2022
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Here’s what scientific studies show about the immediate results of healthy eating on The 17 Day Diet: STEP 1. In 15 Minutes. …of eating a healthy breakfast you’ll start to feel energetic and mentally alert as your body uses those nutrients to their full potential. STEP 2.
- How It Works
VEGETABLES ON THE 17 DAY DIET. Dark green and leafy is...
- Podcast
WITH DR. MIKE MORENO. Dr. Michael Moreno has helped millions...
- The 17 Day Kick-Start Diet Book
Since the success of The 17 Day Diet, Dr. Mike Moreno has...
- Blog
Pumpkin polenta is the perfect comfort food for the Fall...
- The 17 Day Diet Cycle 3
In Cycle 3 you have a whole new variety of food choices. You...
- About Us
Since Dr. Mike Moreno first published The 17 Day Diet in...
- Contact Us
Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm eastern time....
- Benefits
The 17 Day Diet has shown to improve triglyceride levels and...
- How It Works
VEGETABLES ON THE 17 DAY DIET. Dark green and leafy is always the best choice for vegetables. Most of your meals should be a protein with vegetables, and an extra side of fat. Chicken breast basted in olive oil, with broccoli and cheese. Steak topped with a knob of butter, and a side of spinach sauteed in olive oil.
- Overview
- Healthline Diet Score: 2.63 out of 5
- What is the 17 Day Diet?
- Is it effective for weight loss?
- Other potential benefits
- Possible drawbacks
- Foods to eat
- Sample menu
- The bottom line
The 17 Day Diet is a weight loss program created by Dr. Mike Moreno. It claims to help you lose up to 10–12 pounds (4.5–5.4 kg) in only 17 days. That said, more research is needed to support these claims.
The key to this diet is changing your food combinations and calorie intake each 17-day cycle.
Dr. Moreno believes that changing your diet in this way prevents boredom and keeps your metabolism in a state of “confusion” to speed up weight loss and avoid plateaus.
However, many claims associated with this diet are not supported by quality studies.
This article reviews whether the 17 Day Diet can help you lose weight.
DIET REVIEW SCORECARD
•Overall score: 2.63
The 17 Day Diet was created by Dr. Mike Moreno and his book first published in 2010.
It’s suggested to help you lose weight rapidly and build healthy eating habits. The key to this diet is constantly changing foods and calorie intake, which is claimed to boost your metabolism (1).
The 17 Day 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.
As you move through the cycles, the diet introduces new strategies and food options.
It’s worth noting that the diet does not tell you how many calories to eat during each cycle. However, it progressively increases your calorie intake by introducing more calorie-rich options with each cycle.
In 2014, Dr. Moreno released a “breakthrough edition” of the diet with a few additions:
One of the biggest draws of the 17 Day Diet is that it can help you lose weight quickly, as it restricts calories — which means you’re creating a calorie deficit.
Consuming fewer calories than your body burns is a surefire way to lose weight (2, 3, 4).
For instance, during the Accelerate cycle, the 17 Day Diet limits your choices to lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables and probiotic foods — which are low in calories.
During the Activate phase, it implements a modified take on alternate-day fasting, which has been found to be effective for fat loss, as people find it easy to follow (5, 6).
Still, though the diet can aid weight loss, it makes various weight loss claims that are unsupported by evidence, such as that the change in food groups and calorie intake can “confuse” and boost your metabolism.
It also recommends avoiding carbs after 2 p.m., claiming that carbs eaten later in the day are harder for your body to burn, as you burn less energy in the evening. However, there are no high-quality studies that support this claim.
In addition to weight loss, the 17 Day Diet offers other potential benefits:
•Vegetarian- and vegan-friendly: This diet has plenty of options that allow it to be followed by vegetarians and vegans.
•Gluten-free-friendly: It can be made gluten-free.
•Caters to many cuisines: It has options for Mediterranean, Hispanic, Indian, Asian and many other cuisines, making it region-friendly.
•High in fiber: It advocates eating plenty of high-fiber foods. Fiber may not only aid weight loss but also offers many other health benefits (7, 8, 9).
•Has tips on surviving difficult situations: The program provides helpful tips on eating out, surviving holidays and family situations — all of which can be tricky.
Though the 17 Day Diet offers many potential benefits, it has several drawbacks as well:
•Supported by weak evidence: Evidence to support many claims associated with this diet is insufficient. This includes the notion that the diet can “confuse” your metabolism or the rule to avoid carbs after 2 p.m.
•May affect workout performance: The first two cycles of the 17 Day Diet are lower in calories and carbs, which may have a negative impact on exercise.
•Cost of supplements: In the breakthrough edition of the 17 Day Diet, Dr. Mike Moreno introduces supplements, which can be expensive. For instance, “Dr. Mike’s 17 Day Diet Pack” costs $69.88 for roughly a one-month supply.
•Easy to fall off track during the last cycle: During the last cycle, you’re allowed the freedom to eat your favorite meals three times per week. However, it can be easy to overeat or binge on weekends — negating achieved weight loss.
Summary
Foods to eat during the Accelerate cycle
•Fish: Salmon (canned or fresh), catfish, tilapia, flounder, sole, canned light tuna in water. •Poultry: Chicken and turkey breast, lean ground turkey, eggs, egg whites. •Non-starchy vegetables: Cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, okra, onions, carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, celery, eggplant, garlic, green beans, leeks, mushrooms, etc. •Low-sugar fruits: Apples, oranges, berries (all), peaches, grapefruit, pears, plums, prunes, prickly pear cactus, red grapes. •Probiotic foods: Sugar-free, fruit-flavored, plain and low-fat yogurt (such as Greek-style), Yakult, kefir, low-fat acidophilus milk, tempeh, reduced-salt miso, kimchi. •Oils: Olive and flaxseed oil. •Condiments: Salsa, light soy sauce, fat-free sour cream, Truvia, sugar-free jams, vegetable cooking spray, vinegar, fat-free salad dressings, salt, pepper, mustard, all herbs and spices, low-carb ketchup and marinara sauce. It’s worth mentioning that you can only choose eggs as a protein option twice per week. Serving sizes may vary and some foods are restricted to a certain number of servings per day. For example, you may eat only two servings of low-sugar fruits and probiotic foods per day.
Foods to eat during the Activate cycle
In addition to the Accelerate options, you can add the following options during the Activate cycle: •Shellfish: Crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, shrimp. •Beef (lean cuts): Flank, top sirloin, top round, eye of the round, round tip, top loin, lean ground beef. •Pork (lean cuts): Sirloin chops, boneless loin roast and top or center loin chops. •Lamb (lean cuts): Shanks and sirloin roast. •Veal (lean cuts): Cutlet. •Grains: Amaranth, barley (pearled), quinoa, bulgur, couscous, brown rice, cream of wheat, grits, basmati rice, millet oat bran, old-fashioned oatmeal. •Legumes: Black beans, black-eyed peas, butter beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans (baby), navy beans, peas, pinto beans, soybeans, split peas. •Starchy vegetables: Breadfruit, potato, sweet potato, corn, taro, winter squash, yam. Grains, legumes and starchy vegetables can only be consumed on activate days, and one serving of grains and legumes is a 1/2 cup cooked.
Foods to eat During the Achieve cycle
During the Achieve cycle, you may choose any foods from the previous two cycles, plus the options below: •Meats: Cornish hen, quail pheasant, Canadian bacon and reduced-fat turkey bacon, sausage or lunch meat. •Breads: Cracked-wheat, fiber-enriched, gluten-free, multi-grain, oat-bran, sugar-free, pumpernickel or rye bread, pita pocket, whole-wheat tortilla, whole-grain bagel. •High-fiber cereals: All-Bran, All-Bran Extra, All-Bran Buds, Fiber One, gluten-free cold cereals, low-sugar granola. •Pasta and noodles: Whole-wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta, vegetable-based pasta, high-fiber pasta, udon noodles. •Vegetables: Virtually any vegetable, including alfalfa, broccoli sprouts, chilis, cilantro, fennel, jicama, pea pods, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, summer squash, swiss chard, zucchini, kelp and other edible seaweeds, etc. •Fruits: Virtually any fresh fruit, including bananas, cherries, apricots, currants, figs, kiwi, mango, guava, papaya, pineapple, tangerine, tangelo, etc. •Low-calorie cheeses: Brie, Camembert, Fontina, low-fat cheddar, Edam, feta, goat, Limburger, part-skim mozzarella, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat ricotta cheese. •Milks: Low-fat milk, sugar-free rice milk, almond milk, soy milk. •Oils: Canola and walnut oil. •Condiments: Light mayonnaise, mayonnaise, reduced-fat salad dressings. •Other fat options: Raw nuts or seeds, avocado, reduced-calorie margarines, trans-fat-free margarine. •Optional snacks: Frozen fruit bar, Fudgesicle (100-calorie bar), granola bar (reduced-sugar and -fat), light microwave popcorn, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, sugar-free pudding cup. •Alcohol (1 drink per day): 5 ounces (150 ml) of wine, 12 ounces (355 ml) of beer, 1.5 ounces (45 ml) of hard liquor.
Accelerate cycle
•Breakfast: 6 ounces (170 grams) of plain, low-fat yogurt, 1 cup (150 grams) of berries and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Lunch: Grilled chicken breast with tossed salad drizzled with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of balsamic vinegar. •Dinner: Grilled or baked chicken with steamed vegetables and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Snacks: 1 fruit of your choice and 1 serving of a probiotic food of your choice.
Activate cycle
•Breakfast: 1/2 cup (230 grams) of cooked oatmeal, 4 scrambled egg whites, 1 peach and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Lunch: Shrimp salad drizzled with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of balsamic vinegar, 1 medium baked sweet potato and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Dinner: Pork sirloin chops (broiled or grilled), steamed veggies and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Snacks: 1 cup (150 grams) of blueberries and 1 cup (240 ml) of kefir.
Achieve cycle
•Breakfast: 1 slice of whole-wheat toast, 1 boiled egg, 1 cup (150 grams) of berries and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Lunch: Tuna sandwich, 1 pear and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Dinner: Sesame fish, steamed vegetables of your choice and 1 cup (240 ml) of green tea. •Snacks: 1 frozen fruit bar and 6 ounces (170 grams) of yogurt.
The 17 Day Diet is a weight loss program that promises quick results by switching up your food combinations and calorie intake through different cycles.
It aids weight loss by encouraging whole, unprocessed foods and exercise. Yet, many of its claims and rules are not supported by high-quality scientific evidence.
What’s more, its effectiveness at maintaining weight loss is questionable, as it involves life-long dieting.
Instead, adopting healthy habits — such as simply eating whole foods, limiting refined sugar and exercising regularly — may be more effective for maintaining weight loss in the long run.
ABOUT THE 17 DAY DIET – THE # 1 BESTSELLING DIET! Since Dr. Mike Moreno first published The 17 Day Diet in 2010, millions of people have lost weight using his fast, safe, and extremely effective plan. Dr. Mike listens to his 17 Day Dieters as carefully as he listens to his own patients, and he is always on top of the cutting-edge research in the field of weight management.
Dr. Michael Rafael Moreno, better known as Dr. Mike, is a graduate of the University of California at Irvine and Hahnemann Medical School (now Drexel University). Following his internship and residency at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California, Dr. Mike moved to San Diego, where he currently practices family medicine, and serves as physician lead for patient education and health promotion ...
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- Mike Moreno MD
The Benefits of Cycle 1 Of The 17 Day Diet. Cycle 1 is all about detox — eliminating sugar and carbs and flushing unhealthy toxins from your body. This is the primary reason for the rapid weight loss you’ll experience during this cycle. Individual results vary, but losses of 10 to 12 pounds are not uncommon! see the full benefits.
Dr. Michael Moreno, better known as Dr. Mike is the bestselling author of the 17 Day Diet, which became an instant New York Times Bestseller, spending eleven weeks in the #1 spot alone, and has sold more than a million copies.
