In the spirit of “keepin’ it real” here at Sprittibee’s blog… I will admit to not tackling the first 7 days of the 17 Day Diet at 100% commitment level. We have had people visit, dinners out, and distractions – which all lead to cave-ins. BUT. I have been good enough to make some really hard decisions in the face of major temptations – and although I initially lost 3 pounds, I gained 2 back.

I was able to get in to another pair of smaller jeans stacked on the top of my closet this morning, too. That’s a prize in and of itself.

I’m not sure what was going on yesterday, but I was CRAVING food last night before bed and ended up eating white buttered bread (that NEVER happens) and a handful of Peanut MnM’s (also rare – normally I only have dark chocolate when I break down and eat candy, 70% or more). This morning I had lost .6 ounces anyway. So frustrating how you are rewarded some days when you knowingly cave in – and other days, when you force yourself to eat salads without dressing, you GAIN.

So today I’m 141.8 – and the lowest yet has been 140.8. I have 9 days left of my 5 pound weight challenge. Trying on clothes this week has been a great motivator. It is one thing to get dressed in the morning when you are at your lightest… and quite another to get a glimpse of yourself in the evening just hours before bed time… trying to fit in to those pants you were “SURE were your size” by now.

SO…. today I’m going to eat my dressing-less salads with no complaint, as I imagine what it will be like to say “I REACHED MY GOAL” next Thursday!

Below I wanted to share a few important things on my healthier eating path:

1. Green Tea

One of the things the 17 Day Diet suggests is to drink Green Tea every day. According to Dr. Mike (author of The 17 Day Diet), green tea contains catechins that increase fat burning and stimulate thermogenesis (the calorie burning process that occurs as a result of digesting and metabolizing food). Also, it is supposed to block tumor growth and possibly shrink the blood supply to your fat, thus making it shrink, along with cancer cells.

Some of my favorites are Yogi’s Goji Berry (worth 5 calories) and Blueberry Slim Life (ZERO calories). Another one I’ve tried is Numi Tea’s green tea. It is good for a plain green tea, but I prefer a more fruity taste in my tea. I do love their Earl Grey tea, however. When I skip my green tea (on days that I’m off my diet), I opt for the Numi Earl Grey. My daughter likes Vinis Earl Grey – but that’s just because of the shiny tin it comes in.

2. Water

The 17 Day Diet (and anyone else who cares about your health and has three brain cells to rub together) suggests drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. It decreases your cravings by filling you up, helps you metabolize fat by helping your liver work at full capacity – which in turn helps you lose weight, gets the toxins out of your body, prevents fluid retention and swelling, provides the hydration you need for cell growth, regulates your body temperature, and cushions your joints so you can exercise and move safely.

Pretty much all I drink is water, sparkling water without any added sugar or sugar substitutes, green tea, and about a cup of milk each day. I keep the sparkling water down to one or two per day (my husband has 4-5 of them per day – he’s addicted). We normally drink RW Knudsen’s Blueberry Essence, La Crouix, HEB brand, or the new favorite: Seagram’s Sparkling Seltzer Water.

I really feel it when I drink less than 5 glasses of water a day now. I’m pretty sure that before I started this diet, I was doing good to drink two eight-ounce glasses per day!

3. Tortillas

When I started the 17 Day Diet I gave up bread for the most part. I might rarely have a bit of bread, but I used to eat two slices on a sandwich and a slice of toast for breakfast on any given day. Now, I keep bread in the “cookie” category and try to view it as a rare treat. That doesn’t mean I gave up grains, however. On the first phase of the 17 Day Diet, I mainly eat meats, veggies, fats, and a little dairy and fruit. But on the second phase, I eat grains every other day. Those grains are WHOLE grain choices as often as possible.

I’m pretty sure that corn tortillas are my new “loaf” of choice. When I eat out, and I can’t stop at a place that serves a good salad (like Jason’s Deli), I tend to go places that have fresh ingredients served up with tortillas… like Taco Deli (oh, lawdy, I love Taco Deli). Even when I’m on the first phase of the diet, I might slip a taco or two in every few days. Tacos are low in calories and you can really get creative on how you use them – and when (think breakfast, lunch or dinner).

We love our Mexican food over here, so tacos would be my first choice, but check out these other tortilla recipe ideas:

Migas (scrambled eggs, pico de gallo salsa, crisp tortilla strips, and grated cheese)
Cheese Quesadillas (cheese – and sometimes chicken – folded over in a tortilla and pan fried until melted)
Breakfast Tacos (bacon, eggs, cheese, and sometimes refried beans in a taco with fresh pico or salsa)
Spinach and Cheese Empanadas (like a baked, stuffed pastry – but with tortilla instead)
Tortilla Soup
Southwestern Caesar Salad with Smoky Tortilla “Croutons”
BLT-A Wrap (the A stands for avocado, of course)
Mediterranean Hummus Wrap
Tortilla Crusted Stuffed Chicken Breast
Chicken and Bell Pepper Fajitas
Tostadas (open-faced, flat tacos piled with yummy toppings)
Mushroom Tart (parmesan and onion, ground tortilla tart crust… mmmmm)
Tortilla Pizzas
Enchiladas
Mexican Lasagna
Turkey Roll-Ups
Pigs in a “Pancho”
Poblano Chicken Enchilada Casserole
(and not on the diet…) Nutella Quesadillas and Mexican Cannolis

I haven’t tried ALL of these recipes but they sound so yummy! I got a new recipe book to review called, “Tortillas to the Rescue” and I’ve been limited on how many things I can make from it lately because of my diet phase (I have another 10 days ahead with ZERO carbish stuff besides 2 approved-list fruits a day and whatever carbs might come from my veggies). The list above are certainly on my phase 2 recipe wish list – so looking forward to reaching my goal to gain more carbs back in the menu. Click the book to go check it out at Amazon. If you buy one for yourself and make a few of these listed here, leave me a comment and let me know if you loved it or hated it!

4. Coconut Oil

I’m learning to get by with just using coconut oil instead of butter on MOST things. I fry my eggs in it now. I fry my Asian fried rice with it. I fry green beans with it. Anything Asian, really – it works well. I still haven’t started using it in my Mexican flavored dishes, but honestly, I’m not sure you would notice it with as much spice as I use.

There’s so much research about coconut oil that I wanted to link it for you. While ALL hydrogenated oils should be avoided, not all fat sources are equal and some are actually beneficial – even some that are SATURATED (like coconut oil). In fact, the peoples that live in areas where coconut oils are used in high concentration as a major part of their diet actually have hardly ANY heart disease or vascular problems. There are plenty of scientific journals you can read with research that backs up these claims. Check out Dr. Mercola’s “This Cooking Oil is a Powerful Virus-Destroyer and Antibiotic” and follow some of his links. It is truly amazing information.

I could go in to details about coconut oil, but I don’t want to sound like an advertisement. I became an affiliate for Tropical Traditions because I love it so much and wanted to help offset my ordering costs for our family. I use it to swish with in my mouth (which is kind of like gargling – but is said to draw out toxins – which you spit out with the oil), to coat my mouth with when I get a sore throat or blister from too much citric acid, to cook and bake with, and sometimes just to put a dab in my green tea for flavor. Pretty much every day we use a little bit in some way.

I’m not quite to the stage of throwing out all my other oils just yet — but I do want to share Dr. Mercola’s information on WHY COCONUT OIL is the ONLY OIL that we should be using to cook with:

“Why?

Reason # 1: Most people believe that frying creates trans-fat. That is not the major problem, in my opinion. Although some are created, they are relatively minor. There are FAR more toxic chemicals produced by frying omega-6 oils than trans-fat.

Frying destroys the antioxidants in oil and as a result oxidizes the oil. This causes cross-linking, cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and polymerization of oils that cause far more damage than trans-fat.

Reason # 2: Most of the vegetable oils are GMO. This would include over 90 percent of the soy, corn and canola oils.

Reason # 3: Vegetable oils contribute to the overabundance of damaged omega-6 fats in your diet, which creates an imbalance in the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. As you know from my extensive writing on this subject, I believe that excessive consumption of damaged omega-6 fats contributes to many health concerns.

They are all highly processed and consumed in amounts that are about 100 times more than our ancestors did a century ago. This causes them to distort the sensitive omega-6/omega-3 ratio which controls many delicate biochemical pathways which results in accelerating many chronic degenerative diseases.”

… (go read the rest at his site – as to why he recommends coconut oil above all these others for cooking!)

– Dr. Mercola

OK, so typing that out makes me want to try it in my Mexican and even my Falafels… but I don’t know how I’ll get to the place where I can fry chicken in it. That Southern girl in me doesn’t want my fried chicken and mashed potatoes to have a hint of coconut in it. Help!

OK, I figure that’s enough health info to cook your brain for this week… so hang with me and tomorrow I’ll tell you about the Corvette. You so want to be here.

Trust me on this.

{ 3.8 pounds to go by the 21st! Pray I can resist the carbaliciousness until then. }

In Him,

Heather

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Disclaimer: Although I was not compensated to review the items listed in this post, I did receive a free quart of coconut oil to review in hopes that I would share about it with my readers, and because I love it so much, I became an affiliate of Tropical Traditions. Any link to Tropical Traditions from this site is an affiliate link in hopes that I can continue to subsidize my addiction to their oils.

I also received one box of each Numi Green and Earl Grey teas to try for free. The tortilla cookbook was also a review item sent to me at no cost for an honest review. The link to the book is an affiliate link for Amazon.com – so if you click over and buy it, I will get a few pennies… which down the road may buy me a free book or two for our homeschool.

Remember, I’m not a doctor – so please check with your physician if you have any questions regarding your health or dieting needs!