Accelerate-the rapid weight loss portion, which helps flush sugar and fat storage from your system

Activate-the metabolic restart portion, with alternating low and high calorie days to help shed body fat

Achieve-the phase that involves learning to control portions and introducing new fitness routines

Arrive-a combination of the first three cycles to keep good habits up for good. On weekends, enjoy your favorite foods!

Each cycle changes your calorie count and the food that you're eating. This is not a diet that relies on a tiny list of approved foods, grueling exercise routines, or unrealistic calorie counts that leave you hungry and unfulfilled. Moderation and proper portions are key factors in the 17 Day Diet-the trick is to figure out the foods and routines that work best with your real lifestyle.

Now, The 17 Day Diet Cookbook is here to help you meet your weight loss goals in a healthy and delicious way. Packed with brand-new recipes, The 17 Day Diet Cookbook offers an easy way to prepare healthy meals at home that will appeal to the whole family. Divided by cycle, the cookbook contains easy recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and desserts. Designed for the busy home cook, these nutritious and tasty dishes take about half an hour of active preparation and do not taste like diet food. You will be able to craft great meals that will satisfy everyone you're feeding while helping you reach your weight loss goals.

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As a family practice physician and an advocate of preventive health, I believe healthy food can still be wonderful. I refuse to accept that a diet has to involve going to extremes or that diet food has to taste like cardboard. It doesn't! It just has to be thoughtfully prepared, in a reasonable amount of time, and taste incredibly good. That's the kind of food you'll find in this book.

I know you want meals that are quick and healthy. You want them to taste wonderful, you want them to help you lose weight, and you want them now! Seems like a tall order, but that's what these recipes deliver. I encourage you to try several of these recipes each week to reap the benefits. Maybe the Tuscan Pork Tenderloin will become a new favorite, or the Mexican Chocolate Pudding can take over as your go-to dessert. Maybe you'll love the Curried Poached Halibut or start making Oven-Barbecued Chicken all year round. Just start with a cycle's worth of meals, and do it. Having the right ingredients on hand, plus kitchen equipment that makes preparation easier, will make cooking quicker and more healthful. With every new recipe you try, you will discover low-fat and low-carb cooking tips; healthy methods of food preparation; ways to cut the fat, sugar, calories, and cholesterol; and how to use fresh herbs and spices to add flavor. Consider these tools to help you get your weight under control. The more weight loss tools you have, the more successful you will be. Enjoy!

-Dr. Mike