The 17 Day Diet … Does it Work?

I need to lose weight. Wedding season continues without a pause and I have to go shopping for dresses. Nothing in my closet fits and I am not happy. Frankly, my horribly bad back, a broken left foot (broken twice!) and a bout of pneumonia kept me away from the gym, away from exercise and too near the refrigerator. The combination is lethal and resulted in, yeah, a larger and unhappier me. But, I’m feeling awesome now, have started to exercise with determination and am watching not only how many calories I consume but the type of calories too. (New research says that not all calories are created equal. Some say this theory is hogwash; others buy into it wholeheartedly. I’ll try to tackle that n a future post.) In the meantime, I need a healthy eating plan that works to take off weight. I first heard about The 17 Day Diet a few years ago – and I tried it. It worked and I wrote about it then. Weight gain wasn’t a serious issue for me back then but now my butt is taking over my body and, unless I do something to reduce it, it’s going to require its own car and a brand new wardrobe. That is not happening. Since I first wrote about The 17 Day Diet, it has remained a best selling diet book. And that’s because it works. The following is my original review of the diet. If you missed it the first time around, enjoy this repost …

According to Dr. Mike Moreno, family practitioner and author of The 17 Day Diet, the diet book that’s at the top of every best seller list, anyone can do anything for 17 days.  Armed with that motivating thought, I put the practices of Dr. Moreno’s book into action and  … I lost weight, easily, quickly and with just a minimum of hunger that lasted for about three days.

Allow me to backtrack – and to disclaim: I received a review copy of Dr. Moreno’s book, The 17 Day Diet more than two months ago.  I don’t know if your schedule is anything like mine, but I had a crazy time trying to find a stretch of 17 days when I wasn’t going to be involved in an eating fest. I attended a destination wedding, celebrated my husband’s birthday, attended family parties, several brunches, etc., etc. I know that Dr. Moreno would argue with my excuses for postponing starting his diet, saying that it can be done for any occasion and in any setting. Believe me, I pored over every word in Dr. Moreno’s book – and while I completely agree with him regarding eating healthy for any occasion, I admit that I am weak and didn’t want to give up wedding cake, carb-laden brunches and other goodies. So I postponed the diet until my schedule eased.  I am sorry that I did.  Here’s why …

Dr. Moreno’s The 17 Day Diet works.  For me, at least. I lost an astonishing 1/2 to 1 pound per day during the days I was on it. (I suffered a lapse that I blame on a tasty homemade pastry foisted upon me by a selfish and unsympathetic friend. Ok, I have to take responsibility. It was really my own weakness, once again, that caused me to lapse. Uh, twice. But now that I’m back on track, the weight is coming off and I am determined to give The 17 Day Diet its full due.)

So here’s how it works.  Dr. Moreno explains in a readable and logical manner the mechanisms for weight gain and loss. The diet, while initially calorie-restrictive and limited, is easy enough to follow. The diet is divided into four parts, the first three of which last 17 days each. They are: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve and Arrive. The first part is for fast weight and water loss – Dr. Moreno says water loss is still loss – and since you are drinking 8 glasses of water per day, dehydration is not an issue.  (I found consuming that much water to be a bit of a chore, frankly.  But I am not a drinker and probably walk around in a state of perpetual dehydration.)  For the first part of the diet, grains, starches and sugars are strictly limited or eliminated altogether in favor of lean proteins, a fairly large list of allowed vegetables and a smaller list of allowed fruits. In addition, fruits are not to be consumed after 2 pm. Fine with me. I know myself and, given a wide choice of foods, I will generally pick the wrong ones. I eat more healthfully when my choices are limited. So, I feasted on broiled salmon, egg white omelets loaded with veggies, berries and Greek yogurt. The weight came off – and I wasn’t hungry, at least not after the first couple of days. I stayed on the diet for about six days before traveling and temptation got the better of me.  (Dr. Moreno has several chapters in the book on eating on the road and eating in restaurants. Dr. Moreno, forgive me, but the flesh is weak – at least my flesh is weak – and I lapsed.  I lapsed!)

Cycle Two (Activate) incorporates slow digesting carbs, such as oatmeal and sweet potatoes, into the diet. The goal of this 17-day period is to “reset your metabolism” by alternating higher calorie consumption with lower calorie consumption on different days. The theory is controversial; some experts say it’s questionable, but fans of the diet say it worked for them.

Cycle Three (Achieve) introduces moderate portions of whole grain carbs and pastas and is designed to teach you good eating habits.

Cycle Four (Arrive) is a combination of the first three cycles and is designed to be a rest-of-your-life way of eating. For this cycle, Dr. Moreno recommends being stricter about what you put in your mouth during the week but allows indulgences on the weekend.

Dr. Moreno says you can expect to lose between 10 and 15 pounds during the first 17 days of the diet – and I don’t doubt him. Dr. Moreno makes provisions for those who don’t have a lot to lose too.  His diet is interchangeable. In other words, a dieter who loses the desired amount of weight in Cycle One can skip Cycle Two and go on to Cycle Three, which is about incorporating all foods back into the diet.  And by then, according to Dr. Moreno, one has learned about portion control, temptation and recognizing the signs of hunger – and has (hopefully) adopted a way of eating that will last a lifetime.

Check with your own doctor before beginning the 17 day diet. Have him or her look the book over to determine if it’s a healthy choice for you.  As for me, I’m starting all over again.  Certainly I can do anything for 17 days, especially if it means looking good in a pair of skinny cargo pants and form fitting tees this summer.

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