Beyond Fitness Pitfalls: Avoiding Vanity

The 17 Day Diet has served its purpose. I achieved my goal and, for the most part, kept off the 16 pounds that I wanted to lose. I can tell you that this diet works if it’s not seen as a fad but as a stepping stone to changing your eating habits.

The Diet is also about seasons and cycles—like life. Times of intensity are often followed by rest or reflection. One thing that has bothered me about the intensity of this blog is the near-sighted focus on health and the physical aspect of our well being. To an extent we have control over it—but to a larger extent, whatever we have is a gift.

Both age and disease happen and there is nothing we can do about it. We can only adapt. In a society that places so much value on youth and beauty, we are in danger of becoming like Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray (thanks for thoughts from your book report, Laura!). His problem was vanity—vanity causes an implosive destruction upon the soul, wrought by per-occupation with self. The antidote is to remember that we are (including our bodies) finite and temporary. There is a greater end. Whatever breath and strength I have is really only on loan. What I do with my body today, as I am, will potentially be an incredible waste of a life, or make an eternal difference in the lives of others around me. That’s a choice I have, no matter what the scale says.

When The 17-Day Diet Fails

One of the most popular marketing niches in publishing and blogging is health and fitness. That's because so many of us want to be “untied” or free from the control of food.Featuring a review on a successful plan like “The 17-Day Diet” doesn’t hurt reader interest either, particularly because the plan works.

I’ve had tremendous success and use the principles to maintain my weight, including weekly weigh-ins for reality checks. But if our weight is the only thing we measure, this plan fails.

Judges 2 tells us that the people of Israel had a heart problem. They worshiped other gods. As a result of their sin, God did not give them victory in battle when the other nations ransacked their land. Israel cried out in despair, not because their sins had offended God but because they were suffering from the consequences of their sin. God took pity on them and sent them a godly ruler or a judge who led them to victory in battle against their enemies. But when the judge died, the people rebelled and behaved even worse than they had before. That’s because they were seeking relief from consequences and not God Himself. 

For those of us who are believers, our weight loss motivations should be connected to loving others. One friend of mine was concerned that being overweight communicated messages of selfish overindulgence to the women around her. In my women’s class, I certainly felt like a hypocrite teaching about being more than a conqueror when I wasn’t able to conquer a bag of Doritos. But if I’m going to be honest with myself and you, there were other motivations for conquering my carb addiction. I was more remorseful about the consequences of tight pants and not measuring up to man's standards than I was concerned about how my behavior offended God.

It was also much easier to use the 17 Day Diet to end the gluttonous behavior than to confess why I was a glutton in the first place. The fact is my overeating was a faithless act. Overeating was a statement to the world that, for me, God is not enough. 

When I’m at dinner and unable to savor what I have on my plate because I eat too fast, it’s because I receive food as if it’s my right to consume it, rather than a gift from my Heavenly Father to enjoy and savor. When I’m stressed out and unthinkingly popping snack food in my mouth for immediate relief, it’s because I don’t remember and behave as if God is my portion in times of hardship. When I’m at a gathering and have one more glass of wine because everyone else is, it’s because I don’t believe that being controlled by His Spirit is better than anything else. This is what makes me physically heavy and spiritually shallow. 

The 17 Day Diet is a great plan that has brought some tremendous success to me and the people I love. But what makes it just like all the rest is that it offers no help when I place more emphasis on the condition of my waist-line than I do on what my waist line says about the condition of my heart.

Fit To Be Untied: The First 17 Days

Fit To Be Untied: The First 17 Days

The First 17 Days

The 17 Day Diet

This past Thursday five of the six of us who started the 17 Day Diet completed the first cycle (called the Accelerate cycle). How we did seems to have depended on what we needed to lose when we started.

One of us dropped out on day four. Something about deciding that being “fat” was better than going on this diet. Another 41 year old 6’2 ½ inch male, (we’ll call him…. “Tom”) was the shining example among us. He lost 20 pounds in 17 days. For the record, he had the most to lose. Our next big loser lost 13 pounds, another lost 10. Another, the twig among us, lost 8 and reached her goal. She’s happy and incorporating this way of eating into her lifestyle.

I came in at the bottom of the pack with a meager 7 out of my 14 pounds. On the other hand, that’s half my goal and the easiest seven pounds in two weeks I’ve ever lost rather painlessly, without much hunger: about as good a record as I’ve ever done in the past, but that was while running 20-25 miles a week. During this phase, exercise was limited to 17 minutes a day (and I missed several days.)

But even though my weight loss wasn’t outrageously dramatic, the other benefits to me and my cohorts have been. I will list just a few of the changes we have experienced in a short 17 days:

Energy levels: Beyond the first 4 days of sugar cravings and carb lows, our energy went up and remained steady most days with one or two. I experienced greater alertness and much less fatigue throughout the day.

Emotions: As someone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder, these last 17 days have been almost depression/blues free. I’m beginning to suspect that my winter blues are related to the highs and lows of too many sweets and carbohydrates (most middle aged women cannot efficiently process more than two servings a day, unless they are vigorously exercising)

A special note about “low carb” and “high protein” diets: I’ve done the reading. I know that long-term they don’t work and they are dangerous—but this diet is not one of them. The carbs are not so low that you don’t get any. I’ve eaten more vegetables on this plan than I ever have before—as well as two servings of low sugar fruits. Yes the diet is more protein, but not so much protein as to be dangerous. It’s a lower calorie intake altogether for 17 days.

PMS: Ditto about the emotions during my PMS week. In combination with unnamed participants, we’ve experienced fewer mood swings, minimal to no bloating and no breast tenderness.

Thought-life: My greatest problem was an addiction to sugar. No joke. I thought about eating all the time. When I was tired; when I was busy; when I wanted to relax. I didn’t want just any food; I wanted sugar or simple carbs. Most people think this is a joke because I look reasonably fit—but honestly, it was gluttony and it was wrong. After 17 days, I do not think about food that way. Cold turkey for the sweets and a maintenance program has literally cured my cravings. The food I’m eating does its job and satisfies me without making me hungry for more before I should be.

Food Economy: I also think differently about the food I eat. People have commented that this diet is costly. It does cost more to eat well than to eat processed food. It costs more in two ways: both financially and in my time. I cook every single day. I never did that before—and somehow it’s teaching me that food should not be taken for granted. Real food is dependent on the sun and the rain; but it’s also dependent on the hard work of others to raise it, care for it and get it to you. It’s worth something—and it should be. As one friend of mine likes to ask, “Why would we want to put junk in our bodies?”

Because real food costs more money and more time, it also saves me money. I use what I buy. Very little gets wasted (except egg yolks during the first 17 days). It also saves me money because we have eaten out zero times. If I had to eat out, I could. But my orders would not be costly…and I don’t want to right now. I’m too busy having fun watching my friends lose weight and trying to myself.

Family thinking: My daughters are not on this diet. But I don’t cook separately for them either. They eat the main entre that I make. They eat the steamed veggies and salads—and they have their carbohydrate servings at dinner that I don’t have. It’s that simple. My kids hate fish—but they eat it because, that’s just what’s for dinner. They have also seen an example of a mother who doesn’t have double fist portions of Oreos in her hand anymore, and I’ve noticed they’re paying attention. They don’t need to lose weight—but they certainly need examples who do not model excess and materialism (by God’s grace for 17 days, there go I).

Was it worth it? Oh yeah. It works. It’s more than I expected. I am now on CYCLE 2 “Activate,” which adds 2 servings of carbs (including grains) and a larger variety of meats, along with beans and a few other things. The principle to keep the weight loss off the plateau is to switch between menus on cycle 1 (the first 17 days) and cycle 2 every other day. So one day is lower calorie/lower carb and the next is higher calorie, higher carb. After four days, I’ve dropped another pound.

I’ll write again at the end and let you know how we did.

Note to my readers: I started grad school—and the water line feels a little too far over my head. So I’ll be writing less frequently than I promised if you haven’t already figured that out. If you’re interested in this diet—don’t’ wait on me, order the book: www.the17daydiet.com

SCALE CHECK TIME

So there’s nothing more discouraging than following a diet plan to the T, stepping on the scale too soon and finding it’s not budged. I stepped on it—and I wasn’t disappointed! Three days, and four pounds down! And just when you get really happy—someone says, “Yeah, but its all water weight.” If you said this to me—don’t worry; I still love you and you weren’t the only one. But what about it? Is a loss in water weight legitimate weight loss?

According to Dr. Mike it is! Water weight is weight. It’s what’s making your pants feel tight. It’s what makes you look and feel puffy; it’s perpetual PMS bloat 360 days a year from toxins and unhealthy eating habits. With the reduction of carbs, my weight loss is also likely a good share of fat as my body switches from a sugar burning to a fat burning machine.

A GLIMPSE AT YOUR FUTURE

But you can’t maintain this kind of eating forever, people will rightly say to you. That’s true. That’s why I love this book. It doesn’t ask you to. But neither does it advocate reaching your weight goal and then returning to “business as usual.” If you do that, you’ll be right back where you started again sooner or later.

In the “ARRIVE” cycle (the fourth 17 day phase), Dr. Mike says this on page 103: You fought the battle of the bulge and won! Now it’s time to keep the bulge at bay. But how? …At this point in the book I have to be really, really honest, and talk about a big unmentionable thing, something no one wants to acknowledge. You will be on some kind of diet. You will not be able to return to your former eating habits and keep the weight off, because those very habits…created the weight in the first place.”

Look at how the book suggests you live the rest of your life once you’ve reached your weight goals:

• · Monday breakfast through Friday lunch: Enjoy meal plans from one of your favorite Cycles: Accelerate Activate or Achieve.

• · Friday dinner through Sunday dinner: Enjoy your favorite foods and meals in moderation over the weekend.

• · Enjoy no more than one to three favorite meals over the weekend. DO NOT BINGE. Eat slowly and enjoy your food.

• · If desired, enjoy alcoholic drinks in moderation over the weekend (1- 2 daily): 1 ½ oz. hard liquor, 5 oz. wine or 12 oz beer.

• · You may include soups in your daily menus as long as they are broth based. Avoid soups made with milk or cream. Having soup prior to a meal will help curb your appetite and help you feel full.

• · Continue to use condiments in moderation. Choose nonfat, low-calorie seasonings, such as reduced fat dressings, spices, herbs, lemon or lime juice, vinegar and hot sauce.

• · Exercise on weekends as well as weekdays.

Can you live with that to keep the new you? Here I have to advocate that you consider purchasing this book—particularly if you are planning on following me through the first and second cycle. There are reasons why: I can’t communicate to you in a blog all the medical reasons this diet works. Nor can I convey to you the complete philosophy of eating that’s presented. I understand that, right now, purchasing anything is a killer. But can you put away 10 bucks a week somewhere for the next three weeks? Can you forgo a movie or choose to do something differently (maybe the lack of junk food or eating out is already reducing your budget.) If you can save $30 in three weeks, go the website and order www.the17daydiet.com.

You’ll benefit from ALL his recipes and meal plans. You’ll read chapters on how to eat out at a restaurant. You’ll read a chapter on the PMS diet exception that you can switch to when you begin feeling the urge to take a ride on a brook stick during that special week in the month.

Okay, infomercial over. I promise you that I own no shares in Moreno’s books sales. I just care about you

MEAL PLANS AND RECIPE TIPS

So in the last three days, my girls have gagged a lot! They’re not digging fish and asparagus. But at least they are seeing Mom and Dad eat healthy meals--and in the meantime, I'm not pushing it with them. I make sure they get their favorite carbs. But following this diet plan to a T, dinner ALWAYS looks and smells wonderful to me because by then, I’m pretty hungry.

As I said, this cycle provides 2 fruits and 2 dairy (probiotics) a day. Usually one of each is reserved for a snack (see earlier post.) Yesterday I chose to eat a cup of frozen blueberries for my afternoon snack and save my nonfat, plain Greek yogurt with Stevia for after dinner munchies. Dr. Mike suggests not eating carbs (other than your green leafy veggies, which are not limited) after 2 p.m. I’ve found this difficult since I get ravenous at around 3 p.m. So I eat the fruit then and save the low carb snack for evening.

BREAKFAST

IF you can take veggies in the morning, add some onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes to your eggs or egg whites, along with spices. I like to alternate how I prepare my eggs as well, in order not to grow bored and, as the menu suggestion in the book goes, I switch it up with 6 ounces of yogurt mixed with a fruit every other or two days.

ENTRE

For dinner, salmon is excellent baked for about 20 minutes in a shallow dish dressed with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a generous portion of dried dill. If you still have a Tablespoon of olive oil allowance, drizzle it overt the fish with lemon. Remember, you can have “liberal amounts of lean protein” for lunch and dinner. Butter is off limits, but you can make veggies tasty with lemon, lemon pepper, garlic salt and/or vinegar.

Dr. Mike shares a chicken vegetable soup recipe, which precludes the old way of boiling the snot out of a carcass (and absorbing all the chicken fat). Instead he suggests you make a vegetable broth first with fat-free chicken broth, 1 large onion, 1 ½ c of cabbage, 1 large carrot, 1 cup of okra, 2 celery stalks, 1 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes 1 ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Simmer for one hour. From there, add chopped, baked chicken breasts and heat through.

NAN’S FAT FREE CHICKEN SOUP

I didn’t have many of his ingredients. So I proudly present NAN’S FAT FREE Chicken soup, which ROCKED … and not just because I was hungry.

Chop up and combine

1.5 large onions

3-4 cloves of garlic

2 celery stalks

2-3 tomatoes,

1 large carrot

Fresh parsley

Basil1

3-4 Bay leaves

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

1.5 tsp salt
Pepper

1 can of low fat chicken low sodium broth

Simmer covered for one hour. Add about 3 – 4 chopped chicken breasts and cook for 20 more minutes. Voila.

Eat this for lunch or dinner. It makes about 4 servings—and since it does, consider sharing it with someone else you know is on the diet!

WEIGHT LOSS BUDDIES

Use this blog or the links on face book to find out who else is doing this—and offer to share recipe ideas or cook for each other and share food. Exchange cell phone pics at dinner time to stay accountable and feel like you are not in the alone. Pray for each other, particularly if you will be alone with unsympathetic friends at “high carb” social gatherings!

You can do this! If you’ve been following the plan for more than two days; go ahead and take a chance like I did. Step on the scale already. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised—and I’m here to tell you that the early pounds count…every one of them!

DAY ONE OF THE 17 DAY DIET

Six of us, who I know of, started DAY ONE today. I’m feeling motivated. Completing the 17 minutes of exercise (I’m alternating yoga, fast walking and calisthenics) first thing in the morning is the best for me, when I’m most positive and energetic. I’m also trying to get my 8 glasses of water downed by late afternoon. Hate the stuff—so I need to keep a full glass on the counter at all times and I just chug it every time I pass.

Thought I’d post this week’s suggested diet by Dr. Mike. I will probably stick pretty closely to it with legal variation. For instance, when it comes to the eggs in the morning, I think I’ll add some veggies to them for interest and extra flavor. Also, I noted that “Day Four” in the book has no snacks but every day other than that does. I’m guessing it’s a typo.

Since August I've gained exactly 10 pounds. I weigh 156 pounds. I need to lose between 11 and 14 pounds to be within the window of weight I want to be for my height and frame structure. I’ll report on weight loss as I go.

DAY ONE


• Wake up drink of hot water and half a lemon’s juice (allegedly too strong for one of us)

Breakfast
• 2 scrambled egg whites (e.g., “white omelet crap” that caused gagging for one of us)
• ½ a grapefruit
• 1 cup of green tea

Lunch

• Large green salad topped with albacore, 1 T olive oil; 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup green tea

Snack (any time)

• Serving of fruit (Mine was red grapes -- 1/2 cup or 15)

Dinner

• Plenty of grilled chicken with liberal amounts of vegetables from the list, steamed or raw
• 1 cup of green tea

Snack (any time)

• Sugar-free, low-fat plain yogurt (mine is Greek so it’s packed with protein)

DAY TWO

• Wake up drink of hot water and half a lemon’s juice (allegedly too strong for one of us)

Breakfast
• 6 ounces, plain, low-fat yogurt mixed with 1 cup of berries or other low sugar fruit (or 1-2 T of sugar-free jam) sweetened with stevia
• 1 cup of green tea

Lunch

• Large green salad, 1 T olive oil; 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup green tea

Snack (any time)

• Serving of fruit

Dinner

• Grilled or baked salmon with liberal amounts of vegetables from the list, steamed or raw
• 1 cup of green tea

Snack (any time)

• Sugar-free, low-fat plain yogurt (mine is Greek so it’s packed with protein)




DAY THREE

• Wake up drink of hot water and half a lemon’s juice (allegedly too strong for one of us)

Breakfast
• 2 Hard boiled or poached eggs
• ½ grapefruit or other fruit
• 1 cup of green tea

Lunch

• 1 Large bowl of Chicken Vegetable Soup (I’ll get you the recipe Soni—and I will send some your way.)
• 1 cup green tea

Snack (any time)

• Smoothie- Mix one cup of kifir or plain yogurt with frozen unsweetened berries, sugar free fruit jam and 1 T flaxseed oil. (It will work without all the ingredients too. )

Dinner

• Plenty of roasted turkey breast or turkey tenderloin with liberal amounts of vegetables from the list, steamed or raw (steamed carrots and asparagus is suggested)
• 1 cup of green tea

Snack (any time)

• Sugar-free, low-fat plain yogurt (mine is Greek so it’s packed with protein)


DAY FOUR

• Wake up drink of hot water and half a lemon’s juice (allegedly too strong for one of us)

Breakfast
• Smoothie
• 1 cup of green tea

Lunch

• Marinated Vegetable Salad or Super Salad (will get you the recipes)
• 1 cup green tea

Dinner

• Eggplant Parmesan (will get you the recipes)
• Alternative dinner is any of the other lean proteins with plenty of veggies
• 1 cup of green tea


DAY FIVE


• Wake up drink of hot water and half a lemon’s juice (allegedly too strong for one of us)

Breakfast

• 2 scrambled egg whites (e.g., “white omelet crap” that caused gagging for one of us)
• ½ a grapefruit
• 1 cup of green tea
Lunch

• Large green salad, 1 T olive oil; 2 T balsamic vinegar with baby spinach leaves; low fat feta cheese or low fat blue chees,
• 1 cup green tea

Snack (any time)

• 1 cup of fresh berries

Dinner

• Grilled or baked salmon with liberal amounts of vegetables from the list, steamed or raw
• 1 cup of green tea

Snack (any time)

• Sugar-free, low-fat plain yogurt (mine is Greek so it’s packed with protein) sweetened with Truvia

DAY SIX
Wake up drink of hot water and half a lemon’s juice (allegedly too strong for one of us)

Breakfast

• 6 ounces, plain, low-fat yogurt mixed with 1 cup of berries or other low sugar fruit (or 1-2 T of sugar-free jam) sweetened with stevia
• 1 cup of green tea

Lunch

• Lettuce Wraps or grilled chicken breast with tossed salad
• 1 cup of green tea

Dinner

• Sesame Fish or any grilled or baked fish
• Steamed veggies
• 1 cup green tea

Snacks

• 2nd fruit serving of your choice
• 2nd probiotic of your choice

Nan’s Notes for Dr. Mike Moreno’s 17-Day Diet

So I’ve been promising that I would post the notes for this new diet and it seems several of you are feeling tight waist bands like mine after the holidays. I plan to publicly put myself on the spot beginning Monday and record my weight and progress on this blog. I have some friends and family members who weigh less than my left thigh. To you I say, “Keep all expressions of shock and awe to yourself—and Welcome to the real world.”

Others in my life may be larger than me and feel my goals and extra 10 pounds are trivial in comparison. To you I say, every 10 pounds beyond what you should weigh matters, no matter how “small” or “large” you are. It’s the same road. It’s just shorter for some and longer for others. And to any man who wishes to discuss my weight with me, to him I say, think twice!

I’ll share my own recipes and recipes from the book as well as tips about family—and doing this without having to cook separately for everyone else. That’s what’s awesome about this plan. For most of it, dinners won’t look different for my family—they will just get the starch part of the meal and I won’t! No separate meal plans (unless your family insists on pizza or red meat corn and potatoes every night.)

Okay here it goes: this is a summary—if you want the whole scoop, go to www.the17daydiet.com and order the book. Briefly, this “diet” is in 4 cycles of 17 days. I will take you through as much of the cycles as I go through myself. I plan to do the first 17-day cycle. I will probably do the second 17-day cycle since I have slightly more than 12 pounds to lose and the LESS you have to lose, the slower it will come off. I doubt I will accomplish my entire goal in 17 days. I will however go on to the 4th cycle which is maintenance.

In the meantime, the average person has gained around 10-15 pounds since October. That would describe me! Here is a synopsis of the first 17 days of this plan:

Cycle 1 is called Accelerated Weight Loss using the following principles:

• Reduce carb intake so your body taps into fat storage
• Increase protein intake so that your body goes into fat burning mode
• Correct improper digestion that interferes with fat burning
• Provide rapid weight loss as an incentive to keep going
• Get sugars and refined carbohydrates and other substances that cause spikes and dips in blood sugar out of your system. Once you do this, it breaks the craving cycle.
• Clear your body of possible toxins that interfere with your thyroid gland, which helps to regulate your metabolism and cell energy factories, which convert fuel to energy.

HYDRATION
Dr. Mike suggests starting the day with a hot cup of water with one half fresh lemon squeezed into it. It’s called a “wake up” drink. The acid from the lemon gets your digestive system started before you eat. The goal is to drink 7 more glasses of water that day. Hydration helps keep your metabolism up. It also helps your skin!

He does allow us coffee (praise God!) and tea, but these are not in place of the 7 glasses of water. He also includes one cup of green tea with each meal. This is one of the several items he promotes that have been linked to speeding up your metabolism. My advise, though, is to brush your teeth after each meal if you treasure your snowy whiteness of your pearly whites. Nothing stains them like tea products. They are worse than coffee.

EXERCISE
You didn’t want to hear it—but it’s part of the plan. The good news is that it’s only 17 minutes a day. Anyone can do that. In fact, this portion of the plan is a bit calorie restricted so Dr. Mike does not recommend you do over 17 minutes a day or you will get too tired. (Imagine someone telling you to exercise less than the usual 30-60 minutes!) You can do any form of exercise that gets your heart rate up. The program has an exercise video to go with it—but simple brisk walking or any aerobic type workout for 17 minutes EVERY DAY will do the trick.

YOUR WEIGHT
My mom, well meaning though she was, used to insist that I wasn’t overweight—I was just large boned. Well, she had a point—there’s a way to tell if you are small, large or medium boned. How much you should weigh will vary depending on your body type. The following site has a great tool for determining if you are small, medium or large boned: http://www.ehow.com/how_4878341_body-frame-small-large-medium.html.

You can also get information on your ideal weight from
http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/ideal-body-weight-3146-143.html

Dr. Mike also has the charts in his book. I have to be aware of imbalanced attitudes in either direction—once in a while I need to kill the inner runway model (she is completely unrealistic…and blind) I also have to respectfully tell the Italian mother within to stop making excuses for me.

COST
One astute friend asked me how much this diet will cost. I can’t answer that for her because I don’t know what she already eats. For me, because I already purchase and eat many of the foods on the lists, it won’t cost me much more. Long term, it’s also much cheaper than the alternative. Reducing your weight by just 10% lowers cholesterol and blood pressure as well as your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. The cost of care for these obesity related ailments far outweighs a temporary spike in groceries. This eating plan will adjust to something that fits your lifestyle—these cycles are not forever. How much have you paid for movies, pizza, ice cream, texting plans, downloading music, your last vacation? Is your health worth more than this? Mine is. I’m going for it.

THE FOOD LISTS
Below is the food list for the first 17 days. It’s really simple and so much of it is stuff I already regularly eat. The problem is that other stuff that I regularly eat is NOT on the list—namely flour and sugar products )--:

*This should go without saying, but if it isn’t on the list, don’t eat it!

Lean Protein (any of the following)
(Eat all you want before you feel full. The eggs are limited per day)

Salmon, canned or fresh
Sole
Flounder
Catfish
Tilapia
Canned tuna (in water) (Albacore is less fishy)

Chicken breasts
Turkey breasts
Lean ground Turkey

Eggs (2 eggs = 1 serving)
Egg Whites (4 = 1 serving)

Cleansing Vegetables
(Eat all you want before you feel full)

Cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, spinach, okra, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, artichokes, bell peppers (all kinds), carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, kale, leeks, all varieties of lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, scallions, spinach, watercress


Low-Sugar Fruit – Limit to 2 servings daily

Apples, berries, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, prickly pear cactus, prunes, red grapes. (Frozen and canned are okay. Fresh of course is best)

Probiotic Foods/DAIRY (balance your digestion) – Limit to 2 servings a day

Yogurt—sugar free; can be fruit flavored or plane (low fat or no fat) – 6 ounces = 1 serving
*The Green plain lowfat has 23 grams of protein per serving! This will stave off hunger. Sweeten it with stevia or frozen berries.

Kefir – 1 cup = 1 serving (good for smoothies –but so is yogurt)

Low fat milk = 1 serving = 1 cup
Low fat cottage cheese = 1 serving is ½ cup)

Friendly Fats -- 1 to 2 Tablespoons daily

Olive oil or flaxseed oil

Condiments

Salsa, low-carb marinara sauce, lite soy, low car ketchup, fat free sour cream, low fat low sodium broth, truvia, sugar free jams, vegetable cooking spray, fat free cheeses (Parmesan), fat free salad dressing, salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, herbs and spices.

*Truvia or Stevia will be my friend in plain yogurt, coffee and tea!


BASIC PLAN:

• As much as you want of the specific proteins and vegetables listed
• Supplement with 2 low-sugar fruits from the list and 2 servings of the probiotics from the list
• Have no more than 1-2 Tablespoons of the friendly fats
• Exercise for 17 minutes
• Drink your green tea
• Drink your 8 glasses of water a day—and start off one of them in the a.m. as a hot wake up drink with half a lemon.



That’s it. Just eat that stuff for 17 days:

Sample menu:

Breakfast

• 2 eggs or 4 egg whites OR 1 serving of probiotic such as yogurt (Veggie omelets, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled, poached OR yogurt shake with the fruit or a cup of yogurt)
• 1 fruit serving (half a grapefruit, an orange an apple, fruit in a yogurt smoothie)
• 1 cup of green tea

LUNCH
• Liberal amounts of protein from the lean protein list
• A big salad (look at the list of stuff you can make a salad with! You can combine your protein with the salad in the form of a grilled chicken salad or dump a can of tuna or albacore (which is less fishy) on your salad. I recommend investing in some expensive, aged vinegar. You would be surprised at the great taste of it—it’s way better than the yucky fat free salad dressings. I will use ONE of my FAT allowances for my salads sometimes in the form of 1 T of olive oil drizzled over the veggies.
• 1 cup of green tea

DINNER

• Liberal amounts of protein (Marinated chicken breast—in condiments from the list; salmon; lean turkey burgers; chicken wraps with lettuce, etc.)
• Vegetables from the list
• 1 cup of green tea

SNACKS
2nd fruit serving
2nd Probiotic serving

ADDITIONAL
1 serving of friendly fat that you probably had on your salad or in cooking.



See you tomorrow on D Day!