7 am Breakfast

10 am 100-calorie snack

1 pm Lunch

4 pm 100-calorie snack

7 pm Dinner and a 50-calorie treatc

3 Hour Diet and Health

According to the American Dietetic Association, the 3 Hour Diet should work as a valid weight loss plan for anyone who does not mind and has the ability to eat around the clock. The ADA, however, recommends putting more emphasis on making physical activity an important weight loss component, which this diet does not do.c