Brenda Khan
The 17-Day Diet is a weight-loss plan developed by Dr. Michael Moreno, a San Diego family medicine doctor, whose book The 17-Day Diet was published in 2010. The diet is divided into four cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. Each cycle lasts 17 days, except for Arrive, which is meant to be followed for life. The key to this diet is constantly changing foods and calorie intake, which is claimed to boost your metabolism. The diet starts off at its most restrictive, with a high-protein, low-fat, no-carb emphasis, and bans sugar, processed foods, salty foods, and fried foods. The exercise portion of the program starts slowly with just 17 minutes a day of a moderate activity like walking.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Goal | Lose weight rapidly and build healthy eating habits |
| Number of Cycles | 4 |
| Cycle Names | Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, Arrive |
| Cycle Duration | 17 days each for the first three cycles; Arrive is meant to be followed for life |
| Cycle 1 | Focus on lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and probiotic foods; minimize starchy vegetables, high-sugar fruits, alcohol, and carbs |
| Cycle 2 | Alternate between high and low caloric days; add in other lean proteins, starchy vegetables, grains, and legumes |
| Cycle 3 | Introduce small amounts of avocado, canola oil, walnut oil, mayonnaise, nuts, seeds, reduced-calorie margarine, and salad dressing |
| Exercise | Start with 17 minutes of low-impact exercise per day, gradually increasing to 40-60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days |
| Results | Weight loss of 10-15 pounds in the first 17 days |
| Resources | Books, blogs, and guides with meal plans, recipes, and tips |
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What You'll Learn
The four cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, Arrive
The 17-day diet is a weight-loss plan that involves four distinct cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. Each cycle lasts 17 days and focuses on different aspects of nutrition and metabolic stimulation. The diet is anchored in whole foods, regular exercise, and other good habits that can help achieve lasting weight loss and weight maintenance.
Accelerate
The Accelerate cycle is the first phase of the 17-day diet and is designed to promote rapid weight loss. It involves increasing protein intake, improving digestive health, reducing sugar and refined carbs, and clearing the body of toxins that affect metabolism. During this cycle, you can eat unlimited protein and non-starchy vegetable options, while most carb-rich foods are banned, except for fruits, which must be eaten before 2 pm. Dairy is restricted to low-sugar yoghurt, and fruits are consumed in moderation. This cycle can lead to side effects such as headaches, lightheadedness, and low energy due to the removal of sugar and carbs from the diet.
Activate
The Activate cycle is the second phase of the diet and involves alternating between lower-calorie days and higher-calorie days. On lower-calorie days, you follow the Accelerate cycle guidelines. On higher-calorie days, you can add two servings of naturally higher-starch carbs, such as legumes, grains, tubers, and root vegetables. This cycle is based on the idea of alternate-day fasting, which has been found to be effective for fat loss. It aims to keep your metabolism active and prevent plateaus.
Achieve
The third cycle of the 17-day diet, Achieve, focuses on establishing healthy eating habits with steady, manageable weight loss. Alternate-day fasting is no longer required, and you can eat a wider variety of carb sources, including breads, pastas, high-fibre cereals, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Alcohol is allowed in moderation, but it is recommended to pass on it for more weight loss. Since you are eating more, it is suggested to increase aerobic exercise to 45-60 minutes per day.
Arrive
The final cycle, Arrive, is meant to be followed for life and helps maintain your new weight while establishing long-term healthy eating habits. This cycle includes a modified version of the previous cycles, allowing for occasional indulgences while encouraging consistent portion control and balanced meals. You can choose any meal plan from the previous three stages and follow it from Monday breakfast to Friday lunch. From Friday dinner to Sunday dinner, you can enjoy your favourite foods in moderation, along with one to two alcoholic beverages daily. It is recommended to get at least an hour of intense exercise during the weekend to compensate for the increased calorie intake.
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What to eat
The 17-Day Diet is divided into four cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. The first three cycles last 17 days each, while the final Arrive cycle is intended to be followed for life. The diet promises quick weight loss of 10 to 15 pounds, with the first cycle being the most restrictive.
During the first cycle, Accelerate, the diet focuses on increasing your protein intake, improving digestive health, reducing sugar, sweets, and refined carbs, and clearing your body of toxins that may be affecting your metabolism. During this phase, you can eat unlimited amounts of lean protein and non-starchy vegetables or "cleansing vegetables" from a specified list of Accelerate foods. Carb-rich foods are banned, but fruits are allowed in limited quantities and should not be eaten after 2 pm.
In the second cycle, Activate, you alternate between lower- and higher-calorie days. On lower-calorie days, you continue eating as you did in the Accelerate cycle. On higher-calorie days, you can add two servings of naturally higher-starch carbs, such as legumes, grains, tubers, and root vegetables.
In the third cycle, Achieve, you can introduce shellfish, pork, lean red meat, lamb, and veal.
The fourth and final cycle, Arrive, is about maintaining the healthy eating habits you have developed during the previous cycles.
Throughout the diet, it is important to stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Additionally, consuming two probiotic foods daily is recommended to promote digestive health.
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Exercise
The exercise portion of the program starts slowly, with just 17 minutes a day of moderate activity such as walking. This can be done twice a day if following the original 17-day diet book. During the first three to five days, you may experience headaches, lightheadedness, and low energy due to the effects of detox and toxins leaving your body as you remove sugar and carbs from your diet. It is important to keep your water intake high during this time.
The exercise duration quickly increases to 40-60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days. If you have any medical conditions, it is important to check with your doctor before starting this program.
During the Accelerate cycle, the diet focuses on lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and probiotic foods, which are low in calories. In the Activate cycle, the diet implements a modified take on alternate-day fasting, with lower-calorie and higher-calorie days. On higher-calorie days, you can add two servings of naturally higher-starch carbs such as legumes, grains, tubers, and root vegetables.
The 17-day diet is claimed to boost your metabolism by constantly changing foods and calorie intake. However, there is insufficient evidence to support this claim, and it is important to consult with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian before starting any new diet plan, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.
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Health considerations
The 17-Day Diet is a weight loss program created by Dr. Mike Moreno, a San Diego family medicine doctor. The diet is divided into four cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. The first three cycles last 17 days each, while the Arrive cycle is meant to be followed for life. The key to this diet is constantly changing foods and calorie intake every 17 days, which is claimed to boost your metabolism.
- Consult a healthcare professional: Prior to starting the 17-Day Diet or any new diet plan, it is important to consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian, especially if you have an underlying health condition. Check with your doctor, especially if you have heart or kidney disease, or any other medical problems, to be sure the diet is right for you.
- Gradual increase in exercise: The exercise portion of the program starts slowly with just 17 minutes a day of moderate activity like walking. It then gradually increases to 40-60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days. If you have any medical conditions, consult your doctor before starting this program.
- Diet composition: The 17-Day Diet is a low-carb plan that eliminates sugar, processed foods, salty foods, fried foods, and most grains. It is high in protein, low in fat, and includes antioxidant-rich produce, probiotics, and good fats. During the first cycle, you are allowed to eat unlimited protein and non-starchy vegetables. In the second cycle, you can add in other lean proteins and starchy vegetables, grains, and legumes. In the third cycle, you can eat a wider variety of carb sources, and alcohol is allowed in moderation.
- Potential side effects: In the first few days of the diet, you may experience headaches, lightheadedness, and low energy due to the effects of detox and toxins leaving your body as you remove sugar and carbs from your diet. Keep your water intake high, and eat plenty of lean proteins and cleansing vegetables if you are hungry.
- Lack of calorie guidance: While the diet provides a framework for changing food combinations and calorie intake, it does not specify how many calories to eat during each cycle. This lack of guidance may make it challenging for some individuals to meet their nutritional needs or weight loss goals.
- Questionable claims: The 17-Day Diet makes various weight loss claims that are not supported by scientific evidence, such as the idea that changing food groups and calorie intake can "confuse" and boost your metabolism. There is also insufficient evidence to suggest that this diet is more effective than conventional, calorie-restricted, whole-food diets.
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Weight loss expectations
The 17-Day Diet promises quick weight loss of 10 to 15 pounds, or even 30 pounds, through a restrictive first phase that eliminates sugar, grains, fruit, alcohol, and most dairy foods. The diet is divided into four cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. The first three cycles last 17 days each, while the Arrive cycle is meant to be followed for life. The Accelerate cycle is the most restrictive, with a high-protein, low-fat, no-carb emphasis, and it is claimed to help you lose 10–12 pounds over the first 17 days. During this cycle, you can eat unlimited protein and non-starchy vegetable options from the specified Accelerate foods list. Most carb-rich foods are banned during this cycle, and fruits are not allowed after 2 pm.
In the Activate cycle, you alternate between lower- and higher-calorie days. On lower-calorie days, you eat as you would during the Accelerate cycle. On higher-calorie days, you can add two servings of naturally higher-starch carbs, such as legumes, grains, tubers, and root vegetables. The 17-Day Diet Cycle 2 is also known as the "body confusion cycle", where you keep your body from experiencing a plateau by alternating high and low caloric days. During this cycle, you will start to see changes in your body, with most people reporting seeing more inches than pounds lost.
The diet is anchored in whole foods, regular exercise, and other good habits that can help achieve lasting weight loss and weight maintenance. The exercise portion of the program starts slowly with just 17 minutes a day of moderate activity like walking, and quickly increases to 40 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days. The diet also recommends drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day.
It is important to note that the diet makes various weight loss claims that are unsupported by evidence, such as the idea that changing food groups and calorie intake can "confuse" and boost your metabolism. Restricting your diet is not the only factor influencing weight loss, and it is important to cultivate other healthy habits such as regular exercise and adequate sleep. Before starting the 17-Day Diet, it is recommended to consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian, especially if you have an underlying health condition.
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Frequently asked questions
The 17-day diet is divided into four cycles: Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. The first three cycles last 17 days each, and the Arrive cycle is meant to be followed for life. The diet focuses on eliminating certain carbohydrates, increasing protein intake, and improving digestive health. Before starting, it is recommended to consult a doctor or a dietitian, especially if you have any health conditions.
During the Accelerate cycle, you can eat unlimited lean proteins and non-starchy or "cleansing" vegetables. You should avoid sugar, sweets, refined carbs, and fruit after 2 pm.
The exercise portion of the program starts slowly with just 17 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking. It quickly increases to 40-60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days.
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