Didn't have time for the walk in the park this morning, but fit in quite a few crunches and squats before leaving the house. We ran errands after dinner, so I'm counting running around Costco as my walking -- that counts, right?? It's a big warehouse...
Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes (my favourite!!), coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup
Dinner -- turkey chili (no black or kidney beans -- it's a no-carb day...), steamed carrots
One thing this diet is clearing out, besides my belly fat, is my rather extensive collection of green tea -- I don't know where it all came from, but I have about a half-dozen different brands in the pantry. Some are better than others -- I find I prefer a regular green tea or one that's blended with fruit. The jasmine green tea has a very strong flavour that tends to overpower what I'm eating.
Let's talk about fluids for a bit...
- Apparently drinking too much green tea can lead to constipation -- not good! This could potentially explain some things (TMI perhaps...). Dr. Mike says it's fine to back off of drinking it and use a green tea supplement (capsule/pill -- washed down with water, of course...) if this happens, but stresses that the green tea is important to the metabolic process and reducing inflammation, especially during the first cycle. So make sure you have some laxatives around, just in case...
- Wine is good for you -- there's lots of research out there that supports moderate alcohol consumption as being good for the heart and circulation, preventing strokes and heart attacks. But its carbs -- sugar and grapes -- so it slows your progress. But this diet isn't about deprivation (because if you tell people they "can't", they're just going to find creative ways to ensure that they "can"), so Dr. Mike says go ahead and have some -- just be sure that you have a glass of water for every glass of wine. This makes me very happy, but I'm waiting until Cycle 3 before I have some...
- Coffee, tea and alcohol are considered negative waters, so if you're having them, you have to up your water intake. This I am not so good at. I'm barely managing the 8 glasses of water each day, and Dr. Mike says it should be 8+, especially if there's a lot of caffeine happening in the day -- and my day just doesn't progress well without copious amounts of coffee, far more than the 2 maximum that the good doctor says is safe. It's safe to say that besides carbohydrates, coffee is my other addiction. I'll work on that...
There's some great video clips with this information, diet tips and answers to common questions to be found on the website -- check it out at http://www.the17daydiet.com/
Another weigh-in tomorrow!
