Water is the best thing you can drink on the Military Diet. So drink as much as you can. Artificial sweeteners aren't good for you, so try to avoid them. You can also drink herbal teas and use Stevia as a sweetener.

Walking just 20 minutes a day can boost your weight loss significantly on the Military Diet. If you're serious about losing weight, find time for a 20 minute walk each day. Walk to the park. Walk around the block a few times. Walk to the corner store to buy a bottle of water. If's not mandatory, but it will help!

As with all our diets, for most people there are always a few food items here and there that just don't appeal or can't be eaten. The following substitution list can be used to create a gluten free, lactose free and vegetarian version of the Military Diet.

When making substitutions, think about calories, not size or weight. For instance, 4 ounces of cottage cheese has 100 calories. Substitute 1 ounce of cheddar cheese to get the same 100 calories. If you're substituting almonds for tuna, don't use the same measurement. Almonds have more calories for their size than tuna. One can of tuna is equal to about 20 almonds, just under 200 calories.

Some people can't eat grapefruit because it interferes with medication. Others just don't like the taste. Don't substitute orange for grapefruit - it'll create the opposite effect. To get the same Military Diet benefits as grapefruit, put 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drink it. Alternatively, you can squeeze the juice of the grapefruit and add Stevia.

A regular cup of coffee has about 100 mgs of caffeine. Instead of coffee, you can drink Green Tea. We don't recommend artificial sweeteners, but sugar free hot chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine. If you can't make it through the day without your energy drinks, sugar free Red Bull also has 76 mgs of caffeine. Any other sources of caffeine have too many calories for the Military Diet.

If you have a peanut allergy or just don't like peanut butter, you can substitute the same amount of almond butter, pumpkin butter, soy butter, sunflower seed butter, hummus or bean dip. Two tablespoons of plain sunflower seeds also work.

In place of bread, you can eat 1/8 cup of sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal, 1/2 high protein bar, 1/4 cup of yogurt with 1/2 teaspoon of flax seeds. You can also use one tortilla or two rice cakes instead of bread.

You can use eggs, cottage cheese, or ham as a replacement. Other non-dairy, vegetarian cheese substitutes with calcium include soy cheese, soy milk, cabbage and tofu. A one slice serving of cheddar cheese is about an ounce.

Substitute the same calorie amount of lettuce, tomatoes, spinach or any other green vegetable.

If you're vegetarian, you can use lentils, beans, tofu or portobello mushrooms as meat alternatives.

Squash, parsnip, beets, celery and bell pepper can all be substituted for carrots.

For one whole banana, substitute 2 kiwis, 1 cup of papaya, or 2 apricots. Plums, grapes, and apple sauce also work. Just make sure you eat the same amount of calories.

If you're substituting broccoli, try to use a green or greenish vegetable like cauliflower, spinach, brussel sprouts, or asparagus.

You can substitute eggs for a cup of milk, one chicken wing, 1/4 cup of seeds or nuts, or 2 slices of bacon.

The best substitute for canned tuna is a piece of grilled sushi grade tuna, the same size as 1/2 or 1 cup serving of canned tuna. Other substitutes for tuna include cottage cheese, chicken, tofu, almonds or peanuts. Any very lean meat can be substituted for tuna, but fish is preferable.

Substitutes include turkey dogs, soy dogs, tofu dogs, bratwurst, luncheon meat, deli meat or baloney. For vegetarians, you can also substitute beans, lentils, or portobello mushrooms. Again, you can substitute another meat, but you don't need to skimp on the fat with the hot dog substitute, as long as the calories are the same. There are about 250-300 calories in two plain hot dogs.

The vanilla ice cream in the Military Diet can be substituted for 1 cup of fruit flavoured yogurt or apple juice. A good non dairy substitute is strawberry, vanilla or banana flavoured almond milk. Do not substitute chocolate almond milk.

Instead of apples, try plums, peaches, grapes, zucchini, pears or dried apricots.

Plain Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, eggs, or ham. Tofu is a non dairy substitute with similar nutrients.

Rice cakes are a perfect substitute for saltine crackers. If you substitute saltine crackers for any other cracker, like gluten free, make sure you're eating a similar amount of calories. Each saltine cracker has 13 calories.