The 17 Day Diet (21 page)

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1 cup green tea

Lunch

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A large salad with lots of different cleansing vegetables and some flaxseed dressing

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1 medium apple

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1 cup green tea

Dinner

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Plenty of grilled or baked salmon

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Liberal amounts of cleansing vegetables, steamed or raw

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1 cup green tea

Snacks

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6 oz. sugar-free fruit-flavored yogurt or 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

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Baby carrots, raw, for nibbling

Tuesday

Breakfast

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2 scrambled eggs

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1 medium pear or other fruit in season

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1 cup green tea

Lunch

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Broiled hamburger

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Sliced or stewed tomatoes

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1 cup green tea

Dinner

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A stir-fry of vegetables (broccoli, onions, julienne carrots, red pepper, etc.), and chicken strips with 1 tablespoon of olive oil

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1 cup green tea

Snacks

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1 cup fresh berries with 6 oz. of yogurt

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1 bowl of low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth with miso (low-sodium)

Wednesday

Breakfast

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½ cup Breakstone LiveActive cottage cheese

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1 medium orange

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1 cup green tea

Lunch

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Tuna on a generous bed of salad greens with fat-free salad dressing

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1 medium apple

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1 cup green tea

Dinner

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Grilled chicken breast

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Steamed asparagus

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Side salad drizzled with 1 tablespoon olive or flaxseed oil, mixed with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and seasonings

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1 cup green tea

Snacks

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6 oz. yogurt

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Raw, cut-up veggies, for nibbling

Thursday

Breakfast

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2 hard-boiled or poached eggs

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½ grapefruit or other fresh fruit in season

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1 cup green tea

Lunch

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Baked turkey breast

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Tomatoes, sliced or stewed, drizzled with 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

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6 oz. yogurt

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1 cup green tea

Dinner

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Grilled salmon

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Steamed green beans

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1 cup green tea

Snacks

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1 medium orange

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1 cup acidophilus milk or 6 oz. yogurt

Friday

Breakfast

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Kefir Smoothie

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1 cup green tea

Lunch

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Grilled chicken tossed with reduced-fat salad dressing, served over a generous bed of lettuce

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1 cup green tea

Dinner out with Friends

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Vegetable lasagna

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Tossed salad with blue cheese dressing

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Wine, two 5 oz. glasses

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Tiramisu, 1 serving

Snacks

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1 medium apple

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6 oz. yogurt

Saturday

Breakfast

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2 scrambled eggs

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½ grapefruit

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1 cup green tea

Lunch

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Grilled salmon on a generous bed of lettuce with reduced-fat salad dressing

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1 cup green tea

Dinner at a Steakhouse

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Grilled ribeye steak

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Caesar side salad with dressing

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1 medium baked sweet potato

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Two 5 oz. glasses of wine

Snacks

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1 cup fresh berries

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1 cup acidophilus milk or 6 oz. yogurt

Sunday

Brunch

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Blueberry waffles with 2 tbsp. syrup

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Turkey sausage, 2 patties

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1 cup of orange juice

Dinner

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Grilled chicken breast

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Steamed broccoli

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1 cup green tea

Snacks

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6 oz. sugar-free fruit-flavored yogurt or 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

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Baby carrots, raw, for nibbling

Analyze Mary’s week. Note that it exemplifies a reasonable, moderate way of eating. She sticks to her diet during the week, but gives herself a little leeway on the weekends. “Yes, I’ll treat myself. I love Italian food and good wine, and I get to enjoy it on the weekends. Come Monday, I just go right back to fruits and vegetables and chicken and fish,” she says.

Mary planned her three favorite meals for the weekend. The rest of the time, she ate prudently, following the Accelerate Cycle. Mary walks briskly most days of the week and always on the weekends. There’s no way she’s going to regain any weight. Sometimes, she even loses weight.

The Arrive Cycle is about being healthier and smarter about your selections and not pigging out. If you want to have some fried chicken on the weekends, you can do it. You’re compensating by having healthier foods through the week. All is not lost. You don’t really have to eliminate those foods. It’s more about moderation and how to balance those foods in your diet with healthier meals.

Never fool yourself into thinking you can go back to your old eating habits. It is important to hang onto your new habits and eat wisely. As Mary did, all you have to do is follow your favorite Cycle, basically five days a week, then take the weekends off. And make sure you exercise.

Arrive Cycle Strategies

I want to give you a bagful of Arrive Cycle tricks to keep you going. In my experience with patients, the following factors are essential for keeping the bulge at bay.

Observe the 5-Pound Stop Signal

On the Arrive Cycle, weigh yourself on the weekends. Anytime you see the scale register three to five pounds over your weight goal, go right back on your favorite Cycle, Accelerate, Activate or Achieve, on Monday. Note: You’ll always get back to your normal weight faster by resuming the Accelerate Cycle. If, for some reason, you’ve gained a great deal of weight (perhaps by being on vacation), your solution is to start the 17 Day Diet from the beginning and progress through all Cycles.

I know you’re saying “ugh” right now, but hear me out. Researchers looked at thousands of people on the National Weight Control Registry who had lost 60 pounds or more and kept it off. The scientists found that 44 percent of the subjects weighed themselves daily. You don’t have to go that far, but I do recommend weekend weighing. The number you see in the morning may keep you from going overboard. One of the bedrocks of permanent weight loss is accountability, so I urge you to check the scale on both days of the weekend.

Oftentimes, busy lives take over after the “diet,” and people do not notice even large gains in weight. It’s much easier to lose three pounds than 20. Plus, studies show that people who stop weighing themselves regain weight. Don’t let that happen to you!

Be a Breakfast Lover

On most diets, people starve themselves in the morning so they can eat more for lunch and dinner. This doesn’t work. Eat breakfast. Heck, anytime someone tells you to eat, you really should listen!

You really do need to eat breakfast. You say you’re not that hungry in the morning? Okay, but eat anyway, because research shows that eating first thing will make you feel more satisfied throughout the entire day, and you’ll consume fewer calories, all told. Even on weekends. What’s more, I’ve personally found that most people who skip breakfast become ravenous by 10:30 that morning and often find themselves eating whatever is on hand, even if it’s really fattening junk food.

Get on Good Terms with Salad

Have a salad when you dine out or eat at home. According to a study at Penn State University, starting dinner with a large salad may help lower the number of calories you’ll consume at that meal. What kind of salad are we talking about? I think you know the answer. No, not a few leaves of romaine underneath a mountain of cheese and croutons. I’m talking about salad veggies topped with one tablespoon of light dressing.

Make Healthier Substitutes

Try to eat certain reduced-fat, reduced-sugar foods. These include:

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Mustard instead of mayo on sandwiches