Frustrated - 17 Day Diet, 14 days in, and have gained!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record what you've told us is exactly why people should avoid these diets in the first place.

You did well on the South Beach Diet but put it back on.....why? Because these "diets" are not sustainable - trust me, I've done more than my fair share over the years and the weight has always come back with a vengeance.

Whet you need to do (what we all need to do) is focus on making good nutritional choices, practice portion control and eat a balanced diet of lean proteins, vegetables and fruits - avoiding processed foods that are often laden with trans fats, hidden sugars (a rose by any other name.......) and sodium. Create a sustainable caloric deficit and, preferably, build exercise into your lifestyle and be patient.

fad diets do not work

Step 1: Stop fad dieting.
Step 2: Stop eating at starvation level but continue at a 300-500 calorie deficit (CLEAN eating)
Step 3: Start lifting weights
Step 4: SUCCESS.

Seriously, I grow tired of people that worship these quick weight loss diets, when all they are doing is burning majority lean body mass in the end instead of fat.

This, only one thing you got wrong in that statement: the main thing these diets do before burning anything, is make the person who wrote the book a good bit richer!

I have tried silly diets like this one and others and the only one that works is just eating low calorie, healthy food and exercising like crazy! I have been exercising since Jan 2012 at the gym and I am so much more toned, and have lost ten pounds and six inches off of waist and hips. It takes time, but it is something that I must continue to do. My goal is by the end of the year losing thirty pounds. It's the only way. I say don't be in such a hurry.

And as for you saying you must adhere to a strict diet, I assume because you feel you may cheat, MFP regulates your calories and fat etc, so it is a guide for you to know if you are getting closer to your daily allotment.

If you MUST have a strict, ready made diet plan, try Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. People have had good results with those, and they give you all the food you need, already measured out. You pay about the same as you would if you go grocery shopping.

you probably need to drink some water. also make sure you are getting the minimal amount of cals which is 1200. if it is less than that your body will be storing if you go over on some days.
If you were to add up what you ate on the South Beach Diet it would have been around 1400cals and they say exercise at least 3 time a week. some specialty diets such as this are more for Plateau busting not to lose weight when you need to change your eating habits all together.
Maybe you should go back to the South beach Plan and after you have reached your goal weight finish it up with the maintenance they suggest to keep the weight off.
Good Luck

I don't know anything about the 17 day diet either. I do know that you have to watch eating yogurt. Some of it, alot have lots of carbs in it. If you are eating a lot of yogurt this could be the problem. Fruit is not bad for you as long as it is natural and not packed in syrup.

Eat bananas, apples and strawberries and BLUEBERRIES. These are all great fruits to eat.

I did the blood type diet a couple years ago and just gained much of the weight back. However, my thyroid was giving me problems and that was a big portion of it plus I laid around all winter. Not good.

If you go pick up a box or can at the grocery store, don't look at the nutritian lable on it. Look at the ingredients label and if it says sugar in it, then put it back on the shelf. If you need sugar use Agave Syrup. You can get this at walmart.

Eat plenty of veggies. I take a cast iron skillet and put my dinner in it, chicken breast, corn and carrots. Then I put this in the oven for about 30 mins on 350. I put any spices on top of the chicken. I like to drizzle olive oil over all this. I put parsley flakes on the corn on the cob. When you bake the carrots they turn really sweet like sweet potatoes. I like to beke them until they are soft. Carrots are actually good for your body, especially your liver.

Above all, don't get discouraged. You can do this. One more question, are you exercising a lot? Did you take your measurements before and after? guess that is 2 questions.

Exercising can make you no lighter on the scales. You know the old saying, muscle is heavier than fat.

You may have lost inches vs pounds.

Thanks for the replies so far everyone.

The name "17 day diet" can be deceiving. It is actually a life-long diet, but has four 17 day cycles. The first 17 days (Cycle 1) is the toughest. The next 17 days (Cycle 2) allows a little more variety , the next 17 days( Cycle 3) a little more, and then finally there is "Cycle 4" which is a maintenance phase. If by cycle 4 you aren't at your goal, you can repeat the first three cycles, or choose a cycle that you like out of the first three and stick with it.

I like it because it teaches portion control and healthy foods. It also cuts out refined sugars and really limits processed carbs until cycle four when you add some back in if you want. You eat lean meats, lots of veggies & fruit. I'm on the first 17 day cycle which is the hardest, but where you should see most of the results -- which I'm not. No, I'm not expecting 30 lbs in 17 days. But I am expecting 5-7 lbs based on the restrictions in the first cycle.

I wanted a kickstart to my diet, which is why I decided to do this. If I get results, I am more likely to stick with it.

I am currently eating about 1200-1250 calories a day. I may try adding more calories for the next week to see if I get any results. If not, it will probably be back to calorie counting, and I'll check the link out posted above.

Is 1200 your net? If not, then you've been doing it wrong.

Edit: To keep from doing anymore damage to yourself in the long run, I suggest to just drop the diet altogether immediately. Losing weight as fast as the diet suggest will do nothing but make you skinny-fat.

Surely not!!!! 30 pounds in 17 days is a daily deficit of over 6,000 calories - physically impossible really

The 17 day diet is a diet that rotates every 17 days so your body doesn't get used to the routine and it will (in theory) help you loose weight easier.

I started the 17 Day Diet a few weeks ago. I have about the same amount of weight to lose as you.

But it was very slow going on the weight loss for the first week. Then I joined MFP and learned a lot more about what my body needs.

1200 calories was too few for me and no carbs was wrong too. I have since abandoned the 17 Day Diet and I'm eating clean, wholesome foods and aiming for more calories. I have started dropping weight now.

I say toss the book and just eat healthy and clean, with appropriate portions. MFP is the way to go. I've lost 6lbs in 2 weeks and I credit this site for that loss and the knowledge I have gained.

I started the 17 Day Diet on March 12. I have about the same amount of weight to lose as you.

But it was very slow going on the weight loss for the first week. Then I joined MFP and learned a lot more about what my body needs.

1200 calories was too few for me and no carbs was wrong too. I have since abandoned the 17 Day Diet and I'm eating clean, wholesome foods and aiming for more calories. I have started dropping weight now.

I say toss the book and just eat healthy and clean, with appropriate portions. MFP is the way to go. I've lost 6lbs in 2 weeks and I credit this site for that loss and the knowledge I have gained.

Thank you Slice1. This makes sense. Every where I searched, I was finding message boards with people having great results on this, and couldn't figure out why I wasn't. Now that I know I'm not alone, I can see that maybe this diet works differently for people.

I think only the really successful people post a lot and that's why we can only find rave reviews. And that seems to be the people that have more to lose than we do. If you have lots to lose, it comes off quickly.

I've reintroduced carbs into my life (good, healthy carbs) and I'm feeling better, more energetic and losing a little bit each day (even if it's only a few ounces)

I was 300 pounds and i got on this diet. exercised for an hour every day went through the cycles 4 times and now am at my goal weight of 180 and have been maintaining for awhile. if you follow this diet it will be impossible for you to gain weight because it doesn't allow you to eat enough calories in the first cycle. i don't see how this isn't working for you if you are truly sticking to it.

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