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What is the 3-Day Tuna Diet?

Nicole Madison
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Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 17,352
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The 3-day tuna diet is a fad diet. It involves a small breakfast and a small lunch that includes tuna on each of the diet’s three days. The dinner meal for each day can include a bit more food as well as some dessert. The dieter drinks plenty of liquids while on this diet as well. After the three-day diet is over, the dieter returns to eating his normal meals, except he is supposed to continue to avoid overeating.

The origins of the 3-day tuna diet are unclear. No one knows for sure who started the diet and whether or not it works. People usually learn about it via word of mouth or on the Internet. Some people assert that the diet was recommended by a doctor, health clinic, weight-loss guru, or hospital, but no one has come forward with any ironclad specifics. There have been rumors that the diet came from the Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit medical center, but there is no proof the clinic had anything to do with its creation either.

While a person might imagine eating nothing but tuna while on the 3-day tuna diet, individuals on this diet do eat other things. Besides tuna, a person on this diet might also eat bread, fruit, peanut butter, vegetables, lean meat, eggs, cheese, and even dessert. He may also season his food or top it with such things as salt and pepper, various herbs, ketchup, and mustard. A person on this diet may drink coffee and tea in addition to at least four glasses of water on each day of the diet. Soda is allowed as well, as long as it is diet soda.

Accounts of the recommended menu for the 3-day tuna diet vary, but most of them allow for drinking water, tea, or coffee at breakfast. The dieter should drink his coffee black and any sweetener that is used should be artificial. Along with the beverage, the dieter may have a single slice of toast that has about one tablespoon (14.78 milliliters) of peanut butter spread on it or a boiled egg. The meal plan changes each day, but tuna is consumed at least once per day.

The lunch and dinner meals on this diet differ from the breakfast recommendations. For lunch, the dieter can choose to drink tea, black coffee, diet soda, or water and eat one-half cup (118.24 milliliters) of tuna. The dieter may also eat a single piece of toast or a few crackers. At dinner, the dieter may fill his stomach a bit more, eating about three ounces (85.04 grams) of lean meat and two cups (473.17 milliliters) of vegetables. For dessert, the dieter may enjoy two sweet treats: a cup (236.58 milliliters) of vanilla ice cream and an apple.

Following this diet could prove unhealthy. A dieter on the 3-day tuna diet may take in fewer than 1,000 calories in a day’s time. This is generally considered too few calories to support good health and normal body function.

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Nicole Madison
By Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison's love for learning inspires her work as a WiseGeek writer, where she focuses on topics like homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. Her passion for knowledge is evident in the well-researched and informative articles she authors. As a mother of four, Nicole balances work with quality family time activities such as reading, camping, and beach trips.

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Discussion Comments
By musicshaman — On Nov 19, 2010

@googlefanz -- I'm no dietitian, but both of thos sound pretty unhealthy. Are you sure you want to do that, just for one event? I mean, not to preach at you or anything, but you could really end up doing some harm to your body, not to mention all the craziness that a diet like that does to your mood swings.

And if you eat pretty healthily most of the time anyway, you should already look pretty good, so you shouldn't worry about an extra ten pounds -- seriously, nobody but you is going to notice.

Just enjoy yourself at your event, you don't have to be so self-conscious about it that you torture your body like this before going -- and besides, if you go on a diet like this, you'll be too hungry to enjoy the event anyway.

I'd really advise you to reconsider -- learn to love your body girl, not torture it!

By googlefanz — On Nov 19, 2010

OK, I need some advice. I swore that I would never do a fad diet, but I am so desperate to lose ten pounds before next weekend that I'm going to do it.

Which one should I do, the 3 day diet with tuna, the 3 day diet detox, or the 7 day cabbage soup diet? Which one will help me lose the weight the fastest?

I really don't plan on doing this regularly, and I really do eat healthily most of the time, but I've just had something come up that I've got to look extra-good for, so please help me out and give me your opinion.

I would really appreciate any input, and any other quick diet plans that you guys have!

By yournamehere — On Nov 19, 2010

This is just like all the other miracle diets -- if you drop a few pounds, it's just because of the decreased calorie intake.

I'm so glad that in you guys' diet articles you don't fall into the trap of fad diets. Good for you to stand up and write about how unhealthy this diet can be.

And seriously, if anybody reading this is thinking about trying the 3 day tuna miracle diet, you really shouldn't. By decreasing your caloric intake so much and so suddenly, your body will think that its starving, and may even retain weight as a result, meaning that you starved yourself for three days for nothing.

If you're really serious about losing weight, you don't need a three day diet or a chicken soup or a cabbage diet, you need a lifestyle change. That's hard, but it's the only way.

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison's love for learning inspires her work as a WiseGeek writer, where she focuses on topics like...
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