3 Hour Diet

The 3-Hour Diet is a book written by fitness author Jorge Cruise - "The 3-Hour Diet - How Low-Carb Diets Make You Fat and Timing Makes You Thin". The book was released in April 2005 and quickly became very popular. Jorge Cruise is already an established writer with his "8 minutes" series - based around 8 minutes of exercise per day.

What is the 3 Hour Diet?

The basic premise of the 3 Hour Diet is to eat a meal every 3 hours (although the author suggests eating nothing 3 hours before bedtime). The idea behind this is to increase metabolism, and to help maintain consistent energy levels throughout the day.

Jorge Cruise claims a weight loss of 2 pounds per week (without exercise). He does recommend exercise - unsurprisingly this recommendation is for 8 minutes every day!

The diet also addresses emotional "saboteurs" - issues that can derail the program - such as engaging in sedentary activities associated with mindless eating.

The 3 Hour Diet At Home
Home meal delivery is available for the 3 Hour Diet. 3 meals, 2 snacks, and 1 treat are delivered to your door.

Two plans are available: Basic ($20 per day) and Gourmet ($30 per day).

See the 3 Hour Diet At Home

NOTE: Currently offering a complete weeks worth of meals for free.

What You Eat

Meals are based on a source of lean protein, (generally low-GI) carbs, and healthy fats (the author plugs Flax Seed Oil). The major selling points of the book are the various fast food and frozen food recommendations. This factor appeals to many, as so many of us live such time-constrained lives. The calorie amounts of the suggested daily meals amount to 1450 calories per day.

The 3-Hour Diet is heavy on processed food - which can be of questionable nutritional value.

Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast
McDonalds Egg McMuffin, 1% milk & apple

Snack
Pria Double Choc bar

Lunch
Lean Cuisine Cheese cannelloni, side salad w/ nonfat dressing

Snack
Nabisco 100 calorie Oreo cookie snack

Dinner
1 sm baked potato, 3oz grilled chicken, 1tsp butter, 1 cup green beans

Treat
12 M&M's

Freebies - 1 diet coke, 1 coffee, 1 non dairy creamer

Is the 3 Hour Diet Worth It?

The 3 Hour Diet is light on substance and heavy on hype. Many of the issues that Cruise explores have already been well-covered in today's diet book market. However, the basic principles behind the book are sound - eat little and often, learn how to incorporate "everyday" convenience foods, and how to plan and set goals. Cruise takes advantage of some of the low-carb "backlash" by claiming that low-carb diets make you fat - a very general and ill-informed statement.

The book is richly interspersed with positive testimonials (presumably clients from Cruise's fitness trainer/motivator business). However these don't fail to hide the fact that the book contains a number of inconsistencies. It talks about no calorie counting - but then restricts portion sizes to certain calories!

Recommendation

The 3 Hour Diet is similar to one of the "originals" - Body For Life. However Body for Life has stood the test of time - this diet will probably prove to be a fad. Other options are Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle - similar principles but far more comprehensive and realistic.

Last Update: 5 Sep 06