17 Day Diet Cycle One- Accelerate

Before I get into it, let me say that I did not create this diet. I modified it to suit my lifestyle and needs while still loosing weight. The guidelines below and the suggested food list are from Dr. Mike Moreno's book titled The 17 Day Diet.  The other notes are my interpretation and implementation of a healthy eating plan based on the 17 day diet. For more information or to order your own copy of the book, click here.

The first cycle is meant to correct our digestion, clean out toxins in our bodies, and get us off our addiction to refined carbohydrates and sugar. It also is supposed to provide rapid weight loss results so that we are motivated to keep going through the cycles of the diet. It certainly has for me. For 17 days you eat only from foods on this list. You try to cut out as much sugar as you can from dressings, condiments and sauces that are only used in very small amounts. For example, try to use a low sugar or no sugar added spaghetti sauce if you make chicken parmesan or eggplant parmesan (I know most people don’t think they like eggplant, but eggplant parmesan is tasty!) and have it with salad with a low fat or fat free dressing instead of with pasta.

General Guidelines for the Accelerate Cycle

1. Follow this cycle for 17 days. If you reach your weight loss goal, move on to the 4^th cycle. If you have more weight loss to go or want further training on healthy eating and living, go on to cycle 2: Activate.

2. Your diet will consist of lean proteins, vegetables, low-sugar fruits, probiotic foods like yogurt and good fats. Starchy goods like potatoes, legumes, brown rice, corn and oatmeal are not permitted in this cycle.

3. Remove skin from chicken prior to cooking.

4.  About Eggs: You make eat up to 2 eggs with yolks per day. Egg whites may be eaten without restriction and if you have high cholesterol try to stick to no more than 4 yolks per week.

5.  Enjoy fresh vegetables and fruits as much as possible, but they must be unsweetened.

6. Do not eat any fruit after 2 p.m. Fruit is a carb. The timing of carb intake is important. If you eat carbs in the evening is is harder for your body to burn them off because you expend less energy in the evening.

7. Avoid alcohol and sugar.

8. Adopt a habit of drinking green tea, it contains some caffeine but offers compounds that help burn fat. Drink it without sugar.

9.  Eat probiotic foods, like yogurt with live and active cultures or food with acidophilus at least twice a day.

10.  Eat slowly and only until full; don't overload the stomach.

11.  Drink eight 8-oz glasses of pure water a day. Tea and coffee do not count, nor does fruit juice, which should be avoided. You may add lemon or cucumber slices to your water for extra taste. Lemon water also helps with digestion and cleansing

12.  Exercise at least 17 minutes a day.

Selina's Notes: I found that following this cycle of the diet exactly the way it is was very hard. The first week I was weak, shaky, dizzy, had headaches and always felt like I was starving. It’s because I was completely addicted to carbohydrates and sugar. I did not want to make myself sick from this diet and I didn’t like the way I was feeling so I “cheated” and had one serving of starch per day to keep me sane. I tried to keep these servings natural, having things like ½ cup of oatmeal, brown or basmati rice, couscous, a small sweet potato or regular potato, corn, peas or squash. If I was in a pinch I also would eat 6 low sodium crackers or a slice of whole wheat or whole grain bread (even though these foods aren’t ‘allowed’ until the 2^nd and 3^rd cycle of the diet). That is what worked for me and I got through the rest of the first 17 days much easier and happier and I still lost a lot of weight. (10.6 lbs the first two weeks!)

Food List- Accelerate: First Cycle of Diet

PROTEINS- LIBERAL AMOUNTS

Fish                                                                                       Poultry

•       Salmon                                                                        •       Chicken breasts

•       Sole                                                                               •       Turkey breasts

•       Flounder                                                                     •       Ground turkey, lean

•       Catfish                                                                          •       Eggs (2 eggs = 1 serving)(max 2 yolks/day)

•       Tilapia                                                                          •       Egg whites (4 egg whites = 1 serving)

•       Canned light tuna (in water)

CLEANSING VEGETABLES- ALL YOU CAN EAT

•       Artichoke                                •       Cucumbers                          •       Onions

•       Artichoke hearts                   •       Eggplant                              •       Parsley

•       Asparagus                               •       Garlic                                    •       Scallions

•       Bell peppers, any colour     •       Green beans                        •       Spinach

•       Broccoli                                   •       Green, leafy vegetables
                                                             (beet/turnip/collard greens)

•       Brussels sprouts                    •       Kale                                       •       Tomatoes

•       Cabbage                                  •       Leeks                                     •       Watercress

•       Carrots                                     •       Lettuce, all varieties

•      Cauliflower                              •       Mushrooms

•       Celery                                       •       Okra

FIBROUS FRUIT- 2 SERVINGS DAILY- Before 2 pm!

•       Apples                                   •       Pears

•       Berries, all types               •       Peaches

•       Grapefruit                            •       Plums

•       Oranges                                 •       Prickly pear cactus

•       Prunes                                   •       Red grapes

PROBIOTIC FOODS- 2 SERVINGS DAILY

•       Yogurt, any type, including Greek-style, sugar-free, low fat (6 oz. container = 1 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)

•       Breakstone LiveActive cottage cheese (1/2 cup= 1 serving)

•       Reduced salt miso dissolved in low-fat, low-sodium broth (1 tablespoon – 1 serving)

•       Tempeh (4 oz. = 1 serving)

•       Sauerkraut: (1/2 cup – 1 serving)

•       Kimchi (Korean Cabbage) (1/2 cup = 1 serving) Found at Asian supermarkets or natural food stores, and enjoy a small amount as a side dish with meals.

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.

Substitutions for vegetarians:

• One-half cup of tofu (any type) 
• One-half cup of beans, lentils, or any legume 
• 1-2 vegetarian or black bean burgers (made from textured vegetable protein) 
• 2-4 ounces any vegetarian cheese, including soy cheese 
• 2 vegetarian “sausage” links (great substitute for eggs!) 
• 2 scoops vegan rice protein powder (great for smoothies, blend with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and a fruit) for a quick 17-Day Diet vegetarian breakfast 
• Any type of vegetarian meat substitute made from textured vegetable protein (see package for serving size) 
• For yogurt substitutes, it is fine to use soy milk yogurt. These subs will work for all cycles as meat-protein substitutions.

Selina's Notes: It was a bit of an adjustment to this new eating thing. I was addicted to pop. The smell of it made me want to cry. And sometimes I did. Same with toast. I also don't like all of the foods on this list. So it can be limiting but it led me to be creative. I did try some of the vegetarian options as meat supplements (along with eating actual meat) when I got bored of other proteins. I stayed away from the legumes though. I tried sugar free jam. It was horrendously horrible. I have been playing with my yogurt. I hav ebeen trying the various fat free fruit flavored options out there. I am not good friends with aspartame or sucralose, but I do try to get along with them. I prefer instead to add my own berries or homemade low/no sugar applesauce and make parfaits with plain fat free yogurt. I also am not a big fan of grapefruit or prunes and prickly pear cactus is hard to find. So I eat a lot of apples, grapes, and berries with the occasional orange or pear. It was hard for me to stop drinking my morning apple juice (which has a lot of calories and sugar, even unsweetened) so I occasionally have a 'cheat treat' and squeeze some o.j. myself. I know you lose some of the fiber, but I don't strain the pulp out and it's way less processed than the other juices I used to drink and love. The veggies are about the same. Some I like, some not so much. I skip the boiled leafy greens and have Kale chips instead, or try to eat lots of salad with fresh spinach and dark lettuces. Probiotics are limited. They are hard to find without going to a specialty store, but I have enjoyed kefir, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Mostly yogurt.

I use a weekly meal planner and grocery list that looks like this along with a printed page of the foods listed above to track meals and figure out what I need to buy so I am not eating the same thing every day.  

I also use a daily meal planner to track what I am planning to eat and to track what I actually eat. It helps me monitor my little mistakes but also gives me a space to write notes and keep a journal of sorts about my adventures. Sometimes I write recipes and milestones, sometimes just what I ate or how I feel. I created both of these charts using tables in Microsoft Word. If you want a copy of the word document, send me an email and I will send it to you!