Many of you may not know that there is an epidemic of obesity in America. Let’s stop and think about more than 190 million Americans being either overweight or obese which is around 2/3rds of Americans. When I think about this my thought is that Americans are really not healthy. Unhealthy or overweight people only lead too many health risks such as diabetes, heart, high and blood pressure to name a few which leads to higher medical cost. Many of you have probably noticed that your insurance benefits for health insurance have done nothing more than escalate year after year. The one major reason for this is because of the medical care and the cost that due overweight or obese people continues to rise. Obesity also leads to a shorter life span due to an unhealthy body and what one eats. That is why is it so important to get a handle on your weight as well as creating better eating habits for a healthier body. With that being said I think if you are reading this article about The 17 Day Diet you are at least curious as to how it works and how successful those that have been on it are eating well and losing weight.
Allot of people might think that skipping a meal will help them in losing weight. However the truth is that you can actually do the opposite. Why you might ask and that reason would be that your metabolism will slow down and your body will store fat to feed off of when you do eat. It is better to have a good sensible meal such as breakfast to reeve up that metabolism and give your body the energy it needs in order to function properly as well as lose weight. Since breakfast is one of the most important meals of your day to jump start the body why not have a nice egg white omelet with fresh salsa and fat free or low fat feta cheese and some fruit. Fruit can be apple, orange, pear, or a cup of any type of berries. Now this is a great healthy option than to skip it completely or eat something that is loaded with calories such as the McDonald drive through. One other thing you need to remember is that your body needs at least 1200 calories a day so if you need to count calories choose healthy foods and work them into your day to add up to 1200 calories. Another thing to keep in mind is if you skip meals that you are only sabotaging weight loss because you are certainly going to feel hungry and just want to eat what you can grab. Most times it is fast and easy and loaded with fat and calories.
The 17 Day Diet plan is one that allows you to have healthy foods without feeling hungry and still lose the weight just by following the sample meal plans daily that Dr. Moreno has to follow.
I am currently on day 7 of cycle 3 and still loving The 17 Day Diet. I can’t stress you enough how I think about what I am putting in my mouth since beginning this diet. It really is retraining me as to what I need to be eating as far as portion and my food groups. I must say I have been eating more fruits and vegetables than I used to. I have lost 2 more lbs. for a total of 17 lbs. My clothes are getting loser and I am getting back into some of those clothes that I could not wear in the closet that have been collecting dust waiting for the day to wear them again. I feel great and it really is a good feeling to have lost that weight and I am kind of getting excited about the next time I have to go see my dr. again because of my progress. I would like to be able to get off or cut back on my blood pressure pill and possibly the one med I take for cholesterol. The cholesterol med may be something I will need to continue as that is heredity and that is something I can’t change so easily. However with the food choices and better habits I have to think that in the long run I still win as it should help my cholesterol problem.
Dr. Mike Moreno is the creator and author of The 17 Day Diet so this diet is not one of those fad diets. Moreno has researched this in order to come up with a great and easy to follow diet and has taken all the guess work out of what you should or shouldn’t eat to help in losing the weight.
Some great reading for those of you who want to read into more information stated in this article I have provided some links for you.
http://www.the17daydiet.com/about-the-author/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/07/eveningnews/main6069163.shtml
http://correct-weight-loss.net/2011/01/25/weight-loss-myths-skipping-meals/
OMG Parmesan Cheese Crusted Chicken
(Great for Cycle 1)
PICTURE
Ingredients:
2 tbsp EVOOFat free shaker Parmesan cheese (look long and hard, you WILL find it eventually)
Italian seasoning
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cut into strips (you may also leave whole flattened chicken breast, you may need to filet breast if really thick)
1 egg
salt and pepper
Directions:
Combine the Parmesan cheese with the Italian seasoning in a little bowl. Also, mix up the egg with salt and pepper in a separate little bowl. Heat the EVOO in a skillet. Dredge the chicken strips in the egg, then toss into the Parmesan cheese mixture to coat. Put in the hot oil and let it brown. Don’t cook it all the way through. Then, put in an oven safe dish and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until no pink is left in the middle.
You may think you are eating something you should not because it is so good. This I would say is one of my favorite meals to make.
