The 17 day diet continued-ACTIVATE and now ACHIEVE (post 82)

[HollyBearsMom]

18 days ago I decided to give my diet an overhaul and started the 17 day diet. I lost 12 lbs!!! I journaled my results in this thread: http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1308169/the-17-day-diet-a-journal

The diet is based on the premise that "you can do anything for 17 days". The focus is on clean eating- no refined sugars, no processed/packaged foods. In the first 17 days the focus is on lean proteins, lots of veggies, especially green/leafy ones, probiotics and limited fruits and fats. One variation that I made is that I am not really limiting good fats. 

For this stage (activate) the focus remains on lean proteins, lots of veggies, especially green/leafy ones, probiotics and limited fruits but you add in whole grains, legumes and whole food complex carbs. The catch is you can only eat those foods every other day. It is basically calorie cycling to keep your metabolism up.

So the purposed of this thread is basically for accountability.  I will continue to post throughout the day when possible. I am also going to start tracking my exercise as well. 

If you are reading, thanks.  Any support would greatly appreciated! And since it is a public message you are welcome to tell me what an idiot I am being too! 

 

Recap to date:

Friday April 8: weight in to get starting point

Weds April 13: start diet

Friday April 15: down 6 pounds

Friday April 23: down 4 pounds

Friday April 29: down 2 pounds

 

[HollyBearsMom]

Yesterday was a really busy/on the go day. We left the house at 9:30 and didn't get home until 4:00.  I am so glad I packed a cooler!! Then it was out to dinner to celebrate my b-day.  All in all it was good day but it was also a cheat day too.  I am starting day 19 with adding the complex carbs so will on an odd/even schedule.

Day Eighteen (4/30): 

Hot water with lemon

2 whole eggs and 1 egg white omelet

2 mugs green tea

Cottage cheese

1 cup strawberries

grilled chicken breast

mixed green salad

a whole head of kale chips

green tea

beet salad with mixed greens

crispy grilled salmon

savoy cabbage (drowned in butter!)

3.5 glasses of wine

exercise: nothing formal. However we walked for hours on our outing.

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 5/7/11 at 7:28am

[HollyBearsMom]

Ugh- I am hungover this AM and very dehydrated. Not smart but it was fun while it was going on!  I had better up my water consumption today!

Day Nineteen (5/1): day one activate

2 whole eggs scrambled with feta cheese

green tea

Cottage cheese

1/2 cup oatmeal

6 oz greek yogurt

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 up blueberries

Kale chips (my new addiction!)

oven baked turkey breast with a balsamic and spring onion reduction

sauteed mushrooms and artichoke hearts

steamed broccoli

exercise: 3 mile walk with a friend, did in just over 45 minutes

RECAP:

The day kind of got away from me today so I wasn't able to take full advantage of the added complex carbs or new protein choices. I also barely had any green tea either! Just as well since I really needed to hydrate. 

The oatmeal tasted really good!  There is something about slow cooked irish oats that really satisfies. My plan is to get up early enough to have for breakfast tomorrow, along with some gorgeous grapefruits I bought today or maybe some blueberries. I also bought a gorgeous steak too, looking forward to that tomorrow as well.

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 5/7/11 at 7:28am

[lookatreestar]

how many calories does a day usually consist of? any other breakfast ideas than eggs? i am hoping to get my book soon!

[HollyBearsMom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lookatreestar 

how many calories does a day usually consist of? any other breakfast ideas than eggs? i am hoping to get my book soon!

I have not been tracking calories so I have no idea!  When I get chance I will enter a typical day into Sparks and see what it says.  I think the calories would be pretty high considering you can eat as much proteins and veggies as you want but for the same reason another person could eat considerably less. KWIM?

For the first 17 days breakfast could be hard if you don't eat eggs. You can have 2 whole eggs and unlimited egg whites so that has been my staple.  If you don't eat them here are few other breakfast ideas:

• 6 oz of yogurt with a cup of berries
• yogurt or kefir smoothie
• cottage cheese and fresh fruit
• apple "french toast"-thinly slice and apple and pan fry until tender, top a beaten egg seasoned with cinn/nutmeg/stevia

On the second cycle the options are endless- oatmeal, oat bran cereal, cream of wheat, brown rice, quinoa. The eggs can get much more interesting too as you can add black beans, corn for a mexican omelette, etc. 

Hope the book comes soon!!

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 5/2/11 at 10:09am

[syn_ack89]

Good luck!

[HollyBearsMom]

Originally Posted by syn_ack89 

Good luck!

thanks!! 

[HollyBearsMom]

OK I am an idiot!  Today is an even day so no oatmeal for breakfast or steak for dinner. That will have to wait until tomorrow!

Day Twenty 5/2: day two of activate

2 egg omelet w/ feta cheese

6 oz greek yogurt

1/4 cup blueberries

1/4 cup blackberries

1/4 cup strawberries

oven grilled sesame salmon

romaine heart salad with lemon juice/olive oil dressing

pink grapefruit

lemon pepper chicken

steam broccoli

kale chips dipped in ketchup and hot sauce

exercise: another 3 mile walk, this time it was three of us.  I forgot to check my watch but I estimate we did it aprox 45 minutes again.  Chatting makes the time fly.  Oh and we walked three abreast while we did it! 

RECAP:

I am feeling really good-lighter and more energized. My desire for sugar, sugar substitutes and starches is completely gone.  I plain feel better!

My girlfriends are trying to talk me into running but the problem is I still just feel too big. I hate the feeling of my huge breasts bouncing and feel like my c-section Buddha belly is doing the same thing. The problem is when you have as much weight to lose as I do 12 pounds does not translate to looser clothes or less fat rolls.  Maybe when my weight no longer starts with 2!

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 5/7/11 at 7:29am

[sosurreal09]

WOW 12lbs in 17 days great job!

[HollyBearsMom]

Originally Posted by sosurreal09 

WOW 12lbs in 17 days great job!

Thank you!!  I appreciate the shout out. 

[HollyBearsMom]

What a gorgeous morning here in Southern New England! 

Day Twenty one 5/3: (day 3 of activate)

And even day-woohoo!!

Hot water with lemon

1/2 cup McCanns oatmeal w/ fresh nutmeg and cinnamon

1 soft boiled egg

6 oz greek yogurt

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

leftover grilled chicken

mixed green salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette

grilled london broil

caramelized onions sauteed with artichoke hearts

szechuen green beans

exercise: 3mile walk with some girlfriends.  We did it closer to an hour today, it was actually HOT!

RECAP:

 The 1/2 cup of oatmeal was great after all those days eating egg, And had much more staying power, 

And tonight's steak?? OMG did it taste GOOD after all that chicken and turkey. I felt like I ate a ton but in reality I (we) ate much less than we usually do.  I cooked three smallish steaks which usually feeds the the three of us with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. When I went out to kitchen there were still 4 slices of the second steak left and we hadn't even cut into the third! I was really proud of myself for not nibbling on those last few slices ad even more for keep my mitts of our our sons oven baked streak fries!!

Of course I can't eat the steak tomorrow but I am thinking steak and eggs on Thursday followed by a thai inspired steak salad for lunch! 

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 5/7/11 at 7:30am

[ellairiesmom]

Thx for your great PM back to me HollyBearsMom!  I am going to join in on your thread so if I hijack too much, just give me a virtual dirty look...

I read all HollyBearsMom's posts last night & woke up this AM deciding to cancel my WW Monthly Pass & do this.  For various reasons, WW just hasn't been working for me & has been difficult for me to follow in my current lifestyle.  This diet is very similar to how I lived before children after I had lost 80lbs back in 2001.  I kept it off until I started having babies in 2007

I wanted to get started right away the best I could, but was not able to get out to the grocery store till this evening.  I downloaded the book to my Nook which in hindsight, probably wasn't the best way to go with a diet book, but I am managing.

Accountability is huge...for everyone.  So I am going to just chime in here with my food log because HollyBearsMom started a good thing ;)  I don't want to steal her thunder...just follow her lead. 

2 eggs

2 glasses of iced green tea (i already drink The Republic of Tea Double Matcha Green Tea so I had that in the house)

Couple pieces of organic turkey jerky

Non Fat Chobani Blueberry Yogurt (i am going to buy the plain going fwd & add my own fresh or frozen berries to it)

salad with fresh carrots, red onion, broccoli, grape tomatoes & cooked shrimp (i am out of salmon & chicken & had just bought a bag of shrimp on sale at WF)

2 tbsp homemade dressing (olive oil, vinegar, herbs, fresh lemon)

salad bowl from chipotle with chicken, peppers & onions, salsa, a little bit of shredded cheese & guac

large diet coke :(  (needed a boost so bad-DD2 hasn't slept in months & I might lose it any moment!!!)

now-here is where things got hard for me...DH got the salad too but also got the chips & salsa.  i ended up having 10 chips or so. 

but-later at Whole Foods, while i was feeling really hungry, DD1 got a cookie from the bakery & i picked one up with wax paper but then put it back.  i haven't said no to something in awhile so that felt empowering.  and then when i got home, DH was eating a few hershey kisses & i just walked away.  i cursed under my breath, but i walked away.  lol 

i am starving right now because i am up way too late...i can't wait for my eggs tomorrow morning. 

[ellairiesmom]

ooops-forgot about some questions...

1) can i freely squeeze lemon in my water all day??? 

2) do you buy your ground turkey, chicken & chicken breasts from the regular grocery store?  whole foods has them for $6.99 lb (white meat) & they are only a 2 on their animal welfare scale.  am i paying a fortune for poultry without any benefits?  is purdue any better or worse?  (probably a bigger question for the forum)

3) is there that big of a difference in adding fresh/frozen fruit to plain yogurt vs buying the yogurt with fruit on the bottom?  when i calculate the carbs/sugar, it seems pretty darn close???? 

Thoughts??? 

[lookatreestar]

i like to see another poster, i like getting food ideas!! i am reading the book and gathering my food plans. i want to get my food set for a week because i know i will screw up if i don't have everything ready. i have also just been making better choices this week, stopping when full, drinking more water, just really starting to be more aware. the mindless/bored eating really gets to me. it seems like my mind has already been preparing for this diet and honestly the sugar cravings are already less and i too feel so empowered by saying no to that one cookie/chocolate whatever!

[HollyBearsMom]

WOOHOO!!!   Welcome ellairiesmom!!!  So glad to have you here! Congrats on starting and don't beat yourself up for the slip ups.    You passed on a cookie-how awesome is that??  Its all about the small changes, right?
 

Originally Posted by ellairiesmom 

ooops-forgot about some questions...

1) can i freely squeeze lemon in my water all day??? 

• yes you can!  it adds flavor so if its get you drinking all that water then go for it! fresh squeezed lime juice is good too

2) do you buy your ground turkey, chicken & chicken breasts from the regular grocery store?  whole foods has them for $6.99 lb (white meat) & they are only a 2 on their animal welfare scale.  am i paying a fortune for poultry without any benefits?  is purdue any better or worse?  (probably a bigger question for the forum)

• personally I grind my own chicken. I pay a little more for really good boneless breasts (with or w/o skin depending on whats on sale) and then run it thru my kitchen aid mixer with the grinder attachment. It is a lot less $$ then the WF ground. However I have no issues with grocery store ground chicken, but I know I am in the minority.
• If you don't have a kitchenaid you can do the same in the Cuisinart by cutting the breasts into chunks and then "pulsing" in food processor. Not the same texture but works find for burgers or crumbles.
• I do buy organic/free range chicken breast and turkey breasts whenever possible and most it comes from WF or the local butcher but when the good stuff is on sale at Stop and Shop or BJ's I stock up! But as I said, I have no issue when the budget doesn't allow and I have buy purdue or the grocery store brand.

3) is there that big of a difference in adding fresh/frozen fruit to plain yogurt vs buying the yogurt with fruit on the bottom?  when i calculate the carbs/sugar, it seems pretty darn close???? 

• I think there is a huge difference in using whole fruits whether fresh or frozen. I believe they are more nutrient dense and have more fiber than what you will find at the bottom of the yogurt. Plus a serving of whole fruit is so much more satisfying! It makes the bowl look like so much more food, LOL!

Thoughts??? 

[HollyBearsMom]

Good morning all.  May the Fourth be with you! 

How exciting to see other posters joining the band wagon! Lookatree, looking forward to seeing your posts too!

Day Twenty two 5/4: (day 4 of activate)

hot water with lemon

2 eggs over easy

pink grapefruit

green tea

6 oz greek yogurt

1 cup strawberries

lemon grilled chicken breast

caramelized onions

mixed green salad with lemon vinaigrette

 

grilled atlantic salmon

steam broccoli

mixed green salad

 

exercise: 20 minute walk with a friend as well as 25 minutes on tread:  15 at 3.0 mph/6% incline, 5 minutes a 3.0 mph/3% incline and 5 minutes at 3mph/no incline

 

RECAP:

Another well done day food an exercise wise.  YEAH!  Though I made the mistake of perusing the TJ flyer.  Chocolate almonds with turbino sugar and sea salt! YUM!! And Mango chili popsicles! Come on stage four!

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 5/4/11 at 5:03pm

[ellairiesmom]

Yeah...so...the plain nf greek yogurt...wow...what a difference when you are used to fruit on the bottom nf greek...i took a serving of frozen organic berries & crushed them up real well & then mixed it all up in a bowl.  It was still really, really rough to get down so I had to add a tiny little bit of splenda.  (it wasn't even half a packet-once we use up our splenda, we'll switch to truvia).  That helped.  The funny thing is, the #'s are exactly the same...the calories/carbs for the frozen fruit was 60/13.  The difference in calorie/carbs in the yogurt with the fruit already in it is 60/13 (for strawberry banana flavor-it might vary a gram or 2 per flavor).  I do believe it is probably more satisfying to do the real or frozen fruit.  And of course, it's more nutrient packed.  But I TRULY felt a huge difference in taste.  We'll see if I can get used to that one.

I am probably the only mama on mothering.com who doesn't own a food processor, kitchen aid mixer or grinder...lol.  I am going to check with some local butchers as well as farms but for now, I guess I need to figure out if I can afford to do WF for as much of the meat as I want to...we had cut back on our meat/poultry a little because I was on the fence about letting the kids eat regular stuff from shoprite.  And I am not making different meals so all of us will be eating the same thing.  And my girls like their protein!   Maybe it can be an every other thing-one day we do Purdue, the next day, something from WFs. 

Day 2

2 eggs with egg whites added

big mug of green tea

6oz plain nf greek yogurt with 1 serving of frozen mixed berries

tiny sprinkle of splenda

2 decent size turkey burgers w/ 1 slice of fat free cheese split between the 2 patties

mixed green salad, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, 2 tbsp homemade olive oil/vinegar with spices & fresh lemon dressing

I made the girls mac & cheese for lunch & hadn't eaten yet & without even thinking, took a spoonful of the mac & cheese to see if it was too hot for them...habits are hard to break.  But I didn't eat anymore of it & quickly got my lunch going so I wouldn't be tempted to pick at anything else. 

more to follow...

[ellairiesmom]

HollyBearsMom,

I am trying to go back on my nook & read my stage more carefully but I thought I would ask you a couple more ?s-if you don't mind...it's tough on the nook because visually, food example lists are mixed in with the content-you don't get to see an actual "list" in one spot...hard to explain but a little annoying.

1) fat free cheeses & other non fat dairy are allowed?  and that would be as a condiment in small amounts?  what about feta, blue or goat crumbles during the 1st phase? seems like you added them to salads?  reg fat versions? 

2) do you think it's a huge mistake/no no to use heinz organic regular ketchup in moderation a couple days a week?  if so-any other ketchup brand suggestions?  i'm googling as well...see what options there are & read reviews.  i really enjoy ketchup on turkey burgers & would feel like I was missing out if I didn't have a good tasting ketchup.  i am not into the idea of making my own.

Thx there "inspiration girl"... ;)

[HollyBearsMom]

OK- answers below.  Hope this helps!! How has the rest of the day gone? 
 

Originally Posted by ellairiesmom 

HollyBearsMom,

I am trying to go back on my nook & read my stage more carefully but I thought I would ask you a couple more ?s-if you don't mind...it's tough on the nook because visually, food example lists are mixed in with the content-you don't get to see an actual "list" in one spot...hard to explain but a little annoying.

1) fat free cheeses & other non fat dairy are allowed?  and that would be as a condiment in small amounts?  what about feta, blue or goat crumbles during the 1st phase? seems like you added them to salads?  reg fat versions? 

• fat free dairy like cheese and sour cream are fine per the book in "moderation" and as a condiment. This is where I varied from the diet and why I probably didn't have a bigger weight loss. I think healthy fats are good for you so I used regular feta and goat cheese, albeit sparingly, in my omelette's and salads. Probably no more than a heaping TSP or two. I also used at least double the amount oil he recommends per day. But if you want to go by the book all condiments, bottles salad dressings etc should be fat free.

2) do you think it's a huge mistake/no no to use heinz organic regular ketchup in moderation a couple days a week?  if so-any other ketchup brand suggestions?  i'm googling as well...see what options there are & read reviews.  i really enjoy ketchup on turkey burgers & would feel like I was missing out if I didn't have a good tasting ketchup.  i am not into the idea of making my own.

• The book suggests using a "low carb/reduced sugar" ketchup but the only kind I could find was Heinz made with sucralose which I thought tasted funny so I have been using the Heinz organic as well but rarely. You might want to try the low carb Heinz and see what you think. I did make my own version with truvia with just ok success so I don't think your missing out by not wanting to make it yourself, LOL! I think if you keep the portion size low you (we!) will be fine if we go with the organic stuff.
• I know you are not loving the FF plain greek yogurt but try mincing some cucumber, some garlic and some dill and mixing in all into the yogurt for a really good dip for veggies and a topping for grilled chicken
• Also salsa by itself or mixed into the FF yogurt makes a great topping for chicken/turkey burgers

Thx there "inspiration girl"... ;)  

[sosurreal09]

I think perdue is comparable to WF.....unfortunately. Also ALL artificial sweeteners should be avoided IMO b/c they are chemicals and most can cause cancer and other ill effects. Here is a little something on Splenda for you: http://jstevens.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/how-sucralose-aka-splenda-is-made-and-why-you-want-to-avoid-it/

So I a not quite where you are but you have inspired me to be less carb and jump back on the watch-what-I'm-eating wagon! I have lost 3lbs this week!!!!