The 17 Day Diet (17 page)

In this cell-based study, they found that resveratrol inhibited the pre-fat cells from increasing and prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Also, resveratrol hindered fat storage.

This makes sense when you think about French women. French women are skinny, even though they eat a high-fat diet and drink lots of wine. In fact, according to the most recent statistics, French women also have Europe’s lowest average Body Mass Index—the measure of weight that takes into account someone’s height.

Scientists think the resveratrol in red wine is a fat-burner—and why the French can eat gobs of fat and still stay thin.

Source:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.

Natural Starches

Breads (1 slice = 1 serving)

Cracked wheat

Fiber-enriched bread

Gluten-free bread

Multi-grain bread

Oat bran bread

Sugar-free bread

Pumpernickel

Rye bread

Whole grain bagel (½ = 1 serving)

Whole wheat pita bread, 1 pocket

Whole wheat tortilla—10”

High Fiber Cereals (1 cup = 1 serving, unless where indicated)

All-Bran

All-Bran Extra

All-Bran Bran Buds

Fiber One

Gluten-free cold cereals

Low-sugar granola (½ cup = 1 serving)

Pasta (½ cup = 1 serving)

Whole-wheat pasta

Gluten-free pasta

Vegetable-based pasta

High-fiber pasta

Udon noodles

Vegetables—Unlimited

All cleansing vegetables

Alfalfa

Broccoli sprouts

Chilies

Cilantro

Fennel

Grape leaves

Jicama

Kelp and other edible seaweeds

Kohlrabi

Nopales (edible cactus)

Pea pods

Radishes

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Summer squash

Swiss chard

Yellow wax beans

Zucchini

Virtually any vegetable

Fruits—2 servings daily*

Apricots

Bananas

Cherries

Currants

Figs

Kiwi

Kumquats

Guava

Mango

Papaya

Pineapple

Pomegranate

Tangerine

Tangelo

Virtually any fresh fruit

* Serving = 1 piece fresh or 1 cup chopped fresh fruit
Note:
If you are watching your sugar intake, stick to lower sugar fruits. These include apples, berries (all varieties), cherries, grapefruit, orange, peach, pear, and plums.

Probiotics, Dairy, and Dairy Substitutes: 1 to 2 servings daily

Note:
Some people don’t like dairy foods, or can’t digest them properly. If you’re one of them, try dairy substitutes instead (see below). Try to eat at least one serving daily from this list while on the Achieve Cycle.

Probiotic foods from Accelerate and Activate Cycles

Low-calorie cheeses (brie, camembert, fontina, low-fat cheddar, edam, feta, goat, limburger, and part-skim mozzarella) (2 ounces = 1 serving)

Low-fat cottage cheese (½ cup = 1 serving)

Low-fat milk, including skim (1 cup = 1 serving)

Low-fat ricotta cheese (½ cup = 1 serving)

Dairy substitutes: Sugar-free rice, almond, or soy milk (1 cup = 1 serving)

Friendly Fats—1 to 2 tablespoons daily, unless where indicated

Avocado (¼ fruit = 1 serving)

Canola oil (1 tablespoon = 1 serving)

Walnut oil (1 tablespoon = 1 serving)

Light mayonnaise (2 tablespoons = 1 serving)

Mayonnaise (1 tablespoon = 1 serving)

Nuts or seeds, unoiled (2 tablespoons = 1 serving)

Reduced-calorie margarines (2 tablespoons = 1 serving)

Reduced-fat salad dressings (2 tablespoons = 1 serving)

Salad dressings (1 tablespoon = 1 serving)

Trans-free margarines (1 tablespoon = 1 serving)

Optional Snacks

These snacks are all under 100 calories. Plus, they’re filling and fun to eat.

Babybell low-fat cheese—2 disks

Frozen fruit bar

Fudgsicle, 100 calorie bar

Granola bar, reduced sugar and fat

Microwave popcorn, light (4 cups)

Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

Sugar-free pudding cup

String cheese—1 stick

Meal Planning Made Easy

Each day, for the next 17 days, you’ll eat:

•
Controlled portions of protein from an expanded list.

•
Liberal amounts of vegetables from an expanded list.

•
Two servings of natural starches from an expanded list.

•
Two servings of fruit from an expanded list.

•
One to two servings from probiotics, low-fat dairy, or dairy substitutes.

•
One serving of fat from an expanded list.

•
Optional snacks.

•
Optional daily serving of alcohol.

Here is a typical day on the Achieve Cycle:

Breakfast

•
½ cup hot whole grain cereal; or 2 eggs or 4 egg whites, prepared without oil; 1
Dr. Mike’s Power Cookie
; or 1 probiotic serving

•
1 fruit serving

Lunch

•
Controlled portions of protein in the form of fish, shellfish, meat, or chicken or eggs; or vegetables + 1 probiotic, dairy, or dairy substitute serving

•
1 serving natural starch

•
Unlimited amounts of vegetables

Dinner

•
Controlled portions of protein in the form of fish, shellfish, meat, or chicken or turkey

•
Unlimited amounts of vegetables

SCIENCE SAYS:
Liposuction Has Health Benefits

T
hinking about getting liposuction? Talk to your doctor. Liposuction, like all procedures, has risks. But liposuction has been found to help reverse type 2 diabetes and reduce cholesterol.

As I mentioned earlier, obesity makes your body’s cells resistant to insulin. The result is that sugar can’t enter your cells, and your blood-sugar level rises. Liposuction seems to reverse that process. In a study at Brooklyn’s Downstate Medical Center, a surgeon removed an average of 12 pounds of fat from seven young women with type 2 diabetes. After the procedure, their cells lost their insulin resistance, and their blood-sugar levels dropped. The findings are intriguing. This was a small study, so it will be interesting to see if future studies into liposuction improve insulin resistance too.

The other benefit of liposuction is this: Removing just 6 pounds of fat can lower your cholesterol level dramatically. That’s the conclusion of University of Salzburg researchers. They think sucking off just small amounts of fat shifts a patient’s metabolism for the better.

Although I prefer you help your health the old-fashioned way—diet, exercise, determination, willpower and dedication—these studies hold promise.

Snacks

•
2nd fruit serving; or

•
2nd probiotic, dairy, or dairy substitute serving; or

•
Food from optional snack list

Additional

•
1 serving (1 to 2 tablespoons of friendly fat to use on salads, vegetables, or for cooking)

17 Sample Menus

Here are examples of how to build menus while on the Achieve Cycle. You can follow these exactly or create your own.

Wake-up drink

Every morning, as soon as you rise, drink one 8-ounce cup of hot water. Squeeze half a lemon into the cup; the lemon stimulates your digestive juices. Your goal is to drink at least six to seven more glasses of water by the end of the day. The rate at which you burn calories drops if you’re dehydrated. And if you’re dehydrated, your body doesn’t absorb nutrients properly.

Day 1

Breakfast

•
1 slice whole-wheat toast

•
1 poached, soft-boiled, or hard-boiled egg

•
½ grapefruit

•
1 cup green tea

Lunch

•
Chicken Caesar salad: grilled chicken breast, cut in pieces; 2 cups Romaine lettuce; other desired salad veggies; 2 tablespoons light Caesar dressing