The 17 Day Diet - Day 16

I'm nearing the end of this diet, and even though I haven't lost as much as the last time I did it, I'm still pleased with the results. I'm proud of myself for actually sticking it out, and thankful for my husband who helped keep me on track.

I'm still contemplating doing the second 17-day cycle of this diet. The second cycle is designed to "trick" your body to stay in fat-burning mode. If you eat this way for too long, your body's natural instinct to preserve itself will kick in.

To prevent that, the second cycle lets you add in starches and other lean meats every-other day. It's based on research done on people (and on rats!). They continued to lose weight by alternating low-calorie days with higher-calorie days. If that means I get to eat a few potatoes and some rice over the next 17 days, I can probably handle that.

I'll just do it. I'm close to my goal weight so I may as well keep working to get there. Next Monday seems like a nice time to start. I think we could both use a few days of "real food." Now I just have to remember what I used to cook.

Here's the last menu of the first cycle.

Breakfast:

• Smoothie: 1 C acidophilus milk and 1 cup berries (mix together in a blender)
• 1 cup green tea

Lunch:

• Super salad
• 1 cup green tea

Dinner:

• Steamed flounder or sole with lemon pepper
• Steamed broccoli
• 1 cup green tea

Snacks:

• 1 medium apple
• 2nd probiotic serving of your choice

Starting weight: 158.4
Current weight: 151.6