Dr Moreno 17 Day Diet Menu
- 4 stages, progressively less restrictive
- Start with high lean protein, high non-starchy vegetables, probiotics, no starches
- Add unprocessed starch foods and slowly increase the allowed amount of fat in animal protein foods
- Add other whole grain starches and more ingredient choices
- Maintenance diet
- No sugars, bad fats (saturated, trans), low salt
Below is a description of the food recommendations in the diet. Summary | Cycle 1: Accelerate | Cycle 2: Activate | Cycle 3: Achieve | Cycle 4: Arrive | Always avoid | Transitional Day Fast | PMS guidelines. There's a lot more in the book.
Use this page as a cheat sheet alongside the book. Send this page to friends, family, and anyone else who you want to understand what you're eating on this diet.
See The 17 Day Diet for more information on the foods that are encouraged at each stage, the benefits of friendly gut bacteria, why to drink a lot of water, the exercise plans, cultural tweaks, sample menus, and recipes.
Get a copy of The 17-Day Diet Breakthrough Solution for the original 17-Day Diet plus information on Contour Foods and the Transitional Day Fast, supplementation, exercise workouts for spot reduction, more recipes, and more meal plans. Dr. Mike says "This book is my attempt over the last two years to fix and tweak the original 17 Day Diet so that you can lose weight even faster, keep it off longer, and stay healthy and fit well into your golden years."
Also get a copy of The 17-Day Diet Cookbook for more recipes.
The reasoning behind The 17 Day Diet
This diet claims to use "body confusion" – different diets and different phases to prevent your body from adapting and the scale from sticking. By avoiding processed foods, sugars, and bad fats, you can improve your health and lose weight.
17 Day Diet plan
The diet has 4 cycles.
- Cycle 1: Accelerate. This cycle claims to promote rapid weight loss by improving digestive health, helping clear sugar from the blood to boost fat-burning, and discourage fat storage. It's a low carb, low fat, low processed food, high vegetable, high lean protein stage, with unlimited permitted low-fat proteins and non-starchy vegetables. You follow this cycle for 17 days. If you reach your weight loss goal you move to cycle 4; if not you move to cycle 2. This cycle can also be used if you gain some weight back and want to quickly lose it.
- Cycle 2: Activate. This cycle claims to reset your metabolism through a strategy that involves increasing and decreasing your caloric consumption to stimulate fat-burning and to help prevent plateaus. It lasts 17 days and consists of alternating between Accelerate days (see above) and Activate days, where you start to add natural starches.
- Cycle 3: Achieve. This cycle claims to help you develop good eating habits through the re-introduction of additional foods and move you closer to your weight goal. It lasts 17 days. Some more carbs are allowed, and protein is cut down. At the end of cycle 3, if you have additional weight to lose, you can recycle back to cycle 1 then 2 then 3, or 2 then 3, or continue with 3 until you reach your goal weight.
- Cycle 4: Arrive. This cycle claims to keep you at your goal weight through a program of eating that lets you enjoy your favorite foods on weekends, while eating healthfully through the week. Monday breakfast through Friday lunch, eat with restrictions as described in cycles 1, 2, or 3. Friday dinner through Saturday night, eat your favorite foods and meals in moderation
There are some foods that you should always avoid on this diet, plus different foods to eat and avoid on each phase/cycle.
In the Breakthrough Edition, there's an optional Transitional Day Fast between cycles
There are also guidelines to follow if you have PMS
The author says that this diet is designed for people in normal health – you should not follow this diet if you have type 1 diabetes, any serious medical disease, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding/nursing.
Always avoid these foods (except "free" meals on cycle 4 weekends):
- Sugar
- All types, natural and processed
- Including HFCS, fructose, sucrose, glucose, corn syrup
- Best to give up soda altogether
- It looks like honey and other natural sweeteners should also be excluded.
- Bad fats
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
- Salty foods
- High-sugar and high-fat condiments
- E.g. regular ketchup because it contains sugar; no sour cream because it contains fat
Transition Day Fast between cycles – Breakthrough Edition, optional
Having a 1-day transition fast day between each cycle is an option that Dr. Mike suggests in the Breakthrough Edition. He says it can help reduce cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, gastrointestinal troubles, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol levels, and chronic inflammation, as well as increasing fat-burning and sparing lean muscle. He also says it will accelerate your results.
Drink 3 Fat-Burn Smoothies throughout the day: one at breakfast, one at lunch, and one at dinner. Ingredients are whey protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, and other ingredients such as low-fat yogurt, powdered fiber, crushed pineapple, banana, strawberries, fresh spinach, matcha green tea powder, and Truvia
17 Day Diet cycle 1 – food list
Cycle 1: What to Eat | Foods to Avoid
Cycle 1: Accelerate – What to eat
*Contour foods are suggested in the Breakthrough Edition as foods that have been scientifically proven to take fat off your abs, thighs, and all over your body, which everybody should be eating, every day. These are marked here with a *star. Cycle 1 contour foods are fish, apples and pears, olive oil, and yogurt.
- Lean proteins – no limits
- *Fish: salmon, canned or fresh; sole; flounder; catfish; tilapia; canned light tuna in water. Opt for wild-caught rather than farm-raised fish.
- Poultry: skinless chicken breasts, skinless turkey breasts, lean ground turkey
- These lean proteins are also listed as acceptable in cycle 1 in the ethnic diets section of the book: ceviche; r ed snapper (huachinango)
- Eggs – up to 2 a day
- Eggs (2 eggs = 1 serving). Stick to no more than 4 yolks per week if your physician has diagnosed you with high cholesterol. Egg whites can be eaten without restriction in the original diet; the Breakthrough Edition says that 4 egg whites = 1 serving
- Cleansing vegetables – no limits.
- Artichoke, artichoke hearts, asparagus, bell peppers (all colors), broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, green leafy vegetables (including beet greens, turnip greens, collard greens), kale, leeks, lettuce (all varieties), mushrooms, okra, onions, parsley, scallions, spinach, tomatoes, watercress
- These vegetables are also listed as cleansing vegetables in the ethnic diets section of the book: arame, Asian eggplant, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, bok choy, broccoli rabe, chiles, Chinese broccoli, cilantro, dulse/sea lettuce, fennel, grape leaves, lily pods, long beans, sugar-free marinara sauce (½ cup = 1 serving), nori, parsley, pea pods, seaweed/sea vegetables, snow peas, summer squash, tomatillos, zucchini/courgettes
- Low-sugar fruit – 2 servings daily – 1 serving = 1 piece fresh or 1 cup chopped fresh fruit. Do not eat fruit after 2pm
- *Apples, berries (all types), grapefruit, oranges, peaches, *pears, plums, prickly pear cactus, prunes, red grapes
- If you take statins and want to eat grapefruit – have ½ grapefruit in the morning and always take your statins in the evening, to minimize any grapefruit-drug interaction. Consult with your physician before doing this
- Fruits and vegetables should be eaten raw whenever possible, except carrots and tomatoes. Ensure they're fresh, not wilted; buy locally grown where possible
- Probiotic foods – 2 servings daily
- *Yogurt (e.g. Greek-style, sugar-free fruit flavored, plain, low-fat – 6 oz. = 1 serving), kefir (1 cup), low-fat acidophilus milk (1 cup), yakult (small 50-calorie bottle), Breakstone LifeActive cottage cheese (½ cup), reduced salt miso dissolved in low-fat, low-sodium broth (1 tablespoon), tempeh (4 oz.), sauerkraut (½ cup), kimchi (½ cup)
- Friendly fats – 1-2 tablespoons daily
- *Olive oil, flaxseed oil
- Condiments and pantry
- Low-fat low-sodium broth, vegetable cooking spray, low-carb ketchup, low-carb marinara sauce, mustard, fat-free salad dressings, salsa, lite soy sauce, salt, Tabasco sauce, vinegar
- Fat-free sour cream, fat-free cheeses (i.e. parmesan)
- Sugar-free jams and jellies, vanilla extract
- Herbs – e.g. basil, bay leaves, chives, dill, garlic, horseradish, Italian seasonings, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme
- Spices – e.g. cayenne pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, onion powder, pepper
- Sweeteners
- Truvia
- Nectresse (Not mentioned in original 17-Day Diet but included in Breakthrough Edition)
- Go easy on sugar substitutes and learn to enjoy the natural sweetness of fresh fruits
- Beverages
- Water, mineral water, or seltzer water – eight 8 oz. glasses a day
- Green tea – suggests you have 3 cups a day, but it appears that this doesn't count towards your water goal
- Herbal tea
- Coffee or tea (unsweetened, no milk) – max 3-4 8 ounce cups a day, drunk at least 1 hour before meals – this doesn't count towards your water goal
- Eat slowly and only until full; do not overload your stomach
Cycle 1: Accelerate – Foods to avoid
Avoid the "avoid always" foods above plus:
- Starchy foods, including
- All grains, including wheat, rice, corn, oatmeal, etc.; processed grains such as bread, pasta, cereals, etc.)
- Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, sweet potato, etc.
- Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.)
- All processed starchy foods
- Fatty and red meat proteins (note that chicken and turkey breast are allowed)
- All red meat
- Pork
- Dark poultry and poultry skin
- Processed meats
- Shellfish
- Alcohol
- High-sugar fruits
- Fruit juice (or vegetable juice)
- No fruit after 2pm
- Implied in the book – milk and milk products which are not listed in the probiotic foods section above in "Accelerate – what to eat" – uncultured milk and milk products aren't listed as acceptable foods until Cycle 3
17 Day Diet cycle 2 – food list
In this phase, you alternate between Accelerate days (see above – you eat what you ate in cycle 1) and Activate days. So the first day of cycle 2 you eat the foods listed below, the second day you eat the foods listed in phase 1 only, and so on alternating between the two.
Cycle 2 Activate days: What to Eat | Foods to Avoid
Cycle 2: Activate – What to eat
*Contour foods are suggested in the Breakthrough Edition as foods that have been scientifically proven to take fat off your abs, thighs, and all over your body, which everybody should be eating, every day. These are marked here with a *star. Cycle 2 contour foods cycle 1 contour foods (fish, apples, pears, olive oil, yogurt) plus whole grains, legumes, and whey protein on Activate days.
On the alternate Active days, eat the Cycle 1 Accelerate foods above plus:
- Proteins
- For all proteins, rather than eating unlimited amounts, keep your portions of fish, poultry, and meat to about the size of an average kitchen sponge
- Shellfish: clams, crab, mussels, oysters, scallops, shrimp
- Lean cuts of meat (trim all visible fat): flank steak, top sirloin steak, top round, eye of round, beef round tip, beef top sirloin, beef top loin, lean ground beef, pork tenderloin, pork sirloin chops, pork boneless loin roast, pork top or center loin chops, lamb shanks, lamb sirloin roast, veal cutlet
- *Whey protein
- These lean proteins are also listed as acceptable in cycle 2 in the ethnic diets section of the book: organic bison meat, reduced-fat chorizo, tofu (all varieties)
- Probiotic foods
- You can have full-fat yogurt instead of low-fat yogurt
- These probiotics are also listed as acceptable in cycle 2 in the ethnic diets section of the book: labne
- Fruits
- These fruits are also listed as acceptable in cycle 2 in the ethnic diets section of the book: barberries, pomegranate
- Natural starches – no more than 2 servings daily. Do not eat natural starches after 2pm
- *Whole grains (1 serving = ½ cup): amaranth, barley, brown rice (not white rice), bulgur, couscous, cream of wheat, grits, longer grain rice such as basmati, millet, oat bran, old-fashioned oatmeal, quinoa
- *Legumes (1 serving = 1 cup): black beans, black-eyed peas, butter beans, garbanzo beans / chickpeas, great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, baby lima beans, navy beans, peas, pinto beans, soy beans, split peas
- Starchy vegetables: breadfruit (1 cup = 1 serving), corn (½ cup), potato (1 medium), sweet potato (1 medium), taro (½ cup), winter squashes – acorn, spaghetti, butternut etc. (1 cup), yam (1 medium)
- These natural starches are also listed as acceptable in cycle 2 in the ethnic diets section of the book: arracache, all varieties of beans and legumes, bulgur wheat/tabouli, calabaza, edamame, orzo, plantains, polenta, risotto, yautia, yucca/cassava root/manioc
- Sweeteners
- Small amounts of agave nectar are included in recipes for cycles 2 onwards
- Condiments and pantry
- Baking powder, cornstarch
Cycle 2: Activate – Foods to avoid
On the Accelerate days, avoid the foods listed to avoid for cycle 1. On the alternate Active days, avoid the "avoid always" foods above plus:
- Fatty meat and poultry and processed meats
- Bigger fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and albacore tuna.
- Processed starches such as foods containing flour including pasta, bread, and cereals, instant oatmeal, and short grain white rice.
- Alcohol
- High-sugar fruits
- Fruit juice (or vegetable juice)
- No fruits or starches after 2pm
- Implied in the book – milk and milk products which are not listed in the probiotic foods section above in "Accelerate – what to eat" – uncultured milk and milk products aren't listed as acceptable foods until Cycle 3
17 Day Diet cycle 3 – food list
Cycle 3: What to Eat | Foods to Avoid
Cycle 3: Achieve – What to eat
*Contour foods are suggested in the Breakthrough Edition as foods that have been scientifically proven to take fat off your abs, thighs, and all over your body, which everybody should be eating, every day. These are marked here with a *star. Cycle 3 contour foods cycle 1 and 2 contour foods (fish, apples, pears, olive oil, yogurt, whole grains, legumes, and whey protein) plus additional whole grains and high-fiber breakfast cereals, soy milk, and (not-too-ripe) bananas.
Eat the "accelerate" and "activate" allowed foods plus:
- Proteins
- Additional poultry: cornish hen, quail, pheasant, reduced-fat turkey bacon or sausage and lunch meat, Canadian bacon
- These lean proteins are also listed as acceptable in cycle 3 in the ethnic diets section of the book: Queso Fresco
- For proteins allowed on cycles 1 and 2: Remove skin from chicken and turkey, trim all visible meat from fat
- Natural starches – 2 servings daily – Do not eat natural starches after 2pm
- Natural starches listed in Cycle 2, plus these additional alternatives:
- Breads (1 slice = 1 serving): cracked wheat, fiber-enriched, gluten-free, multi-grain, oat bran, sugar-free, pumpernickel, rye, whole grain bagel (½ = 1 serving), whole wheat pita bread (1 pocket), whole wheat tortilla (10")
- *High-fiber cereals (1 cup = 1 serving): 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, gluten-free, vegetable-based, high-fiber, udon noodles
- These natural starches are also listed as acceptable in cycle 3 in the ethnic diets section of the book: low-carb tortillas, corn (maize) tortillas, bollilos (sour dough bread), flatbreads made from white whole grain, whole wheat, and multigrain; whole grain Italian bread, soba noodles (½ cup = 1 serving), ramen noodles (½ cup = 1 serving), rice noodles (½ cup = 1 serving), Chinese wheat noodles (½ cup = 1 serving), udon noodles (½ cup = 1 serving), chapattis, lavash
- Vegetables – unlimited.
- 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
- These vegetables are also listed as cleansing vegetables suitable for cycle 3 in the ethnic diets section of the book: chayote, jicama, nopales/cactus pads
- Fruits – 2 servings daily – 1 serving = 1 piece fresh or 1 cup chopped fresh fruit. Do not eat fruit after 2pm
- Apricots, *bananas, cherries, currants, figs, kiwi, kumquats, guava, mango, papaya, pineapple, pomegranate, tangerine, tangelo, virtually any fresh fruit
- Probiotics, dairy, and dairy substitutes: 1-2 servings daily
- Low-calorie cheeses (brie, camembert, fontina, low-fat cheddar, edam, feta, goat, limburger, part-skim mozzarella – 2 oz.), low-fat cottage cheese (½ cup), low-fat ricotta cheese (½ cup)
- Low-fat or skim milk (1 cup)
- Dairy substitutes – sugar-free rice milk, almond milk, or *soy milk – 1 cup
- Friendly fats – 1-2 tablespoons daily
- Avocado (1/4 fruit = 1 serving)
- Canola oil (1 tablespoon), walnut oil (1 tablespoon)
- Light mayonnaise (2 tablespoons), mayonnaise (1 tablespoon)
- Nuts or seeds – unoiled (2 tablespoons)
- Reduced-calorie margarines (2 tablespoons), trans-free margarines (1 tablespoon)
- Reduced-fat salad dressings (2 tablespoons), salad dressings (1 tablespoon)
- Optional snacks – the limit for these isn't clear in the book, but presumably you're allowed one per day
-
- Babybell low-fat cheese (2 disks), frozen fruit bar, Fudgsicle 100 calorie bar, reduced sugar and fat granola bar, light microwave popcorn (4 cups), Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, sugar-free pudding cup, string cheese (1 stick)
- One alcoholic drink daily – 5 oz. wine, 12 oz. beer, or 1 ½ oz. hard liquor
- Artificial sweeteners are allowed in moderation
Cycle 3: Achieve – Foods to avoid
Avoid the "avoid always" foods above plus:
- Fatty meat and poultry and fatty processed meats.
- Highly processed starches such as foods containing white flour including pasta, bread, and cereals, instant oatmeal, and short grain white rice.
- Fruit juice (or vegetable juice)
- No fruits or starches after 2pm
17 Day Diet cycle 4 – food list
Cycle 4: What to Eat | Foods to Avoid
Cycle 4: Arrive – What to eat
- Monday breakfast through Friday lunch
- Any foods from accelerate, activate, or achieve meal plans
- Friday dinner through Sunday dinner
- Eat your favorite foods and meals in moderation
- Enjoy no more than 1-3 favorite meals over the weekend
- Do not binge. Eat slowly and enjoy your food
- If desired, enjoy alcoholic drinks in moderation over the weekend (1-2 daily) – 5 oz. wine, 12 oz. beer, or 1 ½ oz. hard liquor
- Avoid soups made with milk or cream
- As one of your fruit servings, you may substitute fruit juice (unsweetened), up to ¾ cup per serving
- You can have 1 cup of vegetable juice as a snack
- Use condiments in moderation – nonfat, low-calorie
- Any time you see the scale register 3-5 pounds over your weight goal, go back to accelerate, activate, or achieve
Cycle 4: Arrive – Foods to avoid
Weekdays, follow any of the restrictions above – accelerate, activate, or achieve
Weekends, follow the restrictions above but you can have up to 3 meals outside these guidelines
17 Day Diet PMS exception diet – food list
PMS exception diet – Foods to eat
When you have PMS, follow the above diets but with these additions during your period
- Protein – have at least 2 servings of lean protein daily, and have 3 brazil nuts every day
- Soy – enjoy soy foods as snacks a few times a week
- Carbohydrates – include 3 daily servings of natural carbohydrates – cooked oatmeal, high-fiber cereal, whole grain bread (no sugar added), beans or legumes, sweet potato, corn, barley, brown rice
- Fruit – up to 3 servings of fresh fruit daily, with an emphasis on high-potassium fruits such as banana, cantaloupe, grapes, and mangoes
- Fats – 1-2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil daily as your friendly fat serving
- ½ to 1 ounce of dark chocolate or some low-calorie cocoa
PMS exception diet – Foods to avoid
When you have PMS, follow the above diets but with these exceptions and limitations during your period
- Especially avoid soda, gum, carbs after 2pm, salt, caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol, eggs (egg whites are okay)
- Avoid simple carbs (white bread, white pasta, chips, etc.)
- Reduce your intake of foods that are difficult to digest, such as sugary, fatty and fried foods
- Avoid dairy products containing lactose if they seem to worsen your bloating symptoms
- If you have bad digestion during your period, avoid cold beverages, canned foods, frozen foods, processed foods. Eat your heaviest meal around noon.
Health benefits claimed in The 17 Day Diet
This diet claims to reduce the risk of cancer, carbohydrate sensitivity, depression, type 2 diabetes, digestive problems, gallstones, gout, heart disease, high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, infertility, joint disease, overweight/obesity, sleep apnea, stroke
As always, this is not intended to be a replacement for professional medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. Consult your doctor before starting a new diet. This page describes what the authors of the diet recommend – Chewfo is describing the diet only, and does not endorse it.
See the original 17 Day Diet for more information on the foods that are encouraged at each stage, the benefits of friendly gut bacteria, why to drink a lot of water, the exercise plans, cultural tweaks, sample menus, and recipes.
Get a copy of the 17-Day Diet Breakthrough Solution for the original 17-Day Diet plus information on Contour Foods and the Transitional Day Fast, supplementation, exercise workouts for spot reduction, more recipes, and more meal plans.
Also get a copy of The 17-Day Diet Cookbook for more recipes.
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Dr. Mike's website is http://www.drmikediet.com/. He's on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DrMikeDiet and Twitter at https://twitter.com/drmikediet.
There's also a 17-Day Diet SparkPeople team, with forums and discussions.
How has this diet worked for you?
Source: http://www.chewfo.com/diets/the-17-day-diet-2011-by-mike-moreno-what-to-eat-and-foods-to-avoid-food-list/