Eggs are considered one of nature’s “perfect foods,“ as a single egg provides a complete source of protein, along with several key essential vitamins and minerals.
Eggs are also relatively filling because of the protein, and there are so many ways to prepare eggs that the single ingredient can feel rather versatile without getting overly boring.
For this reason, the 3 day egg diet plan for weight loss is a popular approach to a “quick fix“ weight loss diet. But is following the egg diet for weight loss effective? And is the 3 egg diet diet healthy for you?
In this guide, we will discuss what the 3 egg diet plan entails, the pros and cons of the 3 day egg diet for weight loss, how much protein is in eggs, and what you can eat on the 3 day boiled egg diet meal plan.
We will look at:
- What Is the 3 Day Egg Diet Plan?
- How Much Protein Is In an Egg?
- What Is the 3 Day Egg Diet Meal Plan?
- Is the 3 Day Egg Diet Plan Good for Weight Loss?
Let’s get started!
What Is the 3 Day Egg Diet Plan?
The 3 day egg diet meal plan, sometimes called the 3 day boiled egg diet or the 3 day keto egg fast, is a short-term fad diet intended to facilitate rapid weight loss by restricting calories and focusing mainly on eating eggs.
Unlike the general hard-boiled egg diet, the 3 day egg diet plan is generally geared towards those looking to do an egg diet fast for keto, such that the 3-day egg diet meal plan primarily involves eating eggs, butter, and cheese, which are all foods compatible with a keto diet plan or a low carb diet.
Because this iteration of the keto egg diet vs. boiled egg diet meal plan involves just protein and fat for the most part, the 3 day egg diet meal plan for keto helps you stay in ketosis because you are not eating any carbs.
In contrast, the regular boiled egg diet is a more general egg diet plan for weight loss that doesn’t necessarily cater specifically to being a keto egg fast.
This means that eggs are an integral part of the hard-boiled egg diet, but you can eat other foods, including carbohydrates, so it is not a keto egg fast per se as much as it is just a general egg diet for weight loss.
Although the 3 day keto egg diet plan is called a “3 day egg diet,” it is sometimes followed for up to five days.However, it is strongly recommended that you do not attempt more than a 5 day egg diet fast because it is extremely restrictive and can cause nutritional deficiencies, electrolyte imbalances, or other consequences of extreme dieting if followed too long.
The primary purpose of the 3 day egg diet menu plan is to help people break through a weight loss plateau, particularly when following the keto diet.
Because the 3 day egg diet meal plan is high in protein from the eggs, the diet is designed to help you drop weight without losing muscle mass.
Protein is a macronutrient that is essential for numerous functions in the body, and it has also been shown to increase satiety.
How Much Protein Is In an Egg?
The keto diet is designed to be a high-fat diet, but there is also a strong emphasis on eating enough protein.
Even if you are not doing the 3 day egg diet for keto, but simply want to follow the 3 day egg diet for weight loss, you may be curious to know how much protein is in an egg or how much protein is in 3 eggs.
The amount of protein in an egg depends on the size of the egg (medium, large, extra large, jumbo, etc.).
According to the USDA’s FoodData Central, one large, whole, hard-boiled chicken egg contains 78 calories, 6.3 grams of protein, 5.34 grams of fat, negligible carbohydrates and sugar, and small amounts of minerals such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and selenium.
Larger eggs will have slightly more protein and calories, whereas smaller eggs will have less protein and fewer calories.
This means that there is about 18 g of protein in 3 eggs. Note that this is the amount of protein in a whole egg, including the yolk.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that the egg white is the only source of protein in the egg, and while egg whites contain about 67% of the protein found in an egg, the other third of the protein in an egg is found in the yolk.
Therefore, if you are only eating the egg whites, there are about 4 grams of protein in an egg white from a large egg or 12 grams of protein in 3 egg whites.
Each egg white from a large egg has about 18 calories.
An important point here is that if you are following the 3 day keto egg diet fast, you should be eating the whole egg because the keto diet is a high-fat diet, and you need the healthy fats in the egg yolk.
Furthermore, most of the nutrients are actually in the egg yolk vs. egg white.
Whole eggs provide a decent amount of vitamin A, vitamin D, folate, and the antioxidants choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which support eye health.
What Is the 3 Day Egg Diet Meal Plan?
There are some specific rules about how to follow the 3 day egg diet fasting protocol for weight loss.
Here are the 3-day weight loss egg diet fast rules for keto dieters:
- Aim to eat the highest-quality foods like free-range organic eggs, grass-fed butter, and pasture-raised organic cheese.
- You have to eat one whole egg within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning.
- You should eat a minimum of six whole eggs every day of the 3 day keto egg fast protocol.
- With every whole egg that you eat, you are supposed to eat 1 tablespoon of healthy oil, such as extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, or you can have 1 tablespoon of butter.
- For every whole egg that you eat, you can eat up to 1 ounce of full-fat cheese. Low-fat cheese is not part of the 3 day keto egg diet meal plan, as low-fat cheese is higher in carbs and lower in fat, which is the opposite of the macro ratio goals on keto.
- You are supposed to eat an egg-based meal every 3 to 5 hours during the 3 day keto egg fast even if you are not hungry. If you are not hungry, you are supposed to have a minimum of one whole egg with 1 tablespoon of butter or oil and 1 ounce of full-fat cheese.
- You must stop eating 3 hours before you go to bed.
- You can drink non-caloric beverages only, such as water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea.
Is the 3-Day Egg Diet Plan Good for Weight Loss?
Most people take on the 3 day egg diet for weight loss, but does it work?
Ultimately, you can definitely lose weight quickly on the keto egg fast if you follow it for 3 days, particularly if you are not eating much other than the required eggs, butter, and cheese.
This is a very low-calorie diet, and because it is very low in carbohydrates, you will also shed water weight, particularly if you do not normally follow the keto diet or a low carb diet and have normal glycogen stores in your body.
The amount of weight you will lose following the 3 day egg fast for a weight loss will depend on your body size, caloric needs, physical activity levels, and the exact egg diet menu plan that you follow.
If you eat the minimum number of eggs per day on the 3 day keto egg diet meal plan, along with the required butter and up to 1-ounce of cheese per egg, you will consume 1770 calories per day, 154 grams of fat, and 76.8 grams of protein.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that adult women should consume 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, and men should eat 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day.
Aside from weight loss, is the 3 day keto egg fast healthy?
It is true that eggs are generally considered to be a healthy food since they are natural, high in protein, and contain numerous vitamins and minerals.
The primary nutritional concern about eating too many whole eggs centers around the amount of cholesterol in an egg.
One whole egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol, all of which is found in the egg yolk, so if you are having the minimum of six whole eggs per day on the 3 day keto egg diet meal plan, you will be consuming 1,116 mg of cholesterol per day just from eggs.
Then, if you choose to have grass-fed butter as your fat instead of olive oil or a plant-based oil, you will be adding an additional 30 mg of cholesterol per tablespoon, or 180 mg from the 6 tablespoons of butter, and 1-ounce of cheddar cheese adds an additional 30 mg for another 180 mg.
This means that you will be consuming a minimum of 1,476 mg of cholesterol per day on the basic 3-day egg diet keto weight loss plan.
Although the evidence and expert options about the impact of dietary cholesterol are mixed, there is evidence to suggest that consuming a lot of cholesterol can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
On the other hand, according to the American Heart Association and some others in the field of nutrition and health, dietary cholesterol doesn’t necessarily increase cholesterol levels since the body already manufactures cholesterol endogenously.
We present a strong disclaimer that whenever you are taking on any sort of rapid weight loss diet, whether it is a 3 day egg fast diet for weight loss or something else, you should speak with your healthcare provider before doing so.
This is particularly important if you have a chronic health condition, a history of an eating disorder, diabetes, or a metabolic condition, are currently pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medications on a regular basis.
We also are not advocating that the 3 day egg diet weight loss plan is healthy or sustainable or one of the best approaches to losing weight.
Therefore, it is important to fully consider the pros and cons of the 3 day keto egg fasting diet plan and think about possible alternatives so that you can have all of the information you need to decide whether an egg fast for weight loss is really the best option for you.
If you are looking for healthy diet options, check out our guide to the Mediterranean Diet here.
