Three more days down! Yay, us! Overall, I don't think this diet is a bad one. I think the fact that you can eat "unlimited" turkey, chicken, and fish really makes a huge different. I've been on diets before that limit everything and when evening rolls around, you are just starving. With The 17 Day Diet you aren't hungry. You can make yourself two fish fillets instead of the typical one you would have with dinner, or have another egg (or egg white) in your omelet. Yes, you are cutting out a handful of items that you usually eat (bread and sugar), but you can always be full. I think that the hardest thing for us is that we can't have anything sweet (and I mean good, sugar, fruity sweetness) in the evening. Yes, you can have Truvia (or Stevia--a natural sweetener), but no matter what other people say, it just isn't anything like sugar--it's to sweet.
ANYWAY, we've made it. It's been quite easy to avoid bad food during the work day (I'm a teacher and the teacher's lounge always seems to have horrible food and snacks lurking in it) since I'm full. Hopefully the rest of the days will be as smooth as the first 6.
Below I am going to list down key points of our days, including the meals we ate, recipes we used for meals, tips of the diet, and other little tidbits of information. Please feel free to comment, add recipes, or chat it up by leaving a comment.
DAY 4:
Since it was Sunday (the Sunday before returning to work after Christmas break), I used the time to prep some food. I made Mock Rice to keep in the fridge for dinners throughout the week. I also made Turkey Meatballs which I cooked half of the batch and froze the other half raw to cook up for a future meal. The rice came in handy for two meals this week and the meatballs (the half that I cooked up and put in the fridge) have been handy for snacks and additions to our lunches. We also hard boiled 4 eggs for snacks which are really filling.
We used the Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles for awesome egg white omelets which we sprinkled just a touch of feta on the top. For lunch, my husband made ground turkey burgers with a little mozzarella, rosemary, and garlic salt. They were super yummy.
Dinner consisted of snacking on little things (like the meatballs and leftover buffalo chicken dip) and a salad.
DAY 5:
This was the first day for me and the diet to head into school. I packed a large (and I mean LARGE) salad with shredded chicken, a homemade lemon poppy seed dressing, and grapes. I was concerned about getting really hungry during the work day. For breakfast I made another omelet.
The work day was better than I expected...I wasn't tempted to snack since my hearty omelet kept me full until lunch. For dinner I made Chicken Fajitas Lettuce Wraps. They were good and gave us some varying in our dinners.
While I was making dinner, I went ahead and made some smoothies so that I could eat them in the morning without having to worry about using the blender and waking my daughter up.
DAY 6:
I WILL POST THIS AND THE RECIPES ASAP....MY BED IS CALLING ME RIGHT NOW. :)
THANKS FOR READING!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Days 1, 2, and 3
We've made it through 3 days!! Of course, as soon as you plan to watch what you eat, parties arise, events happen, and celebrations occur. Things wouldn't be any different this time...of course not! So, in the three days since we've started the diet, we've had a get together lunch with a group of long time friends and a sports gathering to watch a playoff game--not the easiest things to help you "watch your weight."
DAY 1: Notes, Tips, and Recipes
After I prepped for the diet, the first day wasn't that hard. My husband made the mistake of only eating one egg for breakfast which then made him get hungry at work early (usually he would have a piece of toast with his egg). So, two eggs (or an egg white omelet) is a must for breakfast in our case! Good to know!
Since I was still off from school for Christmas break, I was able to cook throughout the day. I browned up 2.5 lbs of ground turkey with a lot of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper (we like things spicy). I used this meat for a taco salad which I made with a mix of roman lettuce, spinach, and salsa verde...yummy! I also put two other small containers of taco meat aside for salads the next day. I used the rest of the meat in my Spicy Turkey Chili which we had for dinner on day 1. It was yummy!! *Check out the recipe on the recipe page.
Overall, I didn't have any extreme cravings or issues with day 1.
DAY 2: Notes, Tips, and Recipes
For day two, I went out of town with some friends to meet up with high school friends and their kids. My friend was going to make lunch for us. I told her ahead of time that I was on a diet and would bring my own lunch; I felt like a bit of a loser, but I didn't want to make her plan for my diet.
I packed up grapes, a large container of roman/spinach mix, my small container of taco turkey meat from yesterday, and the salsa. I filled up my large tervis tumbler with cold green tea and we headed out. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. And my friend actually made a spread of cold cuts that I snagged a couple pieces of turkey from...which made me feel like I was cheating since it wasn't in my "packed lunch." There were chips and cookies which were tempting, but I decided that it just wasn't worth it.
For dinner I made a Chicken Dijon with Meyer Lemons dish with cauliflower, broccoli, and red onion side. It wasn't my favorite dish, but we ate it and were relieved that is wasn't turkey. After dinner, my husband and I wanted something sweet; we were fully but just not satisfied. I had seen a recipe for an egg custard and decided to give that a try. I couldn't find little ramekin dishes for it, so I put it in a 9x9...not a wise choice. It was overcooked and tasted like sweet eggs. I may try it again in a smaller dish so that it can be thicker. We ended up dumping it. Oh well. But we still weren't satisfied. I decided to give the Carrot Cake Smoothie a shot. I quickly cooked up some carrots in the microwave and went to town making it. It was okay. We both drank the smoothies and felt like it was sweet enough to meet our need. *It's hard finding something sweet when you aren't supposed to eat fruit after 2pm.
DAY 3: Notes, Tips, and Recipes
Today we went to a party for the Bengal's wild card playoff game. Our friends were smoking beef brisket and invited a group over. Since we couldn't have the delicious brisket (which I would like to applaud my husband for sticking to), I asked if we could smoke some Salmon if he was still going to have the smoker going. He said yes, so we thawed out some Salmon and brought it with us--it was really good.
I tried to make Kale chips today. I have never had them before and don't know what they are supposed to look like/taste like. They were so thin and flaky that they weren't really worth it. I might try it again, cooking it a little less, since I think that I overcooked them a little.
For the football party we went to, I made up some Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Dip that we ate with celery. My friends also made a low-fat spinach artichoke dip that we munched on. I'm not sure that everything in the dip was totally on the diet, but it will be simple enough for me to try to make up and make sure it fits the diet completely (I will be doing this in the future). We drank a green tea, water, and a diet soda, so we felt like we were partaking in the drinking, even if it wasn't beer. Don't get me wrong...there's nothing better than a beer while watching the game. But once again, I felt like it wasn't worth it...especially since I probably splurged on that yummy dip.
So, 3 days done...not squeaking clean, but pretty good. :) Hope others are trying the diet and finding success. Post your comments, suggestions, and recipes! :)
DAY 1: Notes, Tips, and Recipes
After I prepped for the diet, the first day wasn't that hard. My husband made the mistake of only eating one egg for breakfast which then made him get hungry at work early (usually he would have a piece of toast with his egg). So, two eggs (or an egg white omelet) is a must for breakfast in our case! Good to know!
Since I was still off from school for Christmas break, I was able to cook throughout the day. I browned up 2.5 lbs of ground turkey with a lot of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper (we like things spicy). I used this meat for a taco salad which I made with a mix of roman lettuce, spinach, and salsa verde...yummy! I also put two other small containers of taco meat aside for salads the next day. I used the rest of the meat in my Spicy Turkey Chili which we had for dinner on day 1. It was yummy!! *Check out the recipe on the recipe page.
Overall, I didn't have any extreme cravings or issues with day 1.
DAY 2: Notes, Tips, and Recipes
For day two, I went out of town with some friends to meet up with high school friends and their kids. My friend was going to make lunch for us. I told her ahead of time that I was on a diet and would bring my own lunch; I felt like a bit of a loser, but I didn't want to make her plan for my diet.
I packed up grapes, a large container of roman/spinach mix, my small container of taco turkey meat from yesterday, and the salsa. I filled up my large tervis tumbler with cold green tea and we headed out. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. And my friend actually made a spread of cold cuts that I snagged a couple pieces of turkey from...which made me feel like I was cheating since it wasn't in my "packed lunch." There were chips and cookies which were tempting, but I decided that it just wasn't worth it.
For dinner I made a Chicken Dijon with Meyer Lemons dish with cauliflower, broccoli, and red onion side. It wasn't my favorite dish, but we ate it and were relieved that is wasn't turkey. After dinner, my husband and I wanted something sweet; we were fully but just not satisfied. I had seen a recipe for an egg custard and decided to give that a try. I couldn't find little ramekin dishes for it, so I put it in a 9x9...not a wise choice. It was overcooked and tasted like sweet eggs. I may try it again in a smaller dish so that it can be thicker. We ended up dumping it. Oh well. But we still weren't satisfied. I decided to give the Carrot Cake Smoothie a shot. I quickly cooked up some carrots in the microwave and went to town making it. It was okay. We both drank the smoothies and felt like it was sweet enough to meet our need. *It's hard finding something sweet when you aren't supposed to eat fruit after 2pm.
DAY 3: Notes, Tips, and Recipes
Today we went to a party for the Bengal's wild card playoff game. Our friends were smoking beef brisket and invited a group over. Since we couldn't have the delicious brisket (which I would like to applaud my husband for sticking to), I asked if we could smoke some Salmon if he was still going to have the smoker going. He said yes, so we thawed out some Salmon and brought it with us--it was really good.
I tried to make Kale chips today. I have never had them before and don't know what they are supposed to look like/taste like. They were so thin and flaky that they weren't really worth it. I might try it again, cooking it a little less, since I think that I overcooked them a little.
For the football party we went to, I made up some Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Dip that we ate with celery. My friends also made a low-fat spinach artichoke dip that we munched on. I'm not sure that everything in the dip was totally on the diet, but it will be simple enough for me to try to make up and make sure it fits the diet completely (I will be doing this in the future). We drank a green tea, water, and a diet soda, so we felt like we were partaking in the drinking, even if it wasn't beer. Don't get me wrong...there's nothing better than a beer while watching the game. But once again, I felt like it wasn't worth it...especially since I probably splurged on that yummy dip.
So, 3 days done...not squeaking clean, but pretty good. :) Hope others are trying the diet and finding success. Post your comments, suggestions, and recipes! :)
Friday, January 4, 2013
Prepping for Cycle 1
Two days ago I went to Sam's Club and Kroger to purchase the bulk of our food for the first week. Here is what I bought:
frozen Salmon filets
frozen Chicken breasts
frozen Tilapia filets
Yes, our fridge is PACKED!
I cut up half of the 6 head pack of lettuce I bought right away. Just a tip...if you cut, wash, and spin your lettuce, store it in a air tight container with layers of paper towel every so often (I usually do about 3 layers of paper towels - beginning, middle, and top). I will keep for about 2 weeks. :)
- lean ground turkey
- 2 large containers of Greek yogurt
- Roman lettuce (lots of it)
- spinach
- chicken broth
- celery
- bell peppers
- eggs
- egg whites
- cabbage
- lemons
- onions
- cucumbers
- canned tomatoes
- canned tomato sauce
- canned artichoke hearts
- carrots
- grapefruit
- salsa
- Stevia (or Truvia)--a natural sweetener
- vitamins
- cauliflower
- brocoli
- frozen strawberries
- frozen berries
- frozen green beans
I cut up half of the 6 head pack of lettuce I bought right away. Just a tip...if you cut, wash, and spin your lettuce, store it in a air tight container with layers of paper towel every so often (I usually do about 3 layers of paper towels - beginning, middle, and top). I will keep for about 2 weeks. :)
Starting Cycle One
We are on our way!!
Before you begin, I would suggest that you buy the book. It's a good read that's pretty light reading. Dr. Mike Moreno writes in a very leisurely way that makes it enjoyable to read about dieting. There is so much information (information that I am not going to list here) that needs to be read before jumping on the dieting wagon. So...don't wait! Buy a book!
Now, on with the dieting and planning...I've included a resource sheet that I put together listing the foods and restrictions for Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet (http://www.the17daydiet.com). One of the biggest reasons that I chose the 17 Day Diet over other diets was that there was a limit on the amount of food that you could eat. In Cycle 1, although you are limited in your food selections, you can eat unlimited protein in the form of turkey, chicken, and fish. I knew that I could make myself full, and that's what I felt would keep be going on this diet.
*I would suggest copying this information and pasting it in a Word document for easy printing.
Before you begin, I would suggest that you buy the book. It's a good read that's pretty light reading. Dr. Mike Moreno writes in a very leisurely way that makes it enjoyable to read about dieting. There is so much information (information that I am not going to list here) that needs to be read before jumping on the dieting wagon. So...don't wait! Buy a book!
Now, on with the dieting and planning...I've included a resource sheet that I put together listing the foods and restrictions for Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet (http://www.the17daydiet.com). One of the biggest reasons that I chose the 17 Day Diet over other diets was that there was a limit on the amount of food that you could eat. In Cycle 1, although you are limited in your food selections, you can eat unlimited protein in the form of turkey, chicken, and fish. I knew that I could make myself full, and that's what I felt would keep be going on this diet.
*I would suggest copying this information and pasting it in a Word document for easy printing.
FIRST CYCLE OF
THE 17 DAY DIET
PROTEINS
Fish
• Salmon
• Sole
• Flounder
• Catfish
• Tilapia
• Canned light tuna (in water)
* Opt for wild-caught rather than farm-raised fish, which may have received doses of antibiotics. Avoid the bigger fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and albacore tuna. They are the most likely to carry metals like methyl-mercury, which is considered a toxin.
Poultry
• Chicken breasts
• Turkey breasts
• Ground turkey, lean
• Eggs (2 eggs = 1 serving)
• Egg whites (4 egg whites = 1 serving)
CLEANSING VEGETABLES- LIBERAL AMOUNTS
• Artichoke
• Artichoke hearts
• Asparagus
• Bell peppers (any color)
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Green beans
• Green, leafy vegetables (including beet greens, turnip greens, collard greens)
• Kale
• Leeks
• Lettuce, all varieties
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onions
• Parsley
• Scallions
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Watercress
FIBROUS FRUIT- 2 SERVINGS DAILY
• Apples
• Berries, all types
• Grapefruit
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Prickly pear cactus
• Prunes
• Red grapes
PROBIOTIC FOODS- 2 SERVINGS DAILY
• Yogurt, any type, including Greek-style, sugar-free (6 oz. container = 1 serving) *not more than 9g of sugar per serving
• Kefir: similar to a drinking-style yogurt; great for making smoothies (1 cup = 1 serving)
• Low-fat acidophilus milk (1 cup = 1 serving)
• Yakult: (1 cup = 1 serving)
• Acidophilus milk: (1 cup = 1 serving)
• Reduced salt miso dissolved in low-fat, low-sodium broth (1 tablespoon – 1 serving)
• Sauerkraut: (1/2 cup – 1 serving)
FRIENDLY FATS: 1 TO 2 TABLESPOONS DAILY
• Olive oil
• Flaxseed oil
CONDIMENTS
Condiments and seasonings are allowed in moderation:
• Salsa, low-carb marinara sauce, lite soy sauce, low-carb ketchup, fat-free sour cream, Truvia (a non-caloric sweetener made from natural ingredients), sugar-free jams and jellies, vegetable cooking spray, fat-free cheeses (i.e. Parmesan), fat-free salad dressing, salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, herbs, and spices.
DRINKS
· Drink 8 – 8oz glasses of water each day (64 oz)
· You may drink negative water drinks, but they do not count toward your daily water.
Negative Water:
Coffee
Tea
Diet Soda
Beginning My 17 Day Diet
I know that 95% of the population makes a resolution to lose weight, but I'm bound to do it! After doing a lot of research on the Internet, contemplating buying a number of different weight loss programs, and taking a step back and trying to think about this logically, I decided to give the 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno a shot (http://www.the17daydiet.com). I ordered a book and started planning. Let the dieting begin!
Yesterday my husband and I started on our weight loss journey. I was so glad that my husband decided to jump on board...there is nothing more difficult than dieting and not having those around you (especially in your house) supporting you. And, the best form of encouragement is to have that person join. So, we jumped in together and hope to both find success.
Within this blog, I hope to record our journey, listing our success, but also noting how we are following through with the diet. I wanted to post what our days look like, any recipes we use, and tips for success. Hopefully others will be able to follow in our footsteps (which I hope will be much smaller). Feel free to add the details of your journey here, tips, and even recipes that you have found useful.
TOGETHER WE CAN WIN BY LOSING!! Best of luck!
Yesterday my husband and I started on our weight loss journey. I was so glad that my husband decided to jump on board...there is nothing more difficult than dieting and not having those around you (especially in your house) supporting you. And, the best form of encouragement is to have that person join. So, we jumped in together and hope to both find success.
Within this blog, I hope to record our journey, listing our success, but also noting how we are following through with the diet. I wanted to post what our days look like, any recipes we use, and tips for success. Hopefully others will be able to follow in our footsteps (which I hope will be much smaller). Feel free to add the details of your journey here, tips, and even recipes that you have found useful.
TOGETHER WE CAN WIN BY LOSING!! Best of luck!
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