“I need to lose weight but I’m sick of feeling hungry all the time,” is an all too-common statement I hear from 17 Day Dieters.
If your food intake leaves your stomach rumbling every hour on the hour, it’s time to make a change.
Starving Yourself Does Not Equal Weight Loss
I used to think that losing weight meant starving. It took me a while to accept the fact that I could actually eat heartily and still drop weight.
On the 17 Day Diet I’ve eaten more food than I ever have so it astonishes me that some people are still hungry while on this diet! Remember, on Cycle 1 you can eat unlimited amounts of protein and veggies…so eat up!
The time I spent starving in the name of losing weight was miserable. When I did manage to shed a few pounds, I would gain it all back in a matter of weeks if not sooner. Often times I’d gain a few extra pounds. Talk about depressing!
What I learned through years of dieting is that when you follow a healthy eating plan, you can eat until you’re full, and still see amazing weight loss results. The 17 Day Diet is a true testament to this.
What Are Healthy Foods?
Healthy foods are not created in a factory and processed to death.
If the food is dried, canned, frozen or filled with ingredients you can’t pronounce, it’s wise to stay away from it.
Examples of healthy foods include fresh fish, naturally raised meats, legumes, seeds, organic poultry, organic whole eggs, raw nuts, and fresh fruit and vegetables. All of these foods are encouraged on the 17 Day Diet in the various cycles.
How to Make Healthy Meals More Filling
There’s nothing more miserable than dealing with hunger pangs all day. If your meals aren’t satisfying you, this is exactly what’s going to happen. Here are some tricks to make your meals more filling:
Add Quality Protein to your Diet
Add a source of quality protein and a source healthy fat (such as olive oil or MCT oil) to each of your meals. Doing this makes meals more satiating and curbs hunger.
Sources of healthy protein include natural meats, organic whole eggs, organic poultry and fish. Sources of healthy fat include avocados, fish, beans, raw nuts, coconut oil and olive oil.
Make sure you check your Cycle food lists to know when it’s appropriate to eat a certain type of food.
More Vegetables
Load your plate with more cleansing vegetables.
It helps to divide your plate into three sections and fill the larger section with veggies.
Leave the other two sections for meat and other foods. Veggies are full of fiber, so they expand in the stomach, digest slowly and keep you full longer.
Drink More Water
Drink a glass of water before each meal and throughout the day. This will help you feel full faster and reduce hunger. It’s interesting because sometimes being dehydrated is disguised by feeling hungry. When in doubt, reach for the glass of water first.
Examples of Healthy, Filling Meals and Snacks
Here are a few examples of what your daily meals can look like in order to get and stay satiated!
Breakfast:
- 2 scrambled eggs
- 1/2 cup of plain non-fat yogurt with blueberries
Mid-Morning Snack:
- 1 medium apple
- 1 cup of cucumber slices
- 1 oz of raw nuts
Lunch:
- 4 oz ground turkey
- 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice
- 8 oz carrot stick
- Small green salad with vinegar and olive oil dressing
Mid-Afternoon Snack:
- 2 tablespoons of almond butter
- 2 slices of rye crisp bread
- 8 oz of celery sticks
Dinner:
- 5 oz broiled halibut steak
- 1/2 cup of green beans sautéed in garlic
- Small green salad with apple cider vinegar and olive oil dressing
Diet plans that leave you hungry all the time (or even some of the time) are diet plans you should avoid at all costs. If you choose to eat healthy foods rather than starving yourself, you can eat delicious, filling foods and still lose weight.
I’ve been loving the 17 Day Diet since 2011. I love sharing my favorite healthy recipes and meal plans to keep you motivated and on the right path to success!
When I’m not hanging out here, I enjoy quick trips to the Oregon Coast, designing my jewelry line, being a proud Swiftie, and tinkering with my personal Youtube Channel!
Are you new to the 17 Day Diet? Check out my latest book, Fast Track Your Weight Loss With The 17 Day Diet on Amazon! (aff link)