17 Day Diet - 10 lbs lighter for Valentine's Day

found this on web md..

What You Can Eat and What You Can't

The plan relies on lean protein, antioxidant-rich produce, probiotics, and good fats. It bans sugar, processed foods, salty foods, and fried foods.

Early on, you minimize starchy vegetables and high-sugar fruits, and cheats like alcohol are off the table entirely.

As the diet progresses, though, it gradually eases up. By the end, you can have the occasional drink, 100-calorie snack, or cheat meal.


OP - are you really going to eat zero sugar...that means no carbs, no fruit, no nothing...?

This really does not sound like a long term plan for success...just saying...

It's not really zero sugar...just no "added" sugar for the first 2 phases. It does ease up at the end where by the 3rd Phases (each is 17 days) you are eating "reasonable" portions of food and exercising 45mins a day.

I suspect as well phase one has most people under 1200 calories...unless they eat a tonne of eggs and chicken (which is what I did)

The books says on Phase 4 that it's "maintenance" and it encourages you to add in your favorite foods but minimal portions...ie 4x a week and it encourages exercise..at least 45mins a day when you hit "maintenance"

The thing this book doesn't touch on is the fact you are at a calorie deficet and that is why you are losing weight. It doesn't go to the point of saying btw when you reach your goal you need to eat at maintenance nor does it tell you how to find out what maintenance is...

That is the one thing that makes it "not great".

As for the weight loss...you do lose a lot in the first phase but it is mostly water due to lack of starches and I suspect a fair amount of muscle.

Is this a good plan...if all you want is lose weight yes...it will knock it off...but you have to keep in mind it doesn't teach what you need to know...really. Will you gain it back if all you do is follow phase 1-3 ...nope...but if you decide on PHase 4 yes you will gain it back..because you aren't given the tools required.

It is water weight. Anybody familiar with keto or induction phase of Atkins can verify this.

I agree with you - if it sounds too good to be true.......as the saying goes. Common sense, good habits, slow and steady. A combination of healthy eating and exercise works. Fads do not.

It works

NJD1979 - you don't eat zero sugar.. you eat almost zero *added* sugar.

It's not a diet that restricts you forever.. it restricts you for 17 days with the theory that you learn how to eat properly before you reach it's end and are back to eating anything you want. I did great on it and only fell off when i let the Christmas goodies take control of me rather then me control the Christmas goodies.

I loosely follow it now. Mostly because I exercise way too much to do C1 or C2 and remain healthy. but I still make the recipes and eat the foods.I just eat more of them and I live in c3 and c4.

It's amazing how much better food tastes after you get all the additives out..

Day 3 is the hardest!! Power through it! dont' give in to the sugar cravings! You can do it!!

pray tell, what is the difference between added sugar and fruit sugar when it comes to weight loss?

No getting into this debate here..

I know what it does to me. Whether science backs it or not.

:~)

Ok - so you make a claim contrary to mine and then don't want to back up said claim when asked about it?

The point of the diet is to teach yourself how to eat proper foods.

A grapefruit is better then a cookie from a nutrition standpoint.

A teaspoon of honey is better for you then a teaspoon of sugar from a nutrition standpoint.

Cut out foods with added sugar (like cookies and various yogurts) and you stop craving it. (or at least I did and a lot of other people i know)

and no.. i don't want to get into the debate.. as we've had it before and both decided to just live and let live, if I remember correctly.

I didn't lose muscle from the diet.. I only lost muscle when I stopped lifting. And I didn't stop during this diet, I stopped over Christmas and I let myself go. Weight gain due to poor choices, not this diet.

It's not really a diet anyway. I would call it more of a pathway to better eating.

OP: Do make sure you eat more then the suggested meal plan in the book.. I eat 2 eggs and 3-4 eggs white omelette chock full of veggies and 10-16 oz of chicken. I had to track my calories to ensure I ate enough.. i don't like that the dr doesn't' explain how calories work, but I do like the diet. If you follow it and keep eating healthy after you go through it you will keep it off. One of my best friends is going on year 3 and hasn't gained any back. She isn't on the diet anymore for a long time, but it's what got her to where she is now and she lost quite a bit.

Maybe I'll try and decrease my sugar intakes. Good luck!

Im halfway through cycle 1. getting bored of chicken now tho, hehe

eat fish, turkey, ground chicken or turkey to make taco salad. Make cabbage rolls or deconstructed fish tacos. Put chicken in a baking dish with onions peppers mushrooms and spices.. top with a bit of sauce and 2tbsp of cheese.. or stir fry it with some soy sauce.

lemon pepper fish/chicken
Turkey cabbage soup
The protein muffins in book are awesome!
Make stuffed mushrooms (no bread crumbs!!) or mock pizza (eggplant complaint sauce top with veggies)
Put tuna on your salad (I think tuna is c1?? dont' have my book in front of me sorry!)

There's a lot you can do to not be bored.

Turkey vegetable egg cups:
12 slices thinly sliced deli turkey (direct from your butcher, sliced from turkey breast, not pre-packaged)
3/4 cup salsa or marinara sauce
Fresh cut up vegetables
18 large egg whites or 2 1/4 cups liquid egg white or egg substitute
Up to 2 Tbsp fat-free cheese of your choice per muffin

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

These can be made in either a standard size muffin tin or a jumbo sized tin.

Lightly coat each cup of your nonstick muffin pan with olive oil cooking spray.

If you are using fresh eggs, separate the egg whites into a large measuring cup and whisk.

Line each muffin cup with 1 slice of turkey. If there is some excess on top, that is ok--fold it into the muffin cup.

Spoon 1 Tbsp salsa or marinara (marinara has a lot less sodium) into each cup.

I put one baby spinach leaf on top of the salsa/marinara and then add some of the cut up vegetables (I use mushrooms, bell peppers and either green beans or asparagus).

For standard-sized muffin tins: Measure just under 1/4 cup (actually 3 Tbsp) of the egg whites or egg substitute into each muffin cup
For jumbo-sized muffin tins: Measure 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the egg whites or egg substitute into each muffin tin

Top with some of the fat-free cheese of your choice (1 Tbsp was enough for the Jumbo sized ones I made).

Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the eggs are puffed and the center is set. For Jumbo muffins, bake for approximately 30-45 minutes.

Carefully remove the baked eggs from the pan and get ready to enjoy!

These can be stored for a week or so in your refrigerator. Freezing them and then re-heating works ok, but not great.


Stuffed cabbage with chicken

Cabbage leaves
Chicken
Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Grated carrots
Tomato paste
Fat free mozzarella cheese

Boil cabbage leaves to soften.

Cut up cabbage, chicken, red and green bell peppers, grate some carrots.

In either a rice cooker or small crockpot, put some tomato paste in the bottom so it isn't dry on the bottom.

Stuff, then roll the cabbage and stuffing and place in crockpot and cook for about 5 minutes; then add a little bit of mozzarella on top.

Saute the leftover filling and use it as a side dish.

Crockpot stuffed peppers
4-5 bell peppers, seeded and halved
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp olive oil
Mushrooms (1-2 cups, chopped, or as much as you like)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of chopped garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce (or more, if desired)
Salsa
Fat Free mozzarella cheese

Brown the turkey with the olive oil, onion and garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft. Add diced tomatoes and ½ cup of salsa. Heat through.

Coat slow cooker with cooking spray. Stuff peppers and place in cooker. Top with tomato sauce and more salsa. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or until peppers reach the consistency you prefer. Serve topped with cheese.

This can also be baked in the oven: Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and top with fat free mozzarella. Bake 10 more minutes until cheese melts.

Notes:
Get creative with your vegetables when stuffing this! You can use carrots, or other variations.

Turkey Meatloaf
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp mustard
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp steak sauce
1 egg white
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal

Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 and cook additional 15 minutes if needed.

Note: Double-check the ingredients on your steak sauce -- some have sugar added to them.

Apple Cinnamon Omelette
1 egg + 3 egg whites whisked with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 apple diced, tossed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon ground flax

Pour the eggs into a pan over medium heat and let them sit. After a minute or so start lifting the edges and letting any uncooked egg get underneath. Once it’s completely set, remove it from the pan carefully to keep it round and intact. It should be sort of like a crepe.

Dice the apples and mixed them with the cinnamon and flax in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to a minute until they are soft and smell like apple pie.

Place the apples onto the omelet and fold it up and enjoy!

You can top this with berries that you've microwaved and then crushed, or for C3, you can use almonds-only almond butter.

Italian Dressing
Combine the following into a container suitable for using for salad dressing:

1 cup oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried mustard
2 garlic cloves-minced (I used 1/2 tsp granulated garlic)
1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Refrigerate when combined. When ready to use, shake thoroughly to stir the ingredients together well.


This can also be used as a marinade for chicken, etc. When using it for this, it’s recommended to add some more of the Italian Seasoning to the mix.


Above are all C1 recipes

It's a great diet. I don't follow it anymore, but I do tend to still eat in a similar fashion (with a few more carbs these days). I was actually going through my books yesterday and found that one.

Hmm, maybe I should refocus and try it again. It does work.

Actually, I assume the poster is trying to lose weight fast for Valentine's Day. Even if it is does not sustain long term weight loss, it's meets her earlier goal.