So the other day my boyfriend emails me a PDF of the 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno. At first I thought my boyfriend's email got hacked or something and that it was probably a virus and not a real PDF of this book. You see, I've been trying to get my BF to go on a limited calorie diet for the longest time and he has refused and has been eating like a pig. So imagine my surprise when he sends me an email saying that he wants to try it.
Initially, I did not want to start this diet because it sounded like some form of extreme dieting which I refuse to do. Up to this point, my weight loss strategy has been to eat whatever I want but in moderation. I limit my calorie intake to 1,200 calories a day with at least and hour of exercise everyday. I track my calories on my phone using this app called My Fitness Pal and it's pretty awesome and really helpful in helping me lose weight. I also try to have a balanced meal and not eat too much fattening stuff. Of course I occasionally increase my caloric intake so as not to mess up my metabolism. I had been doing this for about 9 months and have only managed to lose a measely 12 pounds! I can't even believe how slowly I have been losing weight. This is really frustrating because I exercise like a maniac. I also did a 6 week bootcamp class and don't even think I lost ANY weight from that. And trust me, I did not slack on my workouts.
I blame my slow weight loss on my stupid IUD, Mirena. Before I got the IUD, all I had to do was run or do some type of aerobic exercise for about 30 minutes a day and eat healthier to lose weight. Right before I had my IUD put in, I had lost about 11 pounds in one month. I was about 10 pounds away from my goal weight. Around the same time that I decided to have my IUD put in, I decided to switch up my workout regimen by doing P90X plus running and eating lean meats and vegetables in order to reach my goal weight faster. Needless to say, I was never able to reach my goal weight despite sticking to my workout and diet regimen. I even added Insanity to my workouts. Though I got really toned (and looked HOTT), I never was able to lose any more weight. Keep in mind that I had stuck to this for about a year. Of course I gained weight after I moved away from my workout and diet buddy and moved in with my gluttonous, overweight boyfriend and picked up some of his bad eating habit. But that's another story.
Fast forward to today. I had heard something about the 17 Day Diet on Dr. Oz but didn't pay much attention to it. The name of it makes it sound like some sort of a fad or gimmick that involves crash dieting. I once lost 20 pounds in 2 months by cutting out carbs from my diet and exercising profusely. Once I added carbs back into my diet though, I eventually gained all the weight back and then some. From then on, I refused to participate in any type of crash dieting. But as I started reading the book, I began to realize that it's more of a lifestyle than a diet. Here's how it works:
There are 4 phases: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve and Arrive. Each phase lasts 17 days. You basically go through each of the phases until you reach your goal weight. If you happen to reach your goal weight after the first phase, then you just simply skip to the last phase which is the Arrive phase. The Arrive phase helps you to maintain your weight and just consists of healthy eating through the week and splurging on weekends. However, if by chance, you do not reach your goal weight by the end of the third phase, you just simply stay on the third phase or go back to the other phases in 17 day cycles until you have reached your goal weight. Furthermore, if you are in the Arrive phase and find that you have gained some weight, you can go back to the other phases again to help shed those unwanted pounds. The first phase will be the hardest but you also lose the most weight. In the 17 Day Diet, you basically start out by reducing your carb, sugar, and fat intake and then slowly reintroducing them into your diet through 17 day phases until you reach your goal. That doesn't sound so hard, does it?
Anyway, today is the first day of our diet and I'm about 15 pounds away from my goal weight. I'm so glad my BF has decided to do this diet with me so that we can support each other. Hopefully if I'm successful, I will be able to blog more about this diet. So wish me luck!
