The 17 Day Diet

Well I talk about losing weight on here more than I talk about a lot of things.  It's one of those things that is obviously important to me yet a constant struggle.  I am hoping that this attempt at healthy living (attempt #174) will stick and work!

David kept talking to me about his co-worker that lost a lot of weight, he used a healthy diet, followed a book, it's from a Doctor, blah, blah, blah.  I honestly only listened because it was my husband speaking not because the topic interested me.  I had no idea he was serious about doing the diet himself.  I hear the word "diet" and automatically assume it's bad for you because of all the fad diets that are out there.  Well when David asked me when I was going to get the book for him (a week before his birthday, hint, hint) I decided to make a run down to Powell's bookstore.

The 17 Day Diet.  Seriously the title sounds awful and the book looked awful... it was bright pink.  Ew. I opened it and started reading bits and pieces.  To my shock I was totally hooked and thought that A-it was healthy and B- might actually work.

After opening the lovely present (I got him some manly gun-shooting-thing too) and reading through the first couple of chapters we decided to start the diet on Monday the 17th.  My first day on the diet I go into Olive Garden for my dinner shift.  I'm prepared to stare at pasta, bread sticks and desserts and serve them to people who will enjoy them.  I was not prepared for our managers to bring in huge Costco muffins and Halloween cookies.  Ugh!  I prevailed though and I did not have one bite of those delicious muffins.

So you're probably wondering how the diet works... or at least what the catch is- like do we eat kale shakes for every meal for 17 days straight.  YES!  Okay, no.  That's gross and I would never do that.

There are four cycles of 17 days.  The first cycle is called "Accelerate" and to quote the book exactly the accelerate cycle is "the rapid weight loss portion, which helps flush sugar and fat storage from your system."  Dave and I can eat plenty of lean proteins (fish, canned tuna, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, ground turkey, eggs) and all the cleansing vegetables we want.  (The list is huge- basically think of everything except starchy veggies, avocados and beans.) We eat two servings of low-sugar fruit (apples, berries, oranges, peaches, pears, grapes, etc.) and two servings of probiotic foods (low fat yogurt, kefir, etc.)  We are suppose to drink A LOT of water (of course) and a lot of green tea.  Thank God coffee (1-2 cups) is allowed.  You can see what is missing... bread, carbs, sugars, desserts... and wine!

The second cycle is called "Activate."  The activate cycle is "the metabolic restart portion, with alternating low and high calorie days to help shed body fat."  No, I do not get to eat cupcakes all day one day and then return to my salad with vinegar and oil dressing the next.  On my "higher" calorie days I get some different proteins (not for every meal) for instance we can have shellfish or lean cut of steak/pork for dinner.  We can also have some starchy veggies, legumes and natural starches.  On the "lower" calorie days we go back to the accelerate menu.

The third cycle is called "Achieve" which the books says this is a "phase that involves learning to control portions and introducing new fitness routines."  Oh, I forgot to mention that during this diet he asks that you work out for 17 minutes a day... even if it's just a brisk walk.  The fourth cycle is called "Arrive" and this is a "combination of the first three cycles to keep good habits up for good.  On weekends enjoy your favorite foods."  I've skimmed over the last two cycles but I don't want to think about those until I get through the first two.  So I'll have to update you when I hit cycle three.

One of the main reasons this might work is because David and I are doing it together.  It's virtually impossible to eat healthy when your spouse is snacking on ice cream.  I am excited to see how we will do.  We finished day two already.  Oh and David and I are both down a few pounds. ;)

Cheers to sugar-free jam on top of non-fat plain yogurt, skipping out on Costco muffins and salads galore.

Skipping,
Aubrie