17 Day Diet

A couple of months ago I read the newest weight loss book, "The 17 Day Diet" by Dr. Mike Moreno. It was a quick and easy read and the concepts behind this plan made sense to me. The title sounds a whole lot easier than what it really is. At first I just thought, this is another fad and you can't diet for 17 days. However, as I read I found that this is really 3-cycles (17 days each) and that if you haven't achieved your weight loss goals then you repeat it again and again. No miracle here. This diet is not easy, it is a diet and not a pure lifestyle change. It eliminates several foods and that is why I see it more as a diet. I am sick of my plateau though and while my lifestyle changes seem to at least allow me not to GAIN weight it hasn't been working to well for me to LOSE weight. The 3 cycles of 17 days is 53 days and we leave for Idaho in about 58 days. I am going to do this and blog about the recipes that I am eating, how I feel and how it is working. I have a goal to meet and drastic changes call for drastic measures.

Here is how it works:

Cycle 1 (17 days)-ACCELERATE

This phase is a low carbohydrate diet that provides around 1200 calories. Eat unlimited lean meat and no-starch vegetables, two fat-free plain yogurts and two low-sugar fruits, a bit of oil, green tea, and 64 ounces of water a day. Typical for any low carb diet, fat-burning and fluid loss is favored during those days.

Cycle 2 (17 days)-ACTIVATE

This phase is calorie cycling (aka calorie shifting or calorie zigzagging), which means that the daily calorie intake cycles and recycles from low to high over the course of several days. The goal is to trick the metabolism to prevent it from slowing down. Two servings of whole grains are added to the above to raise the average calorie intake to 1500 a day. During these 17 days you will alternate days of ACCELERATE & ACTIVATE.

Cycle 3 (17 days)-ACHIEVE

This phase is the same as “Activate” except that lean meat is no longer unlimited and more grains and fruit are added, along with an optional serving of alcohol and a 100-calorie snack. In other words, the low carb diet is 'Out' and a balanced low-calorie diet is 'In' sans the processed food.

I will be doing my meal planning for the week on Saturday's, doing my grocery shopping on Saturdays and then starting my plan on Sunday (tomorrow). I will post all of my dinner recipes and try to take pictures.

This plan is going to be hard. Travis is on board to help me as he wants to see my achieve my goals as well. I have been loving my exercise and I feel like I have totally made it a habit. I rarely miss a workout and consistently workout 3-4 times a week. I need to focus on what I am eating. I really do think that this plan will work. I will be weighing tomorrow and then the fun begins. I am not super excited about this as I know it will be restrictive and limiting but I have a deadline and I have to meet it. I will still be plugging in the recipes to weight watchers and getting their point values too. I do think that the challenge will be fun and that it will be fun to document the process, recipes, and planning.