17 day diet

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m1sk4
m1sk4 Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, I just want to know whether anyone tried the 17 day diet and with what results. Just starting it so Im curiouos... :)

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  • jdhoward_101
    jdhoward_101 Posts: 234 Member
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    Have to say, never heard of that one, what does it involve?
  • m1sk4
    m1sk4 Posts: 17 Member
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    "The program is structured around four 17 day cycles:

    Accelerate—the rapid weight loss portion that helps flush sugar and fat storage from your system

    Activate—the metabolic restart portion with alternating low and high calorie days to help shed body fat

    Achieve—this phase is about learning to control portions and introducing new fitness routines

    Arrive—a combination of the first three cycles to keep good habits up for good. On weekends, enjoy your favorite foods!

    Each cycle changes your calorie count and the food that you’re eating. The variation that Dr. Mike calls ‘body confusion’ keeps your metabolism guessing; this means that you can expect big changes in the first 17 days alone!"

    - copied from Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/17-Day-Diet-Doctors-Designed/dp/1451648650
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I have read the book and personally I would never do this diet.

    There is no need to cut out any type of food when trying to lose weight.. or trying to gain or maintain for that matter provided there is no medical issue with a certain food or type of food. You can lose weight eating anything.

    You just need to ensure you have a calorie deficit. Normally with these special diets the quick weight loss is either due to extreme calorie restriction or just due to water loss.

    Ask yourself if you are going to follow this diet forever. If the answer is no than don't do it now. You need to make it a lifestyle change for lasting weight loss. If you don't plan on following this diet forever it's best not to even start as you will not learn along the way what to do for lasting weight loss.

    My issue with diets is that they don't teach you how to keep the weight off long term unless you follow the diet forever.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
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    There is some logic in this type of diet, but all in all it's a huge gimmick. Metabolism confusion work better as you get leaner. A very overweight individual trying to employ such a method would find terrible results.

    Whatever weight loss you lose in the initial phase of the diet will be mostly sugar and water as you said. Sugar is hydrophilic, so it takes on its weight x 3 in water.

    The main theme of ANY successful diet is consistency, even if the parameters are inconsistent (if you get my meaning)

    For example, lets say I want to to confuse my metabolism, and do this diet. I'd have to confuse it in the exact same way, in the exact same 17 day time frame for a very long time. So even though you feel this diet looks all over the place, it is actually rigid in its long term progression. Some may say it's even harder to follow since there are so many variables to track on certain days.
  • m1sk4
    m1sk4 Posts: 17 Member
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    Well, Im not saying i believe the diet entirely and Im not even sure whether it is healthy or not... I like this one only because I need to change my eating habits. I eat loooots of sugars, thats why Im overweight now. So i decided I need a change... Now Im on the day 3 and am actually feeling good and dont miss the sugars that much as I thought I would... And no, of course Im not going to follow this diet forever but I hope I can get into shape again and start a healthy lifestyle...
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Metabolism confusion work better as you get leaner.

    And it never really works all that well. In studies, when people eat at a calorie deficit their metabolism drops between 4% and 10% (there are a few individuals outside that range but for most people, that's the range). You can twist those numbers and say eating the "wrong" foods will make your metabolism drop two and a half times as much, but it is just 6% more. I would rather limit intake of things I want to eat (being somewhat reasonable about getting good nutrition) enough so that the variance isn't going to make or break my diet. Making the choice blindly doesn't mean I will be worst case either. More likely a somewhat random choice will fall in the middle and I might have a drop of 7% instead of an achievable 4% if I ate the "right" foods instead of what I want. I would rather have a little less of what I want.
  • mangobadango
    mangobadango Posts: 294 Member
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    I'm on day 4 and decided to do it only because I need to get my healthy eating habits back on track and see this as a good way to start. Plus, this is the best way for me to lose weight. I worked hard all of last year and lost 25 pounds. That isn't a lot in a year time frame and made me basically give up at the beginning of this year in addition to other life circumstances.

    Whether or not I will actually follow through for the full 17 days of the first cycle is yet to be seen. Same with continuing on with the other cycles. All together it seems like something I can deal with for the time being. And when I decide I can't then I will go back to tracking my calories and exercising intensely since my focus and motivation to lose weight are starting to return.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    What happens on day 18?
  • mangobadango
    mangobadango Posts: 294 Member
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    You move onto the next cycle, introduce the foods that are introduced in that cycle, or just simply keep up with the same habits you learned in the first cycle but add in moderation all the other foods that you normally eat. To me this is more about shifting my mindset back to eating my veggies and some fruit and avoiding the pastries. Focusing on eating more protein than carbs. Finding ways to make healthy swaps in my diet and keep those healthy swaps. I'm having an artichoke for lunch and instead of dipping it in mayonnaise I have mixed up some Greek yogurt with Chipotle tabasco sauce and fajita seasoning.

    Asking what happens on Day 18 is like asking someone that has developed healthy eating habits what happens when they are done eating healthy.

    Someone following the 17 DD should be learning how to live with the habits for the rest of their lives. Not necessarily staying as strict as the first 17 days is, because it is a bit ridiculous, but learning to moderate their food intake and make adjustments as necessary.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    or you can step into your TARDIS and go back to day 1... :wink:
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
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    My mom has done it and she always loses weight, then gains it back plus some.
  • KathyPerry70
    KathyPerry70 Posts: 40 Member
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    I did it a couple years ago. Lost about 10lbs. after a couple months. Was so excited I went back to 'normal' eating and am now about 25lb ups! :sad: That's why I'm here at MFP. I want to find a way to eat that becomes a lifestyle and long term habit rather than just following the the latest fad. There are some good principals in that diet, but if they aren't ones you think you can follow indefinitely going forward, then why do it now?
  • julieager75
    julieager75 Posts: 61 Member
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    I did it for a week, like a PP said to get my eating back on track. I lost 5 lbs in just that one week, but I think it would be good for that purpose only. I do have a co-worker who uses it and has lost 30 pounds. She went through the whole thing and then just went back to eating like she normally does. Anytime she starts noticing she's gaining, she just goes back and does the first 17 days again. Not sure if I would want to do that, but whatever floats your boat.
  • ks4e
    ks4e Posts: 374 Member
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    I tried it when it first came out. I wanted to lose a small amount of weight, and it did work. I only had to do the first 2 cycles, and I wasn't even strict about it either. It helped me learn to eat healthier and had great healthy substitutions, but I knew that I didn't want to be on the diet forever. I was doing it as a steppingstone to start a healthier path in my life.

    After you go through the last cycle, you can go back to normal eating but if you gain, you start back on the cycles.

    I lost about 12 lbs on it, coupled with exercising. I gained it back and then some....but only because I got pregnant.

    But in all seriousness, the recipes in there are awesome! And it is a basic introduction to healthy eating for those who probably need a more guided plan to get started.

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