My Weight Loss Goal Setting Worksheet (free PDF download) Your 17 Day Diet Weight Loss Goal Setting Worksheet
Have you ever started a diet without having a weight loss goal in mind? Maybe perhaps you were looking for your jeans to feel a little looser and didn’t put a number down on paper.
What happened? Did your jeans fit better or did you give up before you tried because you really didn’t have a set goal written down for daily review and reminder?
Having a goal written down on paper keeps us on the right path, not to mention the right mindset for weight loss success!
Studies do show that having a goal that is written down, reviewed often and is realistic and easily attained, helps us achieve what we set out to reach for.
I have a free download available to you called My Weight Loss Goal Setting Worksheet. My hope is that this worksheet is the first step in your weight loss success.
My Top 10 Most Popular Recipes for the 17 Day Diet
I’ve had my blog for over 5 1/2 years and it’s become such a great central hub for everything 17 Day Diet! This past year I focused my attention on posting more recipes as I know this is what you, the reader is looking for.
I took data from my blog from the last 90 days and present you with the Top 10 Most Popular Recipes for the 17 Day Diet. You’ll notice in various places on this post, you’ll see opportunities to download my free printable PDF of the same name. Enjoy!
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
"I'm on Cycle 1 and am about half-way through and down 6 lbs. The recipes from Simple and Lean have been most helpful. They give me good things to look forward to eating. Lots of flavor!!!!"
The way you have laid out the materials has greatly improved my chance of success. I was looking for a plan that spelled everything out in black and white in the beginning. Then as I learn more, gives me the tools to add flexibility and creativity.
My husband stated today at lunch that the meals have been excellent. Really enjoying the recipes.
"my husband, who is a firm believer in "regular" food is also enjoying the meals we have created"
Hi Torey, I just wanted to let you know that this past weekend my husband and I cooked up at least 7 meals from various weeks of these meal plans. We have food in the refrigerator for the next week and in the freezer for at least next week and possibly a third week. Not only am I finding the recipes to be delicious but my husband, who is a firm believer in "regular" food is also enjoying the meals we have created.
Thank you so much for coming up with ways to add spices and mix foods together so that healthy no/low carb meals are flavorful and don't require too much specialty items (both in terms of food and kitchen tools).
Check out my most popular blog posts...
17 Day Diet Overview by Cycle
Here you can check out a complete overview of each cycle of the 17 Day Diet all on one page. I have all you need to get started including an overview of each cycle, tips, links to the cycle food lists, sample menus, recipes and more!
Read My BistroMD Review
Check out my BistroMD review of home-delivered low-carb meals for your 17 Day Diet weight loss plan.
Remember the time when you started a new diet and you were super excited? The first 7-10 days you saw[...]
Check out the blog's latest 17 Day Diet Recipes. There are a lot of yummy dishes to help you stay on track!
How To's for the 17 Day Diet (and beyond)
Here are my three main blog posts with step-by-step instructions on how to do certain things with the 17 Day Diet, losing weight and generally staying motivated during your journey.
17 Day Diet Meal Plans and Recipes
I have several options to choose from - from 17 Day Diet meal plans complete with step-by-step kits for all cycles to recipe books specializing in green smoothies and cycle 1 recipes, you can find what you need to help you lose weight on the 17 Day Diet.
If you’re looking for a chicken dish that’s zesty, tasty and all around yummy, check out this recipe! I found this on Instagram and shared it with my followers and Gloria gave me some great feedback — her daughters loved it so much they had seconds! Enjoy!
Mozzarella Chicken In Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
½ teaspoon ground oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, halved to make 4 to 6 fillets
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup your favorite Marinara tomato sauce
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (adjust to your tastes)
½ cup shredded mozzarella
Directions:
Preheat the broiler to a medium heat setting.
Combine the herbs in a shallow bowl with salt and pepper and oil. Coat both sides of each fillet with the oil.
Heat a large heavy oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add the chicken fillets and pan fry on each side until golden (about 3 minutes on each side).
Add the garlic to the pan and allow to fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds); spoon the marinara sauce over and around each fillet.
Add the italian seasonings into the sauce; stir them through; sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella over each chicken fillet; bake until the cheese has melted and the chicken is cooked through (about 3 to 5 minutes).
Garnish with freshly chopped parmesan cheese and serve over zucchini noodles, rice, pasta, steamed vegetables, or with a salad depending on which cycle you’re currently on.
Delicious, low-cal drink I found on a forum for moments when you want chocolate. I will be drinking this even after I reach my goal. It is that good.
Ingredients
Tips
Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Directions
Place all in a blender that chops ice well. Blend until all is well mixed and all of the ice is chopped up. Mixture should be nice and thick. I like to pour the drink in a Starbucks cup or some other attractive-looking container!
This recipe makes almost 20 ounces, which I personally think is too much for one serving. I highly suggest dividing this recipe in half or share the full recipe version with someone special.
Original article and pictures take www.sparkpeople.com site
Remember I was telling you about the some of the incredible food that I had while I was in Mexico? Well this is an imitation of an incredible Red Snapper Mint Ceviche that we had one night. We went and ate dinner on a farm called El Tamarindo to the North of Cabo San Lucas, where they grew everything themselves and everything they served came from the farm- including the meat and dairy. It was truly special.
One of the appetizers was a trio of ceviche. They were all delicious, but this one was so unusual and really stood out to me. The mint was so unexpected and refreshing and I love how it took the edge off of the sour lime juice and the subtle bite of the garlic and chili.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I made it pretty much s soon as I got home. Although full disclosure, I had to make it twice. The first batch was so watery until I figured out that when our waiter told me it had “green tomatoes” in it- he really meant tomatillos- not green tomatoes! I also used cod for mine, which is plentiful at my fish market right now. It was so fresh and surprisingly great in this recipe. I served this before dinner and it was perfect and light. I also like stuff like this for lunch or a few spoonfuls in the late afternoon with a couple chips or a warm corn tortilla. And the best part is? it takes about 10 minutes, max!!
To make this ceviche, this is what you do:
Cut the white fish into a small dice and add to a small bowl. Add the white onion and the lime juice and stir. Set aside.
While the fish is marinating, make the mint sauce. In the jar of a blender combine the tomatillo, mint, garlic and jalapeno.
Puree until smooth. Season with kosher salt.
Add the mint to the fish and lime and let the ceviche marinate.
Season again with kosher salt to taste and serve with tortilla chips.
Recipe: Mint and Lime Ceviche
½ pound firm white fish (like red snapper, halibut or cod)
2 limes juice
4 Tablespoons white onion, finely diced
3 small tomatillos, chopped
1 cup mint leaves
½ a clove garlic, chopped
kosher salt
Cut the white fish into a small dice and add to a small bowl. Add the white onion and the lime juice and stir. Set aside.
While the fish is marinating, make the mint sauce. In the jar of a blender combine the tomatillo, mint, garlic and jalapeno. Puree until smooth. Season with kosher salt.
Add the mint to the fish and lime and let the ceviche marinate. Season again with kosher salt to taste and serve with tortilla chips.
Muffin tins are great for cooking food other than muffins. To most folks, muffin tins may not seem like the most obvious kitchen tool to invest in, but there’s a whole world of possibilities! They’re great for freezing and saving for later, portion control or if you want to make mini versions of your food. My mini frittata cups was one of Wishful Chef’s most popular recipes of 2012 and the perfect breakfast or brunch dish to make the night before. You could even freeze and warm them up for breakfast in the morning. See the original recipe with updated images below.
If I had to name the perfect breakfast dish, I’d probably say frittatas. If you’ve never had a frittata before, it’s a simple Italian egg dish much like an omelet. I love making it because it’s so simple and you can use whatever ingredients you want. For this recipe I added a little twist and put each frittata into its own cup using a muffin tin. And continuing my recent mascarpone binge (pasta & tiramisu), I’ve also added a few dollops of mascarpone cheese and prosciutto to keep with the Italian theme. The result is a fluffy, delicious and satisfying meal.
When I cook frittatas, I like to use minimal ingredients and this recipe is a pretty basic one. Once they’re finished baking, you can eat them immediately (like we did) or reserve for another day if you’re on the go and need a quick weekday breakfast. They’re also great at room temperature. I like to serve these with toast and ketchup.
Mini Frittatas Prosciutto Mascarpone ingredients In a bowl, add eggs, mascarpone, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Then mix in prosciutto, parsley and cheese. Fill greased muffin cups with egg mixture almost to the top. Bake until the frittata puffs at the top and is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Loosen frittatas with a spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature. Mini Frittata Cups Mini Frittatas Prosciutto Mascarpone tops Mini Frittatas Prosciutto Mascarpone bite
Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 6 muffin cups (I used my 12-cup muffin tin) with a non-stick spray or olive oil, set aside.
To a bowl, add eggs, mascarpone, salt and pepper. Whisk until mascarpone has no more lumps and mixture is smooth. Mix in cheese, prosciutto and parsley.
Add egg mixture to 6 muffin cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until tops are puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately or cooled. Leftovers can be stored up to a week in the fridge and reheated.
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Original article and pictures take wishfulchef.com site
Here is a creation from one of my 17DD Blog community members, Sarah M. She couldn’t quite find what she was looking for, so she combined two recipes she found and came up with her own creation.
Middle Eastern Turkey and Carrot Stew
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 small onions, diced
1/2 bulb garlic, minced
3 carrots, halved and sliced
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon coriander
1 small can tomato juice (V8) *or* 1 small can tomato sauce (Torey’s edit)
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
Broccoli or brown/basmati rice for serving (optional)
Directions:
In a large pan over medium-high heat, add turkey and brown.
Next, add vegetables to turkey mixture and sauté until onions are tender.
Add spices to mixture to toast, about 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice and water and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve over steamed broccoli, or if on Cycle 2 or 3, serve over brown or basmati rice.
Yields 4 Servings
Approved all cycles.
Photo courtesy of Sarah M.
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
Middle Eastern Salad with Lemon, Mint and Garlic (Syrian Salad)
This flavorful Lebanese salad is dressed with lemon juice, fresh garlic, olive oil and mint.
**Recipe featured on Cooking Channel website – Finalist for Perfect 5 Recipe Contest.**
Considering the theme of The Lemon Bowl, it is probably no surprise that my favorite and most common salad contains all of my favorite ingredients: lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. This is, of course, the basis of a Syrian (or Lebanese) salad.
I grew up shadowing my Great Aunt Vieve as she would prepare this delicious, fresh and addictive salad. Dressing the salad directly on the greens, I sat in awe as she seasoned, tasted and adjusted. No measuring, no teaspoons, just instinct. Utensils were no where in sight. Instead, she would simply use her hands (your greatest tool in the kitchen) to gently toss the salad, being careful not to bruise the lettuce and herbs.
Although I have no proof, I am a firm believer that my Great Aunt Vieve lived a long and healthy life due to the daily consumption of raw garlic. (Cooked whole garlic has very little, if any, medicinal benefits.) Not to brag, but I may or may not have written a research paper about the health benefits of garlic for my International Cuisine elective at Boston University. Shocker.
When consuming a rainbow of produce, don’t forget about the allium (or white) family which includes garlic, onions, scallions, etc. Chopping, mincing, crushing and grating garlic is the perfect way to release the essential oils and increase the flavor profile of any dish. I eat raw garlic in my salad because it tastes good, but here are some added health benefits:
Original article and pictures take cdn.thelemonbowl.com site
Microwaved Apples with Cinnamon - 17 Day Diet Friendly
Being on the 17 Day Diet hasn't been easy for two reasons. One, I love sweets! Two, I love food in general. I have been dying for something sweet and nothing was working to curb that craving. That is until now. I can't believe how good this tastes and how healthy it is at the same time. It tastes like apple pie. That is without the sugar, butter and crust. Okay, it doesn't exactly taste like apple pie but close enough and I can eat it everyday. All you do is take an apple (I used Red Delicious), slice it, sprinkle with cinnamon and microwave for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. I like mine mushy so I nuked the heck out of it. Not only is the apple good for you but cinnamon has great health benefits of reducing fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol. Gonna love it!
Original article and pictures take www.ourbubblelife.com site
Mental Toughness and the Law Of Attraction Jennifer Nicole Lee sends the message.
Is the Law of Attraction Easy for You?
Strong in Body and Mind
The "Law of Attraction" had all of us thinking differently when we first read about it, didn't it? Were you as surprised as I was when you saw how it fit in with your experience?
The Secret, left little doubt that the "law of attraction" tapped into beliefs, hopes and even insights many of us believe we share without really knowing everything about how it all happens.
Physical Fitness and Mental Toughness Can't Be Separated
I remember being fascinated by how the film's contributors hit the notes of something I knew intuitively but had never put together completely.
Next came the bestselling book, Esther and Jerry Hicks' The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham, and my ideas about life and how it all worked were in a whirl of new connections.
But, as excited as I was, some unresolved issues remained. I wondered where the strength I trusted, mental toughness, fit in.
All the LOA guru's told us there was no need for it. Just learn to focus on what you want.
All that conviction was more hindrance than help. It kept you from "letting it in," as Esther Hicks claimed. You had to let your guard down.
The only discipline you needed was in staying focused on all the things you wanted in your heart.
Increasingly, a lot of us had trouble with that claim. If it was all supposed to be so easy, why weren't more people realizing their dreams every day?
More important, if we weren't supposed to use them, why did God - or Source, in Esther Hicks' universe - give us such extraordinary powers to think things through and make judgements based on experience and learning?
Were you as confused about the mixed messages as I was?
Religious Magic or Hard Core Experience
Dealing with the Law of Attraction
After you look at the situation for a while, you begin to notice that the law's greatest attraction is its ease and simplicity. Not much but effort is required.
The hardest thing Esther Hicks, the law's best know proponent, requires is "reaching for the next best thought." Holding a desired outcome in mind for a mere 17 seconds, she tells followers, and it begins to manifest.
Therein resides the real problem with the law of attraction, as pitched by Esther Hicks, who inspired The Secret, making a good chunk of change and drawing in new followers from it, and the dozens of imitators who eagerly set up shop, some even claiming to channel the same group of entities, Abraham, that Esther says she does.
The real problem is the elusive terms by which it's described. Advocates say the magic happens when you change your "vibration."
(When she gets highfalutin, Hicks calls it "your vibrational countenance.")
Yet, no one ever tells you what your vibration is. Defensive, practitioners leap to a laughable oversimplification of quantum physics:
"Everything's a vibration."
Well, no it isn't, but even if that described the whole equation, so what? How do you, also, a vibration, change anything?
A little mental agility tears this nonsense to shreds, which is why Esther Hicks and her imitators routinely tell their followers not to think too much. You might figure something out.
Like Attracts Like
The law of attraction philosophy is based on the general idea that like attracts like.
"You get what you think about."
Thinking about wealth attracts wealth in proportion to your clarity of thought, for example. The more you let its opposite, poverty, leak into your thoughts, the less effective you are in bringing in the dough.
And the reverse is true. Thinking about being poor causes you to stay embedded in poverty.
To take this a step further, consider that Hicks also claims that your actions are virtually meaningless. It's your vibration or thoughts that bring results.
The idea that you don't have to do anything certainly appeals to the spiritually lazy, but the surprising thing is that the laziness runs so deep, followers seem undisturbed by a lack of results.
Over several years of writing in this niche, I've repeatedly asked LOA advocates to share success stories clearly related to their practices. I have never gotten a single one.
Blame the Victim
You can see where the danger is. Despite the obvious appeal of personal responsibility inherent in these teachings, the idea that there is unmitigated truth in them suggests something else, a blame the victim strategy that goes to extremes.
So extreme is Esther Hicks philosophy that she insists that infants are responsible for for their own abuse and women for their being abuse. This is a logical extension, but how is that possible?
The infants absorbed and held their parents' negative vibrations, even while still to young to have a thought of their own. They brought it on themselves, an inescapable conclusion from the law of attraction.
You should assume the same is true for victims of violence at any age.
In a workshop in Buffalo, just two weeks after the September 11 disaster, she explained that the victims in the World Trade Center and elsewhere were all essentially suicides.
Taking it in a slightly different direction, Esther Hicks nodded in agreement when a workshop attendee prefaced his question by saying that his friend "gave himself cancer."
Any person with the mental toughness to face reality straight on is sickened by these teachings and turned off by anyone who defends them.
As for the law of attraction followers, confronted, most just go into denial about these teachings, much like Catholics deny the truths of the Inquisition and Scientists deny the science of eugenics that led to the Holocaust.
Unfortunately for all of them, the facts are on the record.
The Importance of Mental Toughness
Evolution of a Thinking Brain
We aren't necessarily better, but we are certainly different than any other species in terms of having brains that facilitate objective thought. We've conjured plenty of bad things with them. The pending disaster of global warming is a good example, but for the most part, our mental toughness has consistently made the world better, at least for human.
We've extended our average lifespans to limits inconceivable a century ago.
Not only do we live longer, we live better, healthier lives.
The pain of infant and juvenile mortality from illness has been vastly reduced, making childhood less risky as our immune systems develop.
Exploration has opened up new lands, including extraterrestrial, that allow a fast-growing population places to grow.
Softer social sciences have shown us how much all humans have in common, giving us a start toward real equality and fairness among peoples.
There's more, but you get the picture. Our mental prowess has shown us that we can be masters of our universe, with effort, in time. We've already come a long way in the short history of modern humans. A belief that, whatever goes wrong, whatever challenges we face, we have the right stuff to survive and prosper fills our thinking with hope.
A crucial failure of the law of attraction crowd is that, if their beliefs are true, none of this happened from effort or ingenuity, but from passively changing whatever vibrations are and thinking the the next best thought. Pride of achievement is nothing when you can win by sitting on your couch and focusing attention on winning the lottery.
Contrast: Mental Toughness vs The Law of Attraction
Who wins?
At its core, following a belief is the law of attraction is a form of surrender, a refusal to be fully human.
Is there a grain of truth in the law of attraction? Of course there is and more than a grain, too.
That's what makes it so appealing and so dangerous.
You take a wisdom we all seem to have and twist it for a profit by leaving out the challenging parts, the things that take real effort and conviction. It separates people between elites in the know and victims, and it relieves them of empathy.
After all, those others put themselves in harms way, didn't they? They gave themselves sicknesses and put themselves in physical danger by offering the wrong vibrations.
Mentally strong people will have none of this. A thinking mind doesn't rely on selected facts to justify a belief in magic. Mental toughness gets results or changes approaches. A strong, thinking mind doesn't rely on a guru who claims to get messages directly from God for truth. It seeks it independently, freely and openly.
Most important, mental toughness teaches us the importance of sharing our human community. The so-called law of attraction divides us between haves and have nots.
In case you're not convinced... - Books that say the law of attraction has legs.
Original article and pictures take www.squidoo.com site
