In Mid December, I announced on my facebook page that I was going to do a Carb Detox, but that I wanted to fully enjoy my holiday festivities first. Many of you chimed in asking to join me and while I debated waiting until February 1st, I know that the longer I procrastinate, the harder it will be dive in, and I’m sure you agree.

I will be starting my No Carb, No Sugar Detox this Monday, and I’d love for you to join me. 

For me, accountability is key to successfully cutting carbs because those first few days are ROUGH!! I love my carbs and as my body detoxes from their effect, everything in me wants to eat more of them. It’s a vicious cycle.

If completely cutting carbs leaves you running for cover, why don’t you just pick one healthy living area that you want to focus on during the next month?

Maybe it’s cutting all white carbs and white sugar or maybe a baby step like cutting soda is where you land. You decide, but by just making one small choice, you can really make a difference.

I am not into quick fixes or “magic” diets. Over the years, I have tried varying approaches, but it comes down to healthy eating choices and lifestyle change. I admit, when I’ve splurged on fun foods like I have the last few months, I need to do something a bit more drastic and thus, the no carb and no sugar approach. Those are my downfalls, so I will be following the The 17 Day Diet Plan: A Doctor’s Plan Designed for Rapid Results

If any of you read my blog last year, you’ll remember that I shared about it throughout the month of February and March and honestly, I had never felt better. I didn’t have to count calories or follow a tricky plan. The philosophy is quite straight forward and it’s been amazing to receive emails from many readers who joined me with such amazing success and have kept their weight off.

Yes, I sound a bit like an infomercial, but this is all just my opinion. I have nothing to do with the 17 Day Diet, nor did they hire me to start a challenge. 😉

My husband lost 20 pounds, and I ended up losing 15 pounds just from working my way through two 17 day cycles. I didn’t finish the third cycle but jumped into their maintenance mode. I kept the majority of the weight off easily until I decide to have a free for all and eat anything at anytime, whenever I wanted for these last few months.

When I first kicked the The 17 Day Diet off last year, the struggles I shared in my Keeping the Weight Off Post are the same issues I struggle with now, so it was worth repeating.

I “know” that eating fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats and fish are the wisest choice. I know that staying away from the bad white carbs (white bread, pasta, white rice, potatoes and sugar) is best for losing weight and healthy living, but I just haven’t wanted to give those things up enough to lose the weight.

For me, it’s still all about balance and enjoying those things in moderation, but in order to get this weight off initially, I have to be willing to go without my favorite carbs. I can’t just stop at small portions of carbs. I inhale my favorite carbs.

My goal is to adhere to a more unprocessed, low sugar, low glycemic index, low fat, food plan for 17 days (the first cycle) and then gradually add the carbs back into my food choices.

I did that, lost weight, had more energy and it was manageable. Now, don’t get me wrong, the first week is the hardest. I had to retrain myself to enjoy veggies. I had to spend more time dicing and chopping and sauteing for stir fries, but after a week or so,  I began to crave healthy foods. I shared some of my 17 Day Diet Food Ideas near the end of Cycle 1.

As I mentioned, the plan is fairly straight forward.

“The The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor’s Plan Designed for Rapid Results Keeping the Weight Off: What are You Eating? (Tasty Tuesday) , relies on proven methods to help you take the weight off and keep it off. His revolutionary program adjusts your body metabolically so that you burn fat, day in and day out. Each 17 day Cycle “Accelerate, Activate, Achieve and Arrive” changes your calorie count and the foods you eat.”

The plan has four cycles. Each cycle consists of 17 days where dieters vary the carbs, proteins, fruits and other kinds of foods they eat in order to stimulate their metabolism and promote weight loss.

There are “free” foods in which you can eat unlimited amounts of each day: 90% of all veggies (but not the carb based ones like potatoes, avocados and corn), lean chicken breast, turkey breast and lean fish. For me, the key was advanced prep on the chicken. When I had a lot of it cooked up and ready, I was fine to ward off cravings. When I had a craving, I would make a quick salad with grilled chicken on top. (I’ll go into my menu plan in a post later in the week.)

I had a LOT of chicken.

Things like Speedy Chicken Cacciatore where I would just eat the veggies and chicken, but serve it on pasta to the kids.

Our family has eaten so healthy and the kids are enjoying it. I do not like cooking two meals, so I get creative.

Since I make this in a pan, it’s easy to just avoid putting the ranch and cheese on my portion in my quick Cheddar Ranch Chicken.

Citrus Herb Chicken @10MinuteDinners.com

Then there are the “two/day” foods – two pieces of fruit (before 2:00), two eggs and two servings of probiatics foods. I choose plain yogurt to make smoothies.

While it seems limited in choices, the results are amazing. There are delicious recipes that you can create with veggies, chicken and my favorite seasoning – Herbamare. I buy it through Vitacost.com where I save on many of my health, whole foods and supplement products.(You receive free $10 off your first $30 order.It’s one of my favorite sites.)

Once you finish the first cycle of 17 days, you enter into cycle two when you begin adding in additional beneficial carbs and lean beef, as well as some other choice foods.

I ended up losing 15 pounds from working my way through two cycles and then jumped into maintenance mode. I kept the majority of the weight off easily until I decide to have a free for all and eat anything at anytime, whenever I wanted for the last few months.Those who say they gained all their weight back after doing this most likely just went back to eating what ever they wanted, when ever. Of course, no one can keep weight off when that occurs. I was surprised that I kept off what I did with how I was eating.

I’ve gained half of it back and my goal is to drop additional weight plus another 8 pounds. That’s my goal over the next two months, but I am taking it day by day (or I should say, 17 days by 17 days.)

Would you like some group accountability?

I will be posting many of my recipe ideas, sharing them on instagram, as well as doing check ins on my facebook page.

Remember, just pick one healthy living choice.  We’ll be in this together.

For additional reading, I’ve shared a bit about my Weight Loss journey, in that category here

and if you want to read the entire book, this is what I’m following – The 17 Day Diet.