Pros/Cons of the 17 Day Diet

MelissaSel

I've just ordered this book and plan to start it within a week. I would like to know what you like and don't like about it. Also, if there is anyone in this group who has stuck with it for a fairly long time, I would like to know what makes you stick with this as opposed to other plans. Really hoping this gets my head in the game : )

DonnaLFitz

First, my dislikes about the book (not the diet):

1. The meal plans included are over-complicated and require some unusual ingredients that I cannot obtain locally (I live in the sticks!)

What I like about the diet:

1. It works REALLY fast -- as long as you don't cheat. Mistakes are okay, but no deliberate cheating.
2. Dr. Moreno tells you up front what your maintenance plan needs to be. The entire set of cycles is designed to keep you on track for life. That's important, because losing weight is only half the battle. Keeping it off is the other half.
3. I learned that certain carbs are HUGE saboteurs to my weight loss efforts. Not all -- just certain ones do me in. After being off them for several months, as I added them back in, it was obvious which ones were wreaking havoc on my system.
4. I like having a distinct list of foods in each category from which to choose. There is ample variety, and the meal plans I have contrived for myself are ones I can follow indefinitely.

Biggest challenges for me:
1. Bread -- I like to bake and bread is my favorite. It is fortunately NOT one of the carbs giving me problems, but it does have a definite impact on my ability to lose weight.
2. Sweets -- my life gets very busy and hectic, and I crave a treat in the evenings. After my first Accelerate 17 day cycle, I added an ice cream treat in the evening to satisfy that need. I started with the 90-calories snickers mini ice cream bars, and proceeded up to Klondike bars and Reese bars as my calorie limits increased.

It is IMPERATIVE in the first Accelerate cycle to eat NO STARCHES. This is your body's chance to detox and cleanse and rest. It is a beneficial thing. If you find you are too hungry, add some more lean chicken or turkey in.

Now, all that said, I found that 17 minutes per day of exercise was totally inadequate. I suppose if the person had been fully sedentary up to that point, it would work. But I have always been active. During my first several cycles on the 17DD, I tended to exercise closer to 90 minutes each day, much of intensely. I do vary those activities significantly from day to day, but I just needed it.

Hope this helps. It is a good plan and the book is really funny! The Dr. is real.