Can you confuse your body into losing weight?
Jen Evola interviewed on 17 Day Diet
Dr Mike Moreno is taking the US by a storm with his 17 Day Diet that promises a leaner, healthier you. Does the diet's 'metabolic confusion' really get rid of plateau and boredom and lead to a healthy loss of weight? Anjum Dhir Kulkarni investigates.
What sets the 17 Day Diet apart from other diets is that every 17 days, the fitness and diet regime changes, leading to metabolic or body confusion. According to Dr Mike, this confusion triggers off a weight loss that is both effective and healthy.
Accelerate, stabilise and achieve
The diet is split into 4 different 17 day meal plan cycles. The first stage 'Acceleration' leads to burning of fat and cleansing of the body with a restrictive calorie intake of 1200 calories per day, resulting in rapid weight loss. The second stage 'Activate' resets the metabolism and the third stage 'Achieve' develops good eating habits, including the re-introduction of carbohydrates into the diet. The fourth and final stage 'Arrive' is a combination of all the stages, where weekends allow the enjoyment of favourite foods.
Eat, but remember to walk it off!
Dr Moreno's diet is the world's first viral diet and suggests a 17 minute exercise regime everyday to accompany the food plans. In the first two stages, exercises are restricted to walking since the calorie intake is limited. In the next stages, exercises vary between 150-300 minutes per week in order to sustain a healthy weight. The doctor also provides various tricks to avoid falling back into old eating habits that lead to unhealthy weight gain.
Unlike other diets, the 17 Day Diet doesn't completely cut out any major source of nutrition. The constantly shifting meal plans include fruits, vegetables, protein rich meats and healthy carbohydrates in different cycles so that the body is never completely deprived of one thing.
Expert Speak
Even though Dr Moreno's diet sounds relatively well balanced and easy to follow, experts warn against its imperfections. Says Medical Doctor and Wellness Consultant Dr Shikha Sharma, "The diet is not scientifically accurate as a well balanced diet is essential to keep the metabolism high." Adds Dr Jennifer Evola, Registered Dietician in Chicago, "The diet presents a 10 lbs weight loss per week, which is very unhealthy. An individual should lose only 1-2 pounds of weight per week.
Dr Shikha Sharma appreciates the fact that Dr Mike's diet encourages the intake of a variety of unprocessed, natural foods that are nutritionally healthy. However, she doesn't recommend the diet for sustainable and permanent weight loss. She says, "I don't think it's safe enough to continue with such a dieting schedule as it doesn't concentrate on a balanced diet." She warns, "The calorie intake may be too low for physically active dieters and irregular eating patterns have the potential to trigger disordered eating in susceptible individuals. Moreover, such diets are not suitable for diabetics."
Dr Jennifer Evola feels that the diet doesn't address an individual's life style patterns. According to her, "An individual needs to be educated on how to incorporate their favourite foods in moderation to balanced meals and snacks throughout the day for long term results."
Though the world's first viral diet appears to be more wholesome than other fad diets, if you are thinking of adopting it in order to lose weight and keep it off, it is advisable to go for it only after a consultation with your doctor.
