17 Day Diet Tips and Recipes

Mock Potato Pancakes

2012-01-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

Perfect for breakfast or a side dish on the Accelerate Phase of the 17 Day Diet!

Image of potato pancake courtesy of Alcinoe/morguefile.com

Mock Potato Pancakes Recipe

Makes 4 pancakes (1 serving)

Ingredients:

1 cup Spaghetti Squash
1 whole egg (or 2 egg whites)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, feta cheese or ricotta cheese.
Salt & Pepper or Seasoning Salt
Olive Oil Spray or 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 green onions, sliced (optional)

Prior to making pancakes, prepare spaghetti squash by cutting in half and baking at 350 for approximately an hour (cut side up), or boiling in salted water for 10-15 minutes. When cooked (squash is done when it can be shredded into strands), shred squash by running the tines of a fork lengthwise across the flesh of the squash to form spaghetti-like strands.

Pancake Cooking Directions:

Add mixture of eggs and cheese to one cup shredded spaghetti squash
Add seasonings to taste and sliced onion, if desired
Spray skillet with 5 sprays of olive oil, and heat to medium high
Divide squash mixture into 4 pancakes and brown on both sides.

Guests? Multiply this recipe by number of guests!

YouTube: "How to Cook Spaghetti Squash"by HowCast

Weighing Yourself

2012-01-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

Are you stepping on that scale too often? Here's an article that might help you change your ways:

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself When Dieting?

Stepping on the scale regularly is a healthy habit for everyone to adopt. But when trying to lose weight, how often should a dieter weigh-in?

Dr. Mike Moreno reports in his book, The 17 Day Diet, “Not too many people like to weigh themselves. Doctors know this. After patients step on the scale, they think it is giving them the weight of a completely different person, like Hulk Hogan.”

Should a Dieter Weigh Daily, Weekly, or What?

Most dieters are impatient to see results and many jump on the scale every day to find out the verdict. Is this wise?

Some weight loss experts feel that weighing daily can have a detrimental effect on motivation if the number on the scale isn’t what a dieter had hoped to see. Additionally it takes a reduction of 3,500 calories to lose a pound. Due to these two facts, many weight loss plans incorporate a weekly weigh-in.

However, Irene Rubaum Keller, licensed psychotherapist and author of the book, Foodaholic, recommends tracking weight daily, first thing in the morning. Continuing Reading at Suite 101: "How Often Should You Weigh Yourself When Dieting?"

Egg Drop Soup

2012-01-30T17:31:00.000-08:00

My take on an old favorite. Perfect for any phase of the 17 Day Diet. Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 cups broth
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup frozen peas and carrots (for the first phase, replace peas with celery).
1 - 6 oz. can sliced mushrooms
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (low sodium)
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup bamboo shoots (sliced into bite sized strips)
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 whole egg and 1 egg white

Directions:

Set aside 1/2 cup of broth and mix in cornstarch.
Beat eggs.
Heat broth and when hot add all ingredients except cornstarch and eggs.
Once soup boils cook another 2-3 minutes.
Add cornstarch mixture and stir for 30 seconds
Turn off heat and add eggs slowly. I used a plastic strainer with small holes into which I added the eggs so that they dripped into the soup slowly, making small strings. Stir in a circle as you add the egg...one direction only...once the soup has the amount of egg you like, stop adding
Enjoy!

Easy Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-01-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Stuffed mushrooms are a great snack to make while you are on the restrictive phases of the 17 Day Diet. I usually make stuffed mushrooms after I've cooked ground turkey for another dish, setting aside 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked meat. Here's an easy version that you can modify as you like:

Ingredients:
8 oz pack of large whole mushrooms
1/2 - 3/4 cups ground chicken or turkey cooked with onions and green peppers.
2-3 Tablespoons Low Fat Cheese (I used a combination of Mozzarella and Parmesan)
Seasoning Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Spray a baking pan or dish with Olive Oil Spray
Wash Mushrooms and remove stems. Place on baking dish cap side down.
In bowl, mix leftover cooked ground turkey or chicken (cooked with onion and green peppers), cheeses and seasoning salt to taste.
Salt mushroom caps lightly and fill each cap with meat/cheese mixture.
Spray top of filled mushroom cap with olive oil spray.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and tops are starting to brown.

Variations: When you get to Phase 3 (Achieve), you can use lean ground beef. Crushed fat-free croutons could also be added to meat/cheese mixture on Phase 2 (Activate).

Enjoy!

Recipe Checklist for the 17 Day Diet

2012-01-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

The hardest part of any diet is learning what foods are "legal" on the diet and applying that knowledge to recipes. Dr. Moreno has provided recipes in his 17 Day Diet book, but let's face it, the same recipes can get old.

The biggest challenge is finding recipes that will work for the first phase of the 17 Day Diet (Accelerate). The first phase restricts starchy carbohydrates so start by looking for websites that offer low-carb recipes that will be fairly close to the 17 Day Diet guidelines.

Accelerate Phase Checklist

Here's an easy checklist to reference when evaluating any recipe.

Allowed ingredients:

Lean proteins (no beef)
Cleansing Vegetables (Almost all green and leafy are okay. No rice, potatoes, legumes, corn, oatmeal)
Low-sugar fruit (2 servings a day)
Plain yogurt, Low-fat Cottage Cheese
Friendly fats (Olive Oil, Flaxseed oil and limit to no more than 2 tablespoons for one serving.)
Condiments (salsa, low-sugar marinara, fat-free sour cream, broth, artificial sweetener, fat free cheeses and salad dressings and most seasonings).

If there is a particular vegetable or ingredient you're not certain about, check the lists provided in Chapter 3, starting on page 41 of the book.

Websites to search:

I love, love, love Skinnytaste.com (Gina's Skinny Recipes). Start in the Low-carb section and work your way out to other recipes.

For instance, in this section, Asian Grilled Chicken looks perfect except for the Teriyaki sauce. Try making your own teriyaki sauce that is low-sugar or sugar free. Kalyn's Kitchen has a Low-Sugar (or sugar-free) Teriyaki Chicken recipe you could try.

Another recipe that caught my eye was the Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Mozarella Cheese. This recipe is legal by just switching out the mozzarella cheese with low-fat Parmesan cheese.

Other sites to check are Food Network, Allrecipes.com, Low Carb Recipes, etc. A web search will turn up lots of other low-carb options.

Create a 17 Day Diet Recipe Notebook

Once you've found a recipe that fills the bill, print it off, mark any adjustments needed and label the recipe "Accelerate" or whatever phase the recipe fits into. Slip it into a clear plastic sleeve and add it to a recipe notebook. In no time at all you'll have a full 17 Day Diet cookbook! Slip a copy of this post in the front of your notebook so you'll have the checklist handy.

Happy recipe hunting!

Jane Fonda's "Firm and Burn" Exercise DVD

2012-01-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier, I kept hearing about Jane Fonda's new workout DVD, Firm and Burn. After watching her on some talk show (maybe Dr. Phil?) I decided I would order it in time to start a new exercise routine for 2012.

And I am so glad I did!

I'll admit this workout may not be for everyone...if you are a workout maniac or a youngster, it might be a little too easy and the music may be boring for you. But for me and others my age, or for those who are not in tip top shape, I found this a perfect workout. It's a forty-minute routine that includes a warm up and cool down. You do low-impact aerobics to four songs that get progressively more intense but never so hard that you can't hang in there. Jane is leading a small group through the routine..(Isn't it hard to believe she just turned 75?)

I highly recommend this DVD if you are looking for a routine that you won't dread, yet is effective . (My 8 year old granddaughter and I worked out to it one evening. She was tired afterward but wanted to do it again the next day!) I always work up a sweat and really appreciate the fact that the routine is easy to follow. I was doing it on a regular basis until I caught a cold last week and had to take a break. I am looking forward to doing it as soon as I am healthy again!(I listed the DVD on my Amazon favorites below if you want to buy it too!)

Check out the YouTube preview of this DVD below and then get moving!

Champagne and Your Diet

2011-12-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of dieraecherin/morguefile

Okay...it's midnight...everyone is counting down....you have a glass of Champagne in your hand, courtesy of your party hostess. Time is ticking, five, four, three, two, one...right down to the moment everyone shouts, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Even if you are on a diet, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? So, kiss your honey (or someone else's if he's not nearby) and toast everyone around you, then sip a little of that bubbly in your hand. After all tomorrow is a new day AND a new year anyway, right?

So how much diet damage will you do with that one flute of champagne?

According to the Calorie Count website, a 4 oz. glass of Champagne has 91 calories, no fat or protein, and 1.2 grams of carbs. Don't get carried away and grab that bottle out of your hostess's hand however, because getting tipsy on the whole 25.4 fl. oz. bottle of bubbly will add a whopping 495 calories, according to the fitsugar website.

No matter how much you indulge, don't forget to be responsible...Don't drink and drive! And if you need a ride, remember you can call AAA's tipsy tow whether you are a member or not!

Have a happy and safe journey into the 2012 New Year!

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of jppi/morguefile.com

Well, it's that time of year again...out with the old year and in with the new. I'm already thinking of my resolutions for the 2012 year, and I'm planning some very positive changes. More sleep, less worry and resuming my diet and exercise plan.

The holidays are brutal on even the most disciplined, aren't they? To be honest, once the Christmas season has wound down, I am usually a little relieved. Thanks goodness for diets like the 17 Day Diet that can help us jump-start getting back into the groove, right?

I never bought the 17-minute workout DVD that is promoted with the diet, but instead created my own myriad of 17 minute exercise routines. This has worked okay, but I'm not sure it is the most effective, so I am going another route. Being a Senior myself, I just ordered Jane Fonda's new workout DVD "Firm and Burn" low impact workout DVD through Amazon. I also ordered the book, "Don't Diet, Live it" (authors Andrea Wacther and Marcea Marcus) which I have heard about over the past few years. (Look at the Amazon sidebar if you are interested in these items too.)

I'm hoping that tackling both the internal and external factors that have affected my weight to yo-yo over the years will help me conquer my addiction to food. Good luck to you too with your fitness plan for 2012. Here's wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!

Post Thanksgiving Pep Talk....And What About Those Leftovers?

2011-11-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

Okay...we got past Thanksgiving, thank goodness! Time to get back on it...eating healthy in logical portions, that is. So what to do with all those leftovers? Take these steps:

Whatever you don't eat up the day after Thanksgiving, divide into two groups: one that is low in calories and fat (turkey, vegetables, fresh fruit) and that artery clogging food in the other (heavy gravies, stuffing, potatoes, rolls, and deserts.)
If you didn't send stuffing and potatoes, or pies, cakes and other deserts home with family or friends after the feast, consider your neighbors. Visit a senior who would be thankful for a pumpkin pie, or a bachelor who hasn't been offered a homemade meal in while and get rid of temptation.
With the food you have left, plan meals around those leftovers that will fit into the 17 Day Diet, for instance:

Use cubed turkey and make Turkey Vegetable Soup, using Dr. Mike's Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe.
Fill fresh lettuce leaves with turkey, cucumbers or celery and spray with salad spritzer. Eat as a main dish for lunch or dinner.
Use fruit for Kefir Smoothies, or freeze for Smoothies in a few days.
Moisten turkey chunks with a mixture of low fat mayonnaise and honey mustard, add chopped green pepper, onions and celery and top a bed of greens for a tasty salad.
Fill celery stalks with fat free cream cheese to eat as a snack.

And just as important as those 3 steps are, it's just as important for you to get right back into exercising those 17 minutes a day! So, step 4 should be: get right back into the exercise routine and stay on it right up to the Christmas holidays.

Don't beat yourself up for stuffing yourself on Thanksgiving, but don't let that habit linger! Take swift action to clear out the temptations and jump back into action. Your waistline will thank you!

I'm a Kefir Factory Now!

2011-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally bought some Kefir grains and am trying my hand at making my own Kefir. I bought the Kefir grains from Lifetime Kefir through Amazon Marketplace for around $15.00 which includes the shipping costs. I am on the third batch, with the first two batches of Kefir down the drain, per the instructions. Everything I've read indicates that with proper handling the Kefir grains can last forever, so I hope I've bought my last bottle of Kefir from the store!

Here's my little Kefir factory!

With these Kefir grains, the first batches are small. The instructions say to put the grains first in 1/2 cup milk, allow to sit on counter for 24 hours, drain, place in another 1/2 cup milk, another 24 hour wait, drain, and the third time use 1 cup milk which I've done today. After 24 hours, the first two batches became very curd-like so I rinsed the grains with bottled water before placing into the next batch. According to the instructions, this third batch should be able to be consumed.

The Kefir grains are growing larger each batch, so I hope, in time, I should have enough to make a quart. At very least, soon I hope to have enough to make a 17 Day Diet Kefir Smoothie!

I'll keep you posted!

11/18/2011 Update:

Finally today, I have Kefir that I can drink! It wasn't much...approximately 1/2 cup but I made a smoothie out of it plus some store-bought Kefir I had in the fridge, and it tasted good.

A little note...the third batch ended up being more curds and murky liquid and I was about to give up on this whole idea. However, I realized that I hadn't rinsed off the Kefir grains enough and had transferred quite a bit of curd along with it. To be honest, I wasn't clear on how to tell the Kefir grains from the curd until last night. So, to clarify, the kefir grains become larger and are off-white, spongey lumps. I used up half a bottle of spring water rinsing them off before I made last night's batch. Tonight, I had only the tiniest bit of curd and the liquid I strained off was good, creamy Kefir!

If you have questions, let me know. I now have renewed faith about this working! :)

Chris Powell's Carb Cycling Diet Plan

2011-10-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

I watched a Dr. Oz segment on another diet plan developed by Chris Powell from ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover’ Weight Loss Edition'. This is an interesting plan that utilizes carb cycling, similar to the 17 Day Diet's second cycle. Here is an article that outlines Powell's plan and a video of the Dr. Oz show where Powell recommends an easy and effective move he calls the "burpee".

Digital News Report: "Chris Powell Discusses Carb Cycling Plan for Weight Low on The Dr. Oz Show

I'm going to consider some of his concepts too, and incorporate twenty "burpees" to my daily exercise routine. I just did twenty and whoa!....they are amazingly challenging!

17 Day Diet Recipes from "The Doctors"

2011-10-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/public domain

Did you know that "The Doctor's" website has a section for 17 Day Diet Recipes?" In this section, readers can share their ideas to improve the recipes in the 17 Day Diet book as well as their own original culinary creations. Be sure to check out the post entitled "Pizza Margherita"...sounds yummy! If you try any of these, let us know what you think!

For these recipe ideas go here:
The Doctors Website, 17 Day Diet Recipes

Five Yummy Diet Food Tricks

2011-09-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

Think Outside the Recipe Box to Lose Weight

When you need to drop a few pounds, the first vision that comes into your head is probably boring salads and celery sticks. With just a little research and creativity, however, losing five pounds or even twenty-five pounds won't seem so boring. Here are five tips to try.

1. Use Lettuce Leaves in place of bread or tortillas. Use the outer leaves of a head of lettuce for more than salad! The larger leaves of iceberg, romaine or butter lettuce work great in creating tasty lunch wraps and "boats". Wash, rinse and pat dry and use them in place of a taco shell, tortilla or bread. Fill with:

-Chicken fajita mixture

-Ground turkey taco meat, salsa and low-fat cheese

- Sliced turkey, chopped cucumber, low-fat cheese and season with a salad spritzer.

2. Use cucumbers like crackers or chips. If your diet program is low to moderately low in carbs, such as Atkins, or the 17-day diet, you will miss the crunch of chips and crackers. Peel and slice a cucumber in a small bowl, cover with water and chill. Make your favorite chicken or tuna salad and use the cucumbers like crackers. Mix Ranch dressing into fat-free dressing and use cucumbers like a chip. The more you use them, the more snacky ideas you'll come up with. For a quick tuna salad recipe, click here.

For more ideas, continue reading, "Five Yummy Diet Food Tricks"

What About Losing Weight in the Bedroom?

2011-09-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Once the weight starts to come off we all feel a little sexier, right? That's a really good thing, too, because that equates to more activity of a different type. Here's an article of mine that might be incentive for putting the kids to bed a little earlier each night.

Image in the public domain/wikimedia commons

Have Sex and Lose Weight

Everyone knows that losing weight requires eating less and exercising more. So, can sex help a woman in regard to both? The answer appears to be yes!

Almost every woman has experienced losing weight after beginning a torrid love affair, right? The reason for this involves three things: the euphoric high that a new passionate relationship creates, a busier schedule that leaves little time for eating, and the thermogenic energy of all that body heat!

More Sex, Less Food?
Often the start of a new love affair involves fitting a relationship into an already hectic schedule. Somewhere between homework and laundry, kid's soccer practice and teacher nights, a 50-hour workweek and yard work, lovers must carve time for a budding romance and steamy trysts!

Often this busier schedule diverts attention away from the refrigerator, and toward preparation for a date or cuddling on the couch with that new love interest. Attention quickly shifts from boredom-filling activities like nibbling on popcorn, with more time spent on personal hygiene, changing the sheets and shopping for that perfect outfit!

Oprah.com's May 2009 article, "The Easier Way to Diet" by Martha Beck, supports this sex-over-food theory. Beck says, "If you've ever fallen in love, you probably did this (lose weight) by accident. In the throes of new romance, our beastie brain is focused on bonding and mating, not food. Emotional eating? Who needs it? Staying active? No problem! 'The pounds just melted off,' people say of their falling-in-love phase."

Is 'Sexercise' a Good Workout?

Keep reading to find out: "Have Sex and Lose Weight?"

How to Burn 200 Extra Calories a Day

2011-09-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Alvimann/morguefile.com

I think by now that most of us who have ever been on a diet know that in order to lose a pound we must have a deficit of 1500 calories, whether it be from eating less or exercising more. If you are following the 17 Day Diet, your food intake should be reduced sufficiently to drop a pound a week, and if you want to make that number on the scale drop faster, exercising those 17 minutes a day will definitely help.

But what about the other part of your life? Should your quest for fitness be limited to food intake and 17 minutes of exercise? I'm thinking NOT! Here is an article from Self.com that gives you twenty additional ways to burn off 200 calories, which could shave off almost an additional pound each week if you pick one activity each day.

Come on! Life is about the whole day, right? Check out these activities and work a few into your week. Losing weight isn't rocket science. It's about eating less and moving more!

Read the article here: "20 Ways to Burn 200 calories"

Homemade Kefir - Why and How

2011-09-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

If you have tried the Kefir shakes on the 17 Day Diet, you have probably bit the bullet and paid the grocery store price for a small bottle of this cultured milk. But did you know you can make it yourself? Read on...

First of all, why do we want to drink Kefir?
As explained in Dr. Moreno's book, kefir contains beneficial yeast and friendly ‘probiotic’ bacteria. While looking for additional Kefir resources online that might corroborate its health benefits, I ran across Kefir.net, which also claims, "The naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in kefir combine symbiotically to give superior health benefits when consumed regularly. It is loaded with valuable vitamins and minerals and contains easily digestible complete proteins." They also explain that its abundance of beneficial yeast and bacteria provide the enzyme, lactase, a benefit to lactose intolerant individuals.

Kefir is touted as being a balanced and nourishing food, and kefir supporters tout that kefir contributes to a healthy immune system. While not all medical experts agree on its medicinal value, the Kefir website claim that it has been used "to help patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes, and cancer." They also state that, "Its tranquilizing effect on the nervous system has benefited many who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)."

I LOVE the kefir smoothies, as my readers already know. What's not to love? In addition to being healthy, they are easy and delicious! In her WebMD blog, Chef Domenica Catelli, recommends a kefir smoothie in the morning, entitling her post as "Great Way to Jumpstart the Day". She even provides a kefir smoothie recipe in the post that is very similar to Dr. Moreno's version and the ones I make.

Making Kefir Yourself
This is all new to me, since I just discovered kefir could be made at home. I've learned that to get started, you need to buy kefir grains, which is a weird name for them since they look more like curds. There are lots of resources online that sell these "grains," and many videos that demonstrate how to culture them.

I will be experimenting with making my own kefir as soon as I get the grains, but I wanted to share this discovery with my readers now, so you could check it out as well. As far as I can tell, the health benefits are no different in homemade than store bought, just the cost and convenience. In researching, I also discovered that you make kefir from grains or kefir starter, which are different from one another. I've decided to use kefir grains since this method appears to have more health benefits and the grains don't have a lifespan like the starter culture does. (See article below for more info on this.)

To help you get started, I've included some online resources as well as these two YouTube videos. The first video outlines the process for making homemade kefir and I've included a mesh strainer in my Amazon favorites similar to the kind used in this video. The second video explains more about kefir grains and how to store them. After you watch the videos, I think you might be interested in tackling this too, because it sounds easy-peasy! I'll let you know how it goes for me if you will too....

More Kefir Resources:
Healing with Food: Kefir
Kefir.net
WebMD: Kefir (Uses, Side Effects, Interactions)
Cultures for Health

Kefir Grains vs. Kefir Starter Culture

Coverage of the 17 Day Diet on WebMD

2011-09-20T00:43:00.000-07:00

Think Skinny!! Image courtesy of xenia/morguefile

I've mentioned previously that I like to read as much as I can about diets and losing weight, and I pay special attention now when the 17 Day Diet is the topic.

WebMD Expert, Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD reviewed the diet in her article: "17 Day Diet: Diet Review." In her article, she recaps the phases of the diet and explains the basic concepts. While she agrees with some of the diet's concepts, she also disagrees on others.

She says, "Experts give thumbs-up for the food choices, overall message of clean eating, avoiding unhealthy carbs, enjoying foods that you love, and regular exercise. But thumbs-down on the weight loss theory and restriction of healthy foods like fruits and low-fat dairy."

Her opinion is that the calorie cutting may not be terribly different than what you might do on your own, and quotes the opinions of American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Keri Gans, by saying, "Gans cautions that the weight loss is not because of metabolism confusion but primarily due to cutting calories, and that the initial water weight loss may be short-lived and not sustainable once you bring carbs back into your diet."

Dr. Zelman provides a few tweaks that make some sense to me, like tossing out the time restriction regarding fruit (I have a problem getting mine in before the cut-off, and can an apple at 9:00 in the evening really be a bad thing?). I guess the proof is in the pudding, or in the case of the 17 Day Diet, in the Kefir shake? I think it's important to consider all opinions, and then do what works for you in getting healthy. Posting a picture like the one above on the fridge doesn't hurt either!

You can read Dr. Zelman's article on WebMD here.

17 Day Diet Recipe Favorite: Smoothies

2011-08-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Zabmo/morguefile.com

I've written before about how much I love the smoothies as a part of the 17 Day Diet. In fact, the Kefir Smoothie is one of my favorite 17 Day Diet recipes. It is easy and satisfies that craving I get for something desert-like.

In addition to making the smoothie in the book, I also make a smoothie using low-fat plain yogurt that is 17 Day Diet legal (recipe is outlined on my Tips and Advice for the 17 Day Diet article).

I found a tasty twist on my yogurt smoothie recipe this week. I didn't have club soda or flavored carbonated water, but did have a diet orange soda, so I used it to make a frozen strawberry smoothie, using these ingredients:

1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 to 1/2 can diet orange soda (depending on your preference for thickness)
1/8 cup splenda

It is so yummy, and now I'm on a Orange soda-strawberry smoothie kick. I'm thinking I'll try a root beer smoothie next!

17 Day Diet Food Choices Aren't so Bad!

2011-08-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

I respond to visual stimulus, so sometimes for me, watching a TV show or video about something becomes embedded in my brain. Try out this visual image of the food on 17 Day Diet to help your brain accept the fact that the healthy food on this diet is tasty as well!

ABC Coverage of the 17 Day Diet

2011-08-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

If you missed this on ABC during the Spring, here it is again.

It's a great overview and has some inspirational reports by real people!

Exercise with Swagger!

2011-08-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

I sit at the computer for a large part of my day, which is not good for losing weight. I guess, instead of a couch potato, you could call me a computer yam. So, in addition to the recommended 17 minutes of exercise in Dr. Moreno's book, I am adding at least two more bursts of exercise during the day.. This gets my blood moving and revs up my metabolism an extra twenty minutes a day!

I found a little secret that makes my exercise sessions a little more fun and effective: Whatever exercise I choose to burn those calories, I do it with swagger!

By this I mean I add a little attitude and move as many of my body parts at the same time as I can. Instead of just walking to lose weight, I prance, twist my torso, shake my booty, and swing my arms. When I march I pump my arms and shoulders and lift my knees high. If I dance in front of the TV, I pretend I am on Dancing with the Stars and exaggerate movement of my entire body in my most erotic cha cha. By making my feet, arms, torso and shoulders move together with all the swagger that I can muster, I am burning bonus calories!

Try it. Work on getting skinnier with bursts of exercise that reflect your inner swagger! Cha Cha like Chelo!

Drink Your Green Tea!

2011-08-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Back on the 17 Day Diet wagon again, I am focusing on several things during this accelerate phase, one being drinking all those cups of green tea. I have included it during the diet before, but I confess that I may have missed a few cups here and there. Plus, after going off the diet, I only brewed a cup on a rare occasion.

After some recent research, I understand why Dr. Moreno includes green tea on the 17 Day Diet in our daily diet ritual and why I might want to drink it with every meal for the rest of my life!

Why, you ask? Well, apparently, drinking green tea with meals helps to slow down the spike in blood sugar our bodies experience after we eat, and may inhibit storage of glucose in our fat cells. Isn't that enough to make you want to join the Green Tea society as well?

Read more about green tea on the 17 Day Diet here.
Pinkies up!

Accelerate Cycle Here I Come Again!

2011-08-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

This is a blog and not an advertisement for the 17 Day Diet or an avenue for revenue for Dr. Moreno, so I'm always going to be honest here. Having said that, I have found that the 17-Day diet plan, just like losing weight in general, is not a straight line to success. I have stuck with it for two months straight and then fallen off entirely. Lose. Gain. That's always been my story.

However, I find that when I come back to this plan, it always works. I actually like the first phase, accelerate, the best. Yes, that hard core, low carb phase!

For some reason, I feel the most confident during this phase and give into temptation less than when I start adding in rice and other starchy carbs. I'm back on it now and feel energetic and positive, and I am exercising more now too. I think it's because I am purging out toxins from my system and the fact that I can see a difference around my midriff right away that sets off this diet high for me.

I am hoping to make it to the final stage this time, hoping that the maintenance plan might work for me in the long haul. If not, whenever I gain five pounds I am going back to the accelerate cycle again. My goal is to have that number on the scale go down year after year, even if I take a diet detour occasionally. I refuse to feel guilty...just determined!

My family on our recent cruise.
I'm the Grandma in the middle :)

17 Day Diet on "The Doctors"

2011-08-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Hotblack/morguefile.com

I just watched coverage of the 17 Day Diet today on ABC's "The Doctors". As well, MSN's Fitbie section published an article, "The Truth About Popular Diet Plans," today which includes the 17-Day Diet as one of the eight diets covered. I'd say by the comments from Fitbie, it gets two thumbs up! Would you agree that this "diet" is here to stay?

Read the article here: "The Truth About Popular Diet Plans"

Watch the video from eight months ago:

Reading About Dieting

2011-07-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Image provided by dionsilva/morguefile.com

In addition to reading the 17 Day Diet book front to back in an effort to understanding it's diet principles, I read almost every book and article I can about dieting, weightloss and fitness principles. Sure, I can't read them all, but I read as much as often as I can.

It really doesn't take that much time to weed out the informative stuff from the ones that regurgitate the same old BS. If you don't do this already, I suggest that you start today. Nothing will remind your body how to behave better than filling your mind with the right information!

I found an article today on fitbie.com, "The Truth About Calories" that I hope you'll read.

Much of the article serves as a reminder to veteran dieters the importance of being conscious of our food choices and the importance of lifestyle changes like incorporating exercise. What I really liked about the article most is that it stresses how it doesn't make much difference what diet we choose, reducing calories and revving up exercise is still the key.

It is easy to become lost in the myriad of diets out there and wonder which diet is best and how to tackle losing weight. Even though many think that the 17 Day Diet is just a fad diet, I have always defended it, because I believe that any diet that I can stick with that works, is a good diet. In addition to that, I feel that any diet that gives me energy and incorporates healthy foods can't be considered a "fad".

While I have fallen off the wagon and climbed back on, I find that the 17 Day Diet's principles are now my fall-back position when I get serious about dieting or notice a few pounds creeping back. I still have some weight to lose and I admit I have given into temptation on occasion, but I am steadily improving my habits and reducing the number on the scale month over month.

Now, instead of my old, count-every-calorie diet that I used in my twenties and thirties, or the Atkins low carb diet that helped me slim down in my forties, the 17 day diet is now my diet standard. I wish I could lose weight and never have to "diet" again, but I guess that's not my lot in life.

I hope you enjoy the article.... and also feel good about following a diet that isn't really is a "fad" but is right in step with the times.