The 3-Hour diet is a diet regimen based on the
philosophy that the timing of meals is more important
than the type of food eaten in those meals. Cruise says
the body’s basal (baseline) metabolic rate (BMR) can
be increased by eating every three hours. Keeping the
metabolic rate high is desirable because this makes the
body burn more calories.
The three basic rules of the 3-Hour diet are:
-Eat breakfast within one hour of arising.
-Eat every three hours after that.
-Stop eating three hours before going to bed.
The 3-hour diet requires three meals alternating
with two snacks at regular three-hour intervals. Certain
foods are recommended, but the diet does not
provide a day-by-day meal plan. Cruise also recommends
drinking eight glasses of water daily. On the
diet, caffeine is not limited, but dieters must drink two
glasses of water for every cup of coffee. This offsets the
dehydrating effect of caffeine, Cruise says. Alcohol is
to be drunk only rarely. However, the diet does allow
occasional fast food and some frozen or processed
foods. One key to success on the 3-Hour diet is planning
meals and snacks ahead of time. Knowing what
they will eat for the next meal helps dieters stick to the
diet.
The 3-Hour diet is not a low carbohydrate, high
protein, or very low fat diet. Meals are required to
consist of a reasonable balance of carbohydrates, protein,
and fats. The emphasis is on choosing appropriate
foods and on strict portion control. Although
Cruise claims people can eat anything they want and
still lose weight on his diet, in reality, by following the
diet correctly, an individual is limited to about 1,450
calories a day. Many nutritionists consider this an
appropriate calorie intake for slow, steady weight
loss. Cruise claims that people following the 3-Hour
Diet will lose 2 lb (0.9 kg) per week, and that they can
target the spots on the body where they can lose fat.
The diet is intended to last 28 days, with a repeat cycle
for people who need to lose more weight.
The exercise aspect of the 3-Hour diet is somewhat
confusing. Cruise initially claims that exercise is not a
part of this weight-loss program and that the 3-Hour
diet is good for individuals with arthritis or limited
mobility. However, he also says that building muscle
mass is important in weight loss because even at rest a
pound of muscle burns twice as many calories as a
pound of fat. This occurs because metabolic activity
is higher in muscle cells. Ultimately Cruise does suggest
exercises to go along with the 3-Hour diet, and
they are generally not appropriate for people with sore
joints or mobility limitations.
The final piece to the 3-Hour diet is motivation. In
his book, Cruise devotes considerable space to a 28-
day success planner. The planner helps dieters plan
meals, and is filled with motivational quotations, dieting
tips, and visualization exercises that encourage the
dieter to picture a slimmer, happier version of him or
herself. Cruise also maintains Web site where for a fee
($5 per week in 2007), dieters get access to additional expert advice, meal plans, diet and exercise tips, and
motivational exercises.
