Recently I made a visit to my doctor to have blood work completed so that I could have my prescriptions renewed. While there and in conversation with my doctor about my weight she suggested that I look into The 17 Day Diet. My doctor has stated there were several other patients of hers that were on it and have raved about The 17 Day Diet. So once I left the office I had thought about our conversation about the diet and thought I would look into it. I purchased the book and began reading it. Once I had finished the first 3 chapters on the first 17 day cycle of the plan which is called the Accelerate cycle I decided not to continue in order to not confuse myself and would read on once I was ready for the next cycle.
Let me just talk about the first cycle and what its purpose is first of all. In this cycle you will notice a rapid weight loss anywhere between 10-15 lbs. in the first 17 days. Accelerate cycle you notice will improve your digestive health as well a clearing sugars from your blood which was another reason to do this diet since my blood sugar was a little high. With clearing sugars it will boost fat burning as well as discourage fat storage. I have also found that I have more energy just in 2 days being on the diet and feel so much better in that short time.
As you start the diet you must stick to it religiously. However this diet is very do-able. What I mean is that as long as you are not a fussy eater you can do this diet. The 17 Day Diet is very generous with what you can have and how much. You need to have your proteins (unlimited amounts), vegetables (unlimited amounts), fruits, pro-biotic foods, and friendly fats, and let’s not forget our 8 glass of 8 ounces of water a day this is very important.
Let me break it down for you for a once day menu for you to actually see how it works. First thing in the morning you will have juice from 1/ 2 a lemon with 8 ounces of hot water, which will count as one of your 8 glasses of water. Drink this down and it helps to aid your digestive juices to get them stimulated. For breakfast you can have 2 scrambled egg whites, ½ a grapefruit or other fruit on the list for cycle 1, and 1 cup of green tea. Lunch time you can have a large salad with some tuna in it and for dressing use 1 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and 1 cup of green tea. Dinner you can have plenty of grilled chicken with a generous amount of vegetables that are either raw or steamed. Don’t forget the cup of green tea, this is very important as it contains certain chemicals to burn the fat while it stimulates the calorie burning process. For snacks you can have a serving of fruit from cycle 1 list as well as 6 ounces of plain sugar free yogurt with no more than 2 tbsp. of sugar free jam or another pro-biotic serving. For all listings you can refer to cycle 1 list. Along with eating correctly you will also need to exercise. Now here is the best part of it you don’t have to do anything strenuous however you need to get up and move. You should do at least 17 minutes a day, not bad huh? This can consist of any type like vigorous walking, aerobics, Zumba, anything that will get the heart rate up to get that metabolism to burn that unwanted weight. This might be something some will have to work up to if you have not being exercising, however you started this diet to lose weight and you are determined to do it. I won’t bore you with anymore on cycle 1 as you can read the book to get the full details of The 17 Day Diet.
So the first 7 days have passed and I have lost 4 1/2 lbs. so far and still determined to continue and stay strong on this diet. The easiest part of The 17 day Diet is that you can plan your grocery list around your meal recipes. If you are stuck on what to make for a meal or how to incorporate the recipes for this diet you can check out http://www.eateggs.org/ for free recipes. This will help you in meal planning as well as provide you with the bases for sticking with the cycle 2. When we move onto cycle 2 more foods are added to current lists of foods you have. For now make sure to follow the sample menus in the book, use the free recipes to help, drink your water and green tea.
Now that the first cycle is completed I have managed to lose a total of 10 lbs. Not too bad since the foods you are allowed to eat I like so I have not felt like I have deprived myself nor am I hungry. So moving onto the 2nd cycle you can add some starch such as brown rice, oatmeal, barley and a few other starches. You are now able to add lean meats in cycle 2 of the 17 Day Diet as well. This cycle is considered the body confusion because with adding the extra foods now you will need to alternate your menu starting with cycle 2 one day then cycle one the next. The first day on the diet you can follow the second cycle menu with oatmeal (1/2 cup) for breakfast along with some fruit and let’s not forget your green tea. You will still start off with your lemon with hot water first thing in the morning. For your lunch you can have a mixed salad with crab meat and fat free salad dressing or use olive oil and balsamic vinegar and drink your green tea. For dinner you can have a lean cut of meat such as a steak, baked potato (potato should fit in the palm of your hand) and sautéed vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with a hot cup of green tea. Now just to let you know you can also substitute green tea capsules if you like but you need to drink a full glass of water is what the 17 Day Diet recommends. This cycle you will follow for 17 days as well. You can refer to the 17 Day Diet book for more information as to what other foods have been added to the 2nd cycle.
I will tell you that some may become discouraged on this cycle as you can have a slight yo yo affect and not lose as much as you did on cycle 1. I myself have experienced a standstill and currently on day 8 of cycle 2. I have asked on the 17 Day Diet Facebook page that I have Liked and it is a great support page for all those that are on this diet. I have found that others also experience the same thing of not losing like we did on the cycle 1. You can do a search of The 17 Day Diet and choose one or a couple of the pages for your support group. There is still a plus if you follow the menus you will still lose a few pounds. Allot of it I believe could be the fact that you are told you can eat a good helping of protein and once you get into cycle 3 you will need to limit your portions. Another factor is the exercise for the 17 Day Diet as well. You must do your exercise because as you continue to the next cycle you will need to increase it a little more. Possibly if you find you are not losing any weight in cycle 2 you need to step up the exercise such as not only walking but add some cardio exercise such as aerobics or Zumba.
I love pizza and being on The 17 Day Diet you can’t have it until you are really on the 4th cycle of this diet. So I saw this recipe and picture of pizza and my mouth started to water. The person that posted this as well as other comments I have read stated they loved it and it was a great substitute for pizza. I have not tired it yet but I have a few days off in which to test this recipe. So for now I am going to leave you with this wonderful picture of this pizza in which the crust is made with cauliflower as well as the recipe itself to try. You can actually have this on cycle 1 of The 17 Day Diet so enjoy.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. fennel
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. parsley**pizza sauce
Toppings of choice
fat free or low-fat mozzarella cheesePreheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press
evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley.Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).
Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese.
Depending on your preference you may want to check it before the 20 minutes and add your topping and pop back in the oven to heat topping.
