Brad and I have started The 17 Day Diet. It isn't really a diet per say. Well I guess depending on your definition of a diet. It really is to get us eating healthier and back on track. You could call it a lifestyle change. Between vacations, family reunions, birthdays, holidays, summer bbq, busy summer days of me not getting around to cooking, etc. we have been eating like crap. Our house is just full of junk food and candy. Brad came across this diet plan and we decided we were going to do it. It goes in four 17 day cycles so you don't get bored or discouraged. The first cycle is really to get your body cleansed and your metabolism going again. I haven't been working out since I had Cooper. But since I am almost done with nursing I need to get in the habit of working out because I won't be burning those extra 500 calories a day from nursing. Brad has always been awesome at working out but he just feels as if he has hit a plateau. This diet benefits both of our issues.
We started the first cycle on Monday. Cycle 1 has the main purpose of triggering weight loss by mobilizing fat stores and flushing water and toxins from your system. This cycle gets you eating lots of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and probiotics. You limit your carb intake by initially cutting out white bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, chocolate, sugary desserts, and sweets. Don't worry these are gone forever. After cycle 1 (17 days) we slowly start reintroducing these things. Cycle 1 is definitely the most strict and limiting of the 4 cycles. It says you could lose 10-12 pounds in the first 17 days. We are a little bit more realistic and know that probably won't happen but anything will be good! We could choose our meals but it has a meal plan that you can follow so it is easier. I opted to follow the meal plan rather than have to come up with ideas on my own. Brad would be okay just eating fish and steamed veggies for every dinner but I can't do that. I get burned out and wouldn't make it the 17 days without a variety of meals.
The other guidelines are to drink at least 64 oz of water a day, work out at least 17 each day (two 17 min workouts is preferable), don't eat fruit after 2:00 pm since fruit is a carb, and eat slowly and only until full (I usually inhale my food). The book goes in to detail about a lot of the foods but I won't bore you with that info. One of the requirements is to drink green tea with each meal. Green tea is a fat burner which will help kick start your metabolism. Brad and I opted for green tea capsules instead of drinking it. We can still drink diet sodas so I still get my Diet Coke and Brad still gets his Mt. Dew :)
To prepare for starting the diet we went grocery shopping to Costco and Harmons on Saturday. We bought all the ingredients for the first 9 days. Our shopping list consisted of (from what I remember off the top of my head):
We started the first cycle on Monday. Cycle 1 has the main purpose of triggering weight loss by mobilizing fat stores and flushing water and toxins from your system. This cycle gets you eating lots of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and probiotics. You limit your carb intake by initially cutting out white bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, chocolate, sugary desserts, and sweets. Don't worry these are gone forever. After cycle 1 (17 days) we slowly start reintroducing these things. Cycle 1 is definitely the most strict and limiting of the 4 cycles. It says you could lose 10-12 pounds in the first 17 days. We are a little bit more realistic and know that probably won't happen but anything will be good! We could choose our meals but it has a meal plan that you can follow so it is easier. I opted to follow the meal plan rather than have to come up with ideas on my own. Brad would be okay just eating fish and steamed veggies for every dinner but I can't do that. I get burned out and wouldn't make it the 17 days without a variety of meals.
The other guidelines are to drink at least 64 oz of water a day, work out at least 17 each day (two 17 min workouts is preferable), don't eat fruit after 2:00 pm since fruit is a carb, and eat slowly and only until full (I usually inhale my food). The book goes in to detail about a lot of the foods but I won't bore you with that info. One of the requirements is to drink green tea with each meal. Green tea is a fat burner which will help kick start your metabolism. Brad and I opted for green tea capsules instead of drinking it. We can still drink diet sodas so I still get my Diet Coke and Brad still gets his Mt. Dew :)
To prepare for starting the diet we went grocery shopping to Costco and Harmons on Saturday. We bought all the ingredients for the first 9 days. Our shopping list consisted of (from what I remember off the top of my head):
- apples
- carrots
- celery
- strawberries
- plums
- asparagus
- romaine lettuce
- baby spinach
- bananas
- cucumbers
- bell peppers
- ground turkey
- turkey burgers
- green tea tablets
- frozen fruit
- greek yogurt
- cottage cheese
- broccoli
- sugar free jam (to flavor the greek yogurt)
- salmon
- talapia
- chicken
- artichoke
- fresh green beans
- onions
- tomatoes
- cabbage
- egg plant
- low carb marinara
- reduced fat cheddar cheese
- kefir (for smoothies)
Our fridge is packed with healthy foods. I am putting my tons of Tupperware fridgesmart containers to good use!!! They will keep all of this produce fresh longer. It is nice because Cooper LOVES fruit and eats thru it so quickly so I love having a variety I can feed to him. It's nice knowing that we will all have healthy foods to eat. I am blogging about this to hopefully keep me motivated and hold me to eating healthy. Brad always tells me I am like a child with the foods, candy, snacks and everything I choose to eat. So this is not going to be easy!!!! Wish us luck!
What book I it that you speak of? I want to look into this diet and maybe we will do it too.
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