17-Day Diet Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions about Dieting (Part 1)

**Q&A: Dr. Mike, could you please tell me more?**

The 17-day diet is simple and feasible, but some questions still arise occasionally.

This chapter explains the most frequently asked questions by patients and provides answers, hoping that this information will be helpful.

**Dieting-related issues**

Q: I only need to lose four kilograms. How long should I diet like that?

A: If you strictly follow the first cycle, you can lose four kilograms quickly.

Otherwise, one can continue into the second cycle, depending on each person's metabolic status.

Everyone's situation is different, and the rate of weight loss varies.

If you want to accelerate weight loss and achieve your goal sooner, you can increase the duration and intensity of your daily exercise.

Keep going and don't get discouraged; you'll reach your ideal weight soon.

Q: Can I switch parts of my dinner with my lunch?

A: Yes.

In short, it's good to eat less calories for dinner.

If you have a job that requires shift work, I would recommend switching your lunch and dinner.

After the switch, make sure you don't eat carbohydrates after 2 PM.

**Question: Is the 17-day diet safe for everyone?**

A: This diet is designed for healthy people.

However, anyone wishing to adopt this diet must first obtain a doctor's approval. This diet is not suitable for individuals with type 1 diabetes, any serious illness, who are pregnant, or who are breastfeeding.

**Question: Since we have achieved remarkable results with Cycle One, can we simply continue following Cycle One?**

A: The remarkable results are truly gratifying, indicating that you have a strong desire to cultivate healthy habits and value your health.

Keep going! But I don't recommend using a cycle that exceeds seventeen days.

This diet is carefully designed to boost metabolism, prevent weight stagnation, and gradually reintroduce a variety of foods into your daily life.

Ideally, you should follow all three cycles, and after 51 days, return to cycle one to lose weight.

**Q: Can I drink fruit-flavored green tea while following this diet?**

A: Yes, as long as you don't add sugar.

Many supermarkets sell sugar-free fruit-flavored green tea, which tastes great and can be enjoyed hot or cold.

**Q: When you say a certain food is "portion-free," does that mean you can eat a large portion of meat, or a second portion of food?**

A: No.

Don't stuff your stomach full.

Use my "hunger/fullness scale" to avoid overeating.

Eat until you're full, but don't eat until you feel like your stomach is about to burst.

**Question:** Why does the 17-day diet contain a large amount of protein?

A: Protein is the main component of all cells in the body, so it is important to ensure adequate protein intake.

Recent studies suggest that we may need more protein than previously thought.

The recommended daily protein intake for adults is 0.9 grams per kilogram of body weight, or 15 percent of daily calories.

However, if you exercise, are on a diet, or are older, you may need more.

According to a 2000 study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, involving 855 people, those who consumed protein at the recommended daily intake lost bone at a much faster rate than those who ate more.

People who consume the least protein also experience the greatest bone loss: up to four percent over four years.

People who consume more protein (accounting for 20% of their calories) experience the least bone loss: less than 1.5% over four years.

Although this study focused on older men and women, the results are important for all adults.

When you are young, you need protein to build bones.

After the age of thirty, protein is needed to prevent bone loss.

Maintaining strong bones requires a lifetime of effort.

The study once again proves that protein-rich foods are essential for weight loss, maximizing fat reduction and minimizing muscle loss.

The importance of this point is that muscle loss leads to a slower resting metabolic rate (that is, the rate at which the body burns fat), making it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight and promote fat loss.

If you consistently consume the foods listed in the 17-day diet, you can obtain sufficient protein.

**Question: I am a vegetarian, can I follow the 17-day diet?**

A: Yes.

If you are on a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, dairy products and eggs will be your protein sources. At different stages, you can obtain protein from probiotic foods (such as yogurt), eggs, and legumes.

"Semi-vegans" are people who eat less red meat but eat fish and chicken, so they can easily follow this diet.

"Vegan" individuals completely eliminate animal protein from their diet.

However, vegans can still follow the 17-day diet, as long as they use plant-based meat as protein and replace yogurt with probiotic supplements.

The 17-day diet is applicable to almost all lifestyles with nutritional needs.

**Q: Although whole grains are good for health, I'm really tired of eating oatmeal and brown rice.**

Are there any other foods we could try?

A: There are many other options, such as so-called ancient or alternative grains: amaranth (rich in protein), camu (a type of wheat), goosefoot (a cereal-like herb), spelt (a type of wheat), rye (a hybrid of rye and wheat), whole grain stew (a delicious type of rice), barley (rich in fiber), and broken wheat (a delicious type of wheat).

To find these less common grains, you might need to go to large natural food stores or local exotic food markets.

Although some foods may be unfamiliar to people in their own country, they have been eaten in other countries around the world for thousands of years.

**Question: Sometimes I don't finish all the food in the 17-day diet. Will this interfere with the results?**

A: Absolutely not.

The 17-day diet is very filling, and for many people, eating all the fruits and vegetables at the beginning is not easy.

It's okay if you can't finish it, just don't substitute it with foods that don't conform to the dietary guidelines.

Q: I indulged myself too much on the weekend, what should I do?

A: If you gained one or two kilograms over the weekend, I suggest you start from the beginning of the "accelerated weight loss period" (cycle one) and lose the extra weight.

After that, you can return to other cycles that have already been completed.