The 3 Day Egg Diet: How To Lose Weight Quickly & What Results To Expect

Whether your goal is to build muscle or shed extra kilos, eating a protein-rich diet is always encouraged. Eggs play a crucial role in a high-protein diet, being a versatile and high-quality source of nutrition.

As a doctor and a fitness enthusiast, I have read a lot about eggs. Their easy availability and affordability contribute to the popularity of egg-based diets.  Porched, scrambled, or hard-boiled — eggs are nutritious in every form.  

In this article, we delve into the benefits and viability of a 3-day egg diet, providing insights into its components, the weight-loss significance of eggs, and potential drawbacks. I will also share key guidelines for doing this diet correctly to help you get the most out of it.

3-Day Egg Diet — What is it?

The 3-day egg diet or egg fast involves consuming primarily eggs and good fats like cheese and extra virgin olive oil, butter, coconut oil, or avocado oil for three days. Consume the entire egg, not just the egg white, as the yolk is packed with essential nutrients.

The 3-day egg diet is a low-calorie, low-carb, and high-protein diet that helps people shed weight while maintaining muscle. This diet has taken center stage as it is a ketogenic diet, also known as a 3-day keto egg fast. By limiting carbohydrate intake, a 3-day egg diet pushes your body into a state of ketosis, where the body starts consuming fat for energy.

How To Follow a 3-Day Egg Diet?

No matter how eager you are to lose weight, you must only follow the egg diet for up to five days. However, most people choose a 3-day egg diet. Here is a rundown on how to follow a 3-day egg diet:

• You would eat one whole egg within 30 minutes of waking up and consume at least six eggs in different forms daily during the three days.
• For every egg you consume, take one tablespoon of vegetable oil. You can consider butter, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil. Also, add 1 ounce of full-fat cheese per whole egg. Avoid low-fat cheese for its high carbohydrate content.
• You should continue consuming an egg-based meal every 3-5 hours, even if you’re not hungry. Take only the highest quality eggs — local pasture-raised eggs from 100% grain-fed chickens.

Have an early dinner, approximately three hours before sleep, and drink lots of water — a minimum of 3 liters daily. Eggs have zero fiber content, and water will reduce the chances of constipation on an egg fast.

How Does a 3-Day Egg Diet Help Lose Weight?

From facilitating ketosis to curbing cravings, the 3-day egg diet can help you in more ways than one. Here is how an egg diet helps in losing weight.

Starts Ketosis — Breaking Fat for Energy

Whether you follow Intermittent Fasting or any other weight loss program, ketosis plays a significant role. It is the stage where the body starts metabolizing fat instead of carbohydrates for energy.

When it happens, the fat reservoir of the body exhausts, and you start losing weight. Consuming eggs and other healthy fats creates a carbohydrate deficiency in the body and encourages the body to metabolize fat sooner.

Choline Content Helps the Liver Break Down Fat

The egg is a rich source of choline. You get 145 mg of choline from one egg. It aids the liver in breaking down fat for energy. Other than this, choline keeps you satiated for longer and helps reduce weight. (3)

Methionine Keeps Your Liver Healthy

An egg has many liver-friendly nutrients. For instance, you get methionine in a good quantity through the egg whites. Methionine is a type of amino acid and can avoid liver damage. (4)

Casein Prevents Fatty Liver Disease

You will get casein in ample quantities as you consume cheese in a 3-day egg diet. Casein has a proven record of reducing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is a chronic condition causing metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, and obesity.

In short, a 3-day egg diet ensures all essential nutrients in your diet and promotes proper liver functioning. (5)

Things You Should Watch Out For During a 3-Day Egg Diet

Before you start with an egg diet, let me tell you that this egg diet is not about only the good things.

Along with good quality protein and many other nutrients, eggs are also high in cholesterol. One whole egg provides 186 mg of cholesterol. If you eat six whole eggs daily, you will consume 1,116 mg of cholesterol.

Additionally, if you consume cholesterol from butter and cheese, your total cholesterol intake might reach up to 1,476 mg or more daily.

The ideal dietary cholesterol consumption should not be more than 300 mg/day for an adult, even less if you have health concerns. (6)

Embarking on a 3-day egg diet may lead to an intake of cholesterol that’s up to sixfold higher than the norm. This excess cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. (7)

The good news is that only the egg yolk contains cholesterol. If you are serious about this diet, you can only consume egg whites.

So, a 3-day egg diet, like most other diets, has its downsides, so you must do it under strict medical supervision.

Benefits of Eggs & Is a 3-day Egg Diet for Everyone?

In case you’re wondering why only eggs or what makes eggs so special for someone trying to lose weight, here are a few insights.

• Eggs are a great protein source and rich in nutrients like vitamins A, B, and D, phosphorus, and fat.
• Eggs have a high satiety value. Because of this, an all-inclusive egg breakfast can help you control hunger and reduce cravings during the day. (1)
• Egg protein is easy to digest. Also, it is an excellent source of essential amino acids. So, eating eggs means getting all the essential nutrients from a single source. (2)
• Eggs have a high PDCAAS value. The higher the PDCAAS value, the more the protein meets the requirements to supply adequate amino acids. Eggs have the highest PDCAAS value (118%) as compared to meat (92–94%) and fish (90–93%).

You can also include low-calorie fruits and vegetables in your egg diet. Some recommendations are leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and collard greens and fruits like limes, oranges, tomatoes, and lemons.

However, avoid sugary desserts, refined carbohydrates, and starchy vegetables like potatoes. You can also consume zero-calorie drinks like unsweetened tea or black coffee.

Every diet works differently. A diet that works well for you might not work for many, and vice-versa. A lot depends on an individual’s metabolism, dieting method, and activity levels.

However, this diet has proved beneficial for people who have hit a weight loss plateau with other diets. Also, people with fatty liver diseases benefit hugely from an egg diet.

Here are the benefits of a 3-day egg diet:

Breaks Weight-Loss Plateau

When you hit a weight loss plateau, your body ceases to shed pounds. The underlying factors could be lower leptin secretion, metabolic adaptations to energy imbalance, and excessive reduction of TDEE. (8)

Regardless of the reasons, it is frustrating as mindful eating, regular exercise, and reduced calorie intake won’t make any difference. Besides, you might have to deal with increased hunger and fatigue.

Overcoming this situation needs a strategic approach to cutting down carbs and tracking calories. You can increase your protein intake and consume more fiber. A key concern during the weight loss plateau is the excessive lean muscle loss in place of fat loss.

The 3-day egg diet helps lose weight while maintaining muscle mass. With eggs, you can control your appetite, stay full longer, and go over your weight loss plateau.

Studies have confirmed that consuming two eggs daily increases leptin levels — the satiety-promoting hormone. (9)

In a nutshell, this diet aids in weight management by moderating carbohydrate intake and helps you maintain an optimal weight.

Good For People Suffering From A Liver Disease

As mentioned above, this is a liver-friendly diet. If you’re dealing with liver dysfunction or a non-alcoholic fatty liver, you should give the 3-day egg diet a try.

It’s proven that eating 5-7 eggs per week can bring down the risks of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. (10)

Eggs provide a spectrum of liver-friendly nutrients such as methionine, casein, and amino acids. The right amount of casein and amino acids promotes liver detoxification and increases metabolism. However, you need to monitor your consumption. Going beyond the recommended quantity can backfire.

While this diet can help a large group of people achieve their health goals, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, terminally ill people, and people dealing with any sort of cardiovascular health concerns should stay away.

It imposes strict eating restrictions and might fail to meet their nutritional needs. Also, high cholesterol content makes it less ideal for people suffering from heart disease or diabetes.

FAQs

What is the ideal duration for an all-egg diet?

As this diet has strict eating restrictions and creates a heavy calorie deficiency, the ideal duration for an all-egg diet is three days. However, some people observe it for five days.

Can I follow the 3-day egg diet frequently?

Yes, you can repeat this diet frequently, provided your body permits it and you don’t have any underlying health concerns. However, you should always discuss it with your nutritionist before starting.

Will a 3-day egg diet help in losing weight?

A 3-day egg diet helps in weight loss as it reduces hunger and makes you feel fuller for longer, enabling you to create a calorie deficit. It’s better to fuse physical activities with this diet for better results.

Is the 3-day egg diet suitable for everyone?

This diet involves certain risks, like high cholesterol and nutrient deficiency. Hence, it’s not recommended for pregnant women, terminally ill people, or athletes.

Can I eat other foods during the 3-day egg diet?

Yes, you can consume healthy fats like coconut oil and olive oil, fruits like avocados, non-starchy vegetables, lean proteins, and zero-calorie drinks like black coffee and green tea while following a 3-day egg diet.

Can I exercise during the 3-day egg diet?

Yes, it’s safe to continue regular exercise and other physical activities while on a 3-day egg diet. However, it’s important to listen to your body. If you restrict your calories too much, strenuous workouts might exhaust you.

Conclusion

From promoting better liver health to improving metabolism, a 3-day egg diet can help you lose weight and promote overall health.

Despite that, I recommend people weigh the pros and cons of this diet before trying it. This is a highly restrictive diet and can cause nutritional or electrolyte deficiency.

It’s crucial to ensure that a diet offers more than just short-term gains; it should be a viable, long-term solution for you.

References:

1. Wal, J. V., Gupta, A., Khosla, P., & Dhurandhar, N. V. (2008, August 5). Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity.
2. Puglisi, M. J., & Fernández, M. L. (2022, July 15). The Health Benefits of Egg Protein. Nutrients.
3. Elsawy, G., Abdelrahman, O., & Hamza, A. (2014, March 1). Effect of Choline Supplementation on Rapid Weight Loss and Biochemical Variables Among Female Taekwondo and Judo Athletes. Journal of Human Kinetics.
4. Li, Z., Wang, F., Liang, B., Su, Y., Sun, S., Xia, S., Shao, J., Zhang, Z., Hong, M., Zhang, F., & Zheng, S. (2020, December 4). Methionine metabolism in chronic liver diseases: an update on molecular mechanism and therapeutic implication. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.
5. Lee, J., Lee, H. S., Ahn, S. B., & Kwon, Y. (2021, October 1). Dairy protein intake is inversely related to development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Clinical Nutrition.
6. Cholesterol Content of Foods. (2023, May 8). ucsfhealth.org. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/cholesterol-content-of-foods#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20risk%20factors,than%20300%20milligrams%20a%20day.
7. Mofrad, M. D., Naghshi, S., Lotfi, K., Beyene, J., Hyppönen, E., Pirouzi, A., & Sadeghi, O. (2022, May 27). Egg and Dietary Cholesterol Intake and Risk of All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Frontiers in Nutrition.
8. Management of Weight Loss Plateau. (2024, January 1). PubMed.
9. Wilson, T. A., Clark, L., & Dellogono, M. (2021, June 1). Consumption of Two Eggs Daily Increases Serum Leptin in Amenorrheic Runners With Low Energy Availability Without Changes in Lipid Profile. Current Developments in Nutrition.
10. Yin, M., Chen, S., Sun, Y., Feng, B., Lan, Y., Wu, S., & Wang, L. (2023, May 1). [Egg consumption and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a prospective cohort study].

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