Happy 17th Day!

Today is my 17th day on the Accelerate cycle of the 17 day diet. Although I am happy to have made it, I am not done - not only do I have two more cycles to start, I'm not done this this one, and here's why.

As I've mentioned before, the next 17 day cycle which is "Activate" contains more foods that I am able to add to my diet. Unfortunately - I did not prepare, and I need to get some groceries which I can't do until the weekend. This means that I will continue to eat the same foods from cycle one, for about another 3 days - which by now I am bored to death with!

So on Saturday, I will begin the shift into cycle two. As I was reading about cycle two a.k.a Activate, I learned that this is the cycle where I am able to eat certain grains - such as brown rice and oatmeal. I'll also be adding legumes to my diet, such as black beans, lentils, peas and garbanzos (chick peas). I can finally eat Starchy vegetables, like corn, potatoes. and sweet potatoes. I can also add shellfish such as clams, crab, mussels, oysters, scallops and shrimp ( I can eat these EVERYDAY). I can also FINALLY add beef and pork to my diet, but again, all must be lean.

The way cycle two works proves that the 17 day diet is not your same old diet. I'll be adding all of these delicious foods to my meal plan, but I will be interchanging every other day with a meal from the first cycle (Accelerate). For example on Day 1 I will have an activate day, where I will eat grains, legumes, beef, and shellfish. On day 2 I will have an accelerate day, where I can only eat poultry or certain fish, fruits and vegetables. All this means is that you are alternating a high calorie days with low calorie days in order to lose body fat. I'm not going into details about how exactly that works, because it's just too much to explain. If interested do the research or try getting / borrowing the book. You still eat the same fruits and veggies from the first cycle as well as the same probiotics.

I look forward to cycle 2 in anticipation, not only for all the other things I may now eat, but because it promises even more weight loss.

The Big 10

I am a bit amazed at how fast time has passed, today marks my 10th day on Cycle 1 of the 17 Day diet - and I don't exactly know how I feel about that. I've decided not to weigh myself until Saturday, so I don't know where I stand right now as far as weight lost in pounds, but I feel great. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's super easy, and that I can see a difference, or that my clothes fit me better - because none of it is true.It's been 10 days and I don't see any major changes, but I can feel the change in me. I am happier; I'm not sure what that has to do with dieting, but I am a lot less cranky, a lot less moody and bitchy. The first few days, I was getting major headaches and I knew exactly what that was - it was withdrawal. I had quit processed foods cold turkey, and my body was like "whoa!!, what's going on?" I had migraines for three straight days, but not even that deterred me.

 This diet requires me to eat three meals a day, and as easy as that may seem (we're supposed to eat 3 meals a day anyway) for some of us it's a major challenge. Not only is the labor of this diet a challenge (cooking EVERY meal you eat) but also when you have a family that doesn't necessarily need to meet your same dietary needs (thank God for them) - you have to cook for yourself and for others. As much as I love the kitchen, this is something that at another stage of my life, would have been the excuse for me to quit - none the less I suck it up and do what I gotta do no matter how long that keeps me in the kitchen.

So speaking of the kitchen, here's what I had yesterday... For breakfast, a kefir with raspberries smoothie, grapes and my chilled green tea. Lunch was a yummy baby romaine salad with tuna and dressing and another cup of cold green tea. For dinner last night I made vegetable soup (my favorite recipe of this diet) and it was delish! I also tried for the very first time Trader Joe's version of Greek yogurt - the pomegranate flavor was gross (in my opinion) but the blueberry was awesome!

If you're curious about The 17 Day Diet click on the link and check out the videos and all the information on the site. I can only speak from my experience, so if you want more details, check it out!

So here I am on my 10th day feeling happy, feeling good about myself and not just how far I've come along - but HOW I've come along.... and that is in control at all times.

Surpassed the 3 day hump!

Good morning! So it's day 4 and I don't know if it's because I survived the first 3 days or because it's Thursday (and one day closer to FRIDAY) but I am an in an extremely good mood! I can't guarantee that it'll stay that way - but I am enjoying it while it lasts...

Dinner was delicious last night - I intended to make ground turkey meat balls, but that didn't really work out (the meat didn't really want to  be made into balls). I ended up just cooking the ground turkey and it was delish!!! I served it with a refreshing cabbage salad, and a side of broccoli and spinach. For the boys I made whole wheat pasta and served it with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. Just because I can't have carbs (yet) doesn't mean I should deprive them. I saved the remainder of the the ground turkey, to make The 17 Day Diet Taco Salad. This morning I woke up and made some taco salad dressing, put some lettuce in a Tupperware, and ........ forgot my ground turkey in the fridge at home! Yes, I was PISSED - but I'll just go to the supermarket later and get a whole chicken, pull out the breast and use it on the salad, save the rest for my hungry boys. I'm not letting it put a damper on my mood.

I tried Kefir for the first time today...It's a pro-biotic that the Doc recommends in the book. I bought 2 bottles; a vanilla and a plain. The vanilla is very good, the plain I have yet to try, but plan to use it to make "Kefir smoothies". I am  totally looking forward to that.

I have to say that since I have started on this diet, and I have to cook all the foods myself, I have been using every pot, pan, and kitchen equipment I have. It's a lot of work, but I admit that it is all worth it. Not just for the sake of losing weight, but the fact that every night, and I do mean every night, my family sits at the table and enjoys a healthy, home cooked meal. Before all of this, there were days where I would be too lazy or too tired to cook, and I would just order from the usual suspects; Italian, Chinese, and Mexican. Sometimes when I made dinner, I would make delicious mouth watering foods - but they weren't necessarily healthy options. I don't want to get ahead of myself, considering my diet history and how I bounce back and forth between dieting and not dieting - but I think for the first time in my life, I have found something that works for me, and something that I can work with. It's a great feeling of satisfaction, when the day is over and I can honestly say that I haven't cheated. Don't get me wrong, I've been tempted - but I've been able to suppress temptation, and I never thought that I would be able to do that.  I am weak when it comes to food, but on this diet I am honestly satisfied, and I think that has a lot to do with it.

Tonight I plan on switching things up and making a chicken and vegetable soup. I know it's hot as balls in NYC today, but my apartment AC will be on blast and soup will be just the thing to warm us up.

Day Three on the 17 Day Diet

So, on Monday I began my weight loss journey (again) - but this time I am trying something different. As I was browsing through the list of books on my kindle, I stumbled upon a book with the title "The 17 Day Diet". I was immediately curious and downloaded the sample. Before I began to  read the sample, I started looking through the comments made by other readers and dieters of the book; a major reason why it caught my attention was partially because it had four and a half stars. As I read through the comments, I was more and more enthused about reading the book. The sample got me hooked, I liked the tone of the Doctor/ Author - and I was beginning to feel as if this diet has been what I have been waiting for. I've gone on many other weight loss journeys, but I always quit. I always find an excuse, or give up because I am not seeing any progress - but the more I read, the more I was convinced that this might be different. Finally I purchased the book and began - once again, my weigh loss journey.

The 17 Day Diet, is a cycled diet where the dieter goes on 4 different 17 day cycles. The first cycle which is the one I am currently on is the "Accelerate" cycle. In these first 17 days, I am working towards cleansing my body and correcting my metabolism. I'll go into detail about the other 3 cycles in a future blog - but for the moment, I just want to share my experience on this diet and the cycle that I am currently on. On Monday morning I weighed in at 205 lbs, I am a 5'2" female, and according to many BMI calculators - I am obese. Lucky for me, I don't agree, which is why I haven't driven myself nuts, but I know that my weight has slowly been creeping up and I have done nothing about it. If there is a time to do it, that time would be now - I am 24 years old and at 205, I should not allow myself to go any higher. On this current cycle - I am only eating lean proteins, fruits, veggies, probiotics, and tea. Very healthy, I know... But not just any lean meats, and not just any veggies, and not just any fruits - it's a select list of specific foods in these categories that I am eating during this cycle. I have to admit that the variety is plentiful, and I am having so much fun cooking this food. I wake up every morning and I make myself breakfast and lunch. Sometime I make lunch the night before and it's all ready to go. So far, three days in and I have not lost any weight, but here are some improvements:
1. I haven't bought any fast food.
2.Because I bring everything from home, I have been saving A LOT of money.
3. I haven't lost any weight but I haven't gained any either
4. My skin is super radiant - all of the blemishes are gone and I couldn't be happier.

Granted, I am only half way through my 3rd day, and I'm sure that if I keep it up, by the beginning of next week I hope to see some improvements - but so far I am happy on my diet. I eat fresh delicious foods that I cook everyday, and I don't have that sluggish feeling anymore, you know? You know what I mean, that feeling you get after you eat a burger with fries from McDonalds. The one complaint I have is that I have become constipated. Luckily - this same concern is shared by many others on the 17 day diet - which I found out today when I went on the website and the Doctor posted a video about this exact issue on the site. Turns out that green tea may cause constipation - but it is necessary for all the nutrients it provides our bodies with. An over the counter laxative is OK to use on the diet, but I much rather drink some Manasul Tea. It is a natural tea that you take before bed, and in the morning you have a bowel movement.

I look forward to day four with much anticipation knowing that I am only 14 days away from cycle 2 "Activate" and I get to add more food items to my diet.