Helps Control Weight
I know what I just said. Diet aids weight loss more than exercise. But, exercise still burns calories, boosts the metabolism, and allows you eat more!

Fights Disease
Being active, no matter your weight, helps to reduce your  bad cholesterol levels which can lower your blood pressure and works to prevent heart disease.

Improves your Mood
“Exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy.” Thank you ‘Legally Blonde‘ for that insightful saying. Physical activity stimulates brain chemicals that leaves your feeling happier.

Boosts Energy 
Regular exercises increases your bodies endurance and strength allowing for more oxygen to be delivered to your muscle tissues and quicker delivery of nutrients throughout your body. This creates a more efficient body and more energy.

Promotes Sleep
Regular exercise helps you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper.

Improves Self-Confidence
The combination of calories burned, boosted energy, and endorphins moving through your body is the perfect way to improve self confidence and have an overall positive influence on your life.

“I wanted to give you an update: My husband and I are on day 3 of cycle 2. I have lost 21 lbs, he has lost 27 pounds. We are excited to see such quick results. That is what keeps us going! Our joints don’t hurt like they used to and breathing is not as difficult either.” ~Mrs. R

For the past year and a 1/2 I have been chatting daily with HUNDREDS of people on the 17 Day Diet, Paleo Diet, 3 Day Diet and 3 Day Military Diet. We currently have iPhone and Android phone apps for all 4 of these diets and within the app we have a support chat feature where you can ask me ANYTHING! I am not kidding, I will answer any question you have that is diet related. Whether it is about the diet you are currently on, or just diet/fitness/health related… at no extra charge. Pretty cool right! So, like I said before, I speak with 100′s of people daily and I get just as much out of it as the dieters who are talking to me. It’s a pretty amazing experience. I have met so many wonderful people and HELPED so many wonderful people as well. It’s so rewarding when I get comments such as:

“The app is essential to this amazing diet! It keeps you on track with meals, exercise and water. It provides recipes and foods that are allowed in each cycle. I cannot stress enough how PHENOMENAL the support is on this app! Whenever I have a question, it is ALWAYS answered! It’s a flawless way to enter this diet!” ~Drea

Having a person or group you can talk to can mean a world of a difference for anyone trying to lose weight. I personally give guidance, help, answer questions, motivation, a little push, ideas and much more for the people I talk to on a daily basis. I share recipes, website articles I think they’ll find helpful, quotes, and I am always answering any questions they have in a timely period… Right there within the app! Whether you try out our apps for support, guidance and motivation or some other app – I highly suggest you find some kind of support group or mentor. It can help you so much in your journey. Why go it alone when you can have a helping hand to hold onto and give you the push you need.

One more compliment from another lovely 17 Day Dieter:

“I am so glad for this app! It is very helpful. I always have questions popping in my head and I love the fast response from the support center!” ~Ms. Z

1. AVOID THE SCALE!

The scale is so overrated! Trust me, the scale can drive you crazy! Our bodies fluctuate constantly, so measuring your progress this way isn’t the best way. I understand that losing weight can be hard mentally and emotionally (I’m right there alongside you on this journey, too!), but I find that many people panic when they see the scale not budging or go up a notch rather than down – and I totally get this! I used to do this, and I used to panic about tiny gains or if the scale didn’t budge, too. But, I’ve learned that looking at the scale on a daily basis only caused me to become obsessed with it. It’s best to focus on other ways you might see a change in your body such as how you feel inside and out, how your clothes are feeling baggier and how you look in the mirror. These are all WAY better forms of measurement, in my opinion. Also, get a measuring tape and measure around your waist, belly, hips, thighs, arms, etc. Write down those numbers and after a week or 2 measure again and I promise (if you’re working hard at this diet) you will see the numbers drop! It’s pretty awesome! Also, taking before/during/after pictures can be so rewarding when comparing them. Our weight can fluctuate all the time – sometimes we are gaining muscle and our weight can seem like its not changing at all, when in reality we have just been working out real good and built some muscle while burning fat at the same time, so the scale might not budge at this time…. I wrote more on the subject of fat vs. muscle here. Check it out for more info on that. Also, being a woman you might notice weight gain at the time of your period and that can also put a wrench in things. Basically, stop focusing on the scale, it’s not always right and it can sometimes cause frustration. Try the other ways of measuring your progress and you will feel satisfaction.

When following any diet plan, be proud of how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go. Be proud of any success you make whether its on the scale or an inch off your waist. All successes are created equal!

2. HAVE A PLAN!

Without a plan, where will you begin and where will you go? You’ll be confused and floundering when you could be making progress on your diet. When I say this I mean to plan everything! Doing this is like setting a goal. You want to reach your goals right? So, write it all out. Set goals and reach them! You’ll be amazed at how freeing you’ll feel. Plan your meals, plan your grocery list, prep your food ahead of time & plan your exercise. These are all keys to succeeding on this diet.

• Meal Planning: this can be daunting, and it takes time. But it’s so worth it. It will help you to not end up going out to eat and eating something you shouldn’t. It will instead guide you straight to the kitchen because you can’t use the excuse “I just don’t know what to eat?!”. You should plan at least a week ahead of time. I usually just plan dinners and eat leftovers for lunch the next day or plan for mixed salads throughout the week for lunches. And for breakfast & snacks you can plan on eating almost the same type of items every day, to make it easy on yourself. You can write it all out on a piece of paper or in a document on your computer. If you’re on the 17 Day Diet, we have created a meal plan for you. Pretty cool right? We do all the hard work: Meal plan for the week + grocery list. See it in the [app_link app="17DayDietMealPlan" platform="iOS" text="iTunes app store" location="Blog Post"] [app_link app="17DayDietMealPlan" platform="iOS" text="here" location="Blog Post"].
• Shopping List: this is the next step you take after writing up your meal plan for the week. Take the recipes you have picked and break them down into a food list. Remember to include any fruit or snacks you want to have during the week that are not listed in the recipes.
• Food Preparation: Preparing food ahead of time can mean a world of a difference to anyone who has a super busy life. By food prep I mean, take a day out to chop all the veggies and place in airtight containers in your fridge. You then will really have NO EXCUSE not to cook. Everything will be chopped up when you get home from work, exhausted. You can just throw what you need in a pot or pan (depending on what you’re cooking) and follow the recipe. You can also plan even further ahead by cooking up your meat’s ahead of time – grill chicken breasts or fish fillets and store them in airtight containers in the fridge until you are ready to heat up and use them throughout the week. It helps save time and keeps you from falling off the diet wagon. Prepare your food and you’ll always have healthy food waiting to be cooked or heated up for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• Plan your Exercise: This is just as important as food prep or meal planning. We all get lazy. We all just don’t feel like working out sometimes. But, if you set a time and a place and what you plan on doing ahead of time – you just might follow through! Especially if you make plans to do it with a friend! Friends can help hold you accountable. Read more below on that subject.

3. NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP!

If you feel discouraged or overwhelmed or confused, ask for help! Find a support group online, seek out friends at your gym or work that you trust and ask them for motivation or support. Having to ask for help is sometimes hard, but a good friend pushing us is sometimes just the motivation we need. Friends can also help hold us accountable while on a diet, which can be a big help too. So be open with those you trust and this is just one more way you can be on the road to success. Having someone hold us accountable can make a world of a difference when following a diet. Letting your friends and family know you are on a diet can help – say you go out to eat with a family member and you are very tempted to order dessert…. well, if that family member knows you’re trying to follow a diet, they could help talk you out of “cheating” and help you realize its not the best decision. Another way having friends hold you accountable can help is finding a workout buddy. We all have our moments when it would be so much easier to just be lazy and not go work out – but if you have a workout buddy who relies on you, there is no way you would flake out on them – and they wouldn’t do that to you either. You push each other and that’s one of the best ways to help you get in shape – find an accountability partner!

I also wanted to point out that I am always here to answer any questions you may have regarding this topic or even if you just need a little motivation. Email me anytime.

We’ve taken 17 Day Diet compliant recipes and put them into meal plans just for you. The servings have been calculated and the meals have been balanced. This app is all you need to succeed on this diet.

You just tell us which cycle you’re on and every week you’ll get a new meal plan that’s been hand-picked by us, just for you. There’s even a shopping list for your convenience, plus the app has been designed to work great on both the iPhone and the iPad.

There’s also nothing to lose because the app includes a free trial with dinner recipes for a week. When you subscribe you’ll receive personally curated & balanced recipes every day of the week including breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. The app is free for the first weeks dinner recipes. You can subscribe for only $4.99 a month and get a months worth of hand curated meal plans! Not a bad deal!

So make life easier and get the results you want with the 17 Day Diet Meal Plan app today!              

You might also be interested in getting the 17 Day Diet Complete app to help you better understand the 17 Day Diet, or purchase the 17 Day Diet book written by Dr. Mike Moreno.

Health Benefits of Drinking Water:

1. Healthier  Skin-Forget about  expensive creams or beauty treatments. Drinking water is the free way to hydrate your skin, prevent acne, and prevent wrinkles. 
2. Remove Toxins-Water flushes toxins from your body especially from your digestive tract. The kidney system is dependent on water to do its work. Water also helps get rid of excess nitrogen and ketones which is important when following a high protein diet.
3. Cushions and Supports Joints & Muscles-Water makes up a large part of the fluid that lubricates joints and also a lack of water is a known cause of muscle cramps.
4. Regulates Body Temperature-Drinking water regulates the bodies temperature which is important during exercise and these warm summer days.
5. Reduces Risk of Heart Attack- A study of 20,000 healthy men and women found that those who drank up to 8 glasses of water were less likely to die of heart attack or heart disease than those who only drank two cups daily.

Weight Loss Benefits:

1. Energy Shot-Dehydration causes fatigue and headaches staying hydrated all day is your best hope to avoid these symptoms.
2. Keeps You Full-Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. Drinking 8-16 ounces of water 15-30 minutes before meals will help you know the difference and perhaps cause you to leave a few bites on your plate. 
3. Burns Fat- Water aids digestion and metabolism for these functions to work properly you must replace the water you lose daily which can be up to 10 cups. 
4. Builds Muscle-Dehydration decreases protein synthesis which is the process that builds muscles costing you energy and causing your body to store calories instead of burn them.

Is water too boring for your palate? Try these 40 Spa Waters that are sure to add a little variety to your life.

Stop Coveting

Your first step to weight loss is to compare yourself to yourself and yourself only. We all compare ourselves to the 5 foot 8 inch girl we know who weighs 120 pounds and eats BLT’s everyday. Competing with others will only hinder us of reaching out own goals. Love Yourself!

Have a Plan

Make a plan and stick to it. Plan your meals and workout to make it easier to accomplish your goals. Realize your faults and plan around them. If you always skip breakfast, make something in advanced that you just have to heat up (our egg muffins are prefect for busy mornings) or buy some low sugar protein bars to have on-the-go.

Plan Cheat Meals 

If you really want to lose weight you need to eat clean and accept that a cookie everyday and cheese with every meal is out of the picture. But for your sanity you should plan on having one cheat meal a week. Indulge in our favorite food. Try having just one to avoid overeating.

Eat Slowly 

Eat slowly, chew your food, and enjoy every bite. Eating slowly allows your body to pick up cues or whether you are full or still hungry. This is really important during your cheat meals. If you only allow yourself one a week, eat slowly and enjoy every bite of it. Check out The Slow Down Diet.

Don’t Eat After Nine 

This will vary depending on what time you go to bed at night. Studies suggest that limiting the times you eat aids in weight loss. At first try limiting your eating to 12 hours. If you have your first meal at 8a.m. make your last at 8 p.m.

Eat 5-6 Meals a Day

Eating 5-6 small meals a day keeps you satisfied so that you never over indulge. It also keeps your blood sugar levels stable insuring you have lasting energy.

Drink Water

Water is critical to all functions of your body but for weight loss it fills you up making you feel fuller longer. Try drinking one glass before each meal to help fill your stomach. Aim to have .5-1 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Check out our 40 fruit water recipes to help you drink up.

Move & Groove 

Regular workouts improve your overall health, confidence, and calorie burning. The more lean muscle, the more calories burned resting. Try 3 sessions a week.

Sleep

Getting the right amount of shut eye is critical. Sleep regenerates your hormones. Without enough, your body can’t properly function. Aim for 7-8 hours a night.

Progress is progress, no matter how small!

Us over here at Women’s Diet Network would love to share YOUR stories of success. We will include a little questionairre on how you did it and any tips or advice you have for others. Let’s motivate each other! Want to motivate and inspire others? Or be inspired and motivated? This little bit of encouragement can go a long way! I was a little hesitant to share because it’s hard to show your body to the world, but it is what it is: Here’s my progress, from February of 2012 til March of 2013.

This is all from clean eating & adding exercise into my life at least 5 days a week (20-60 minutes at a time – sometimes more if I go on a hike). Cardio and Strength training (see the biceps I formed!). I do all my workouts at home or I go running, hiking, biking, walking. The workouts at home can be found right here on our website under “At-home workouts”. The only weights I really have are two 2 lb dumbbells! I use other objects around the house, a resistance band and my bodyweight for strength training.

For my meals: I am a vegetarian, have been for 16 years, and eat mostly vegan actually. I avoid processed foods like the plague. I eat tons of veggies and fruits throughout the day. My protein comes from beans, tofu, tempeh, veggies, grains and protein powder. I do eat out probably weekly and splurge. I try not to punish myself. I look at this as a lifestyle change. I know by going out to eat once in a while, I am not going to gain back all the weight I lost in an instant. I need to enjoy life and splurge with food (I LOVE IT TOO MUCH!) in order for me to be motivated enough to continue.

Do you have a progress picture story to share? We’d love to feature you and help others to be motivated by YOUR success. It can be even “during” progress, you don’t have to have reached your weight loss goal to participate. I think eating right and exercising is a life commitment anyway. I plan on doing this for the rest of my life anyway. It feels good and I feel good about myself. I hope we can all motivate each other and help one another.
Send me a message here and let me know you’d be interested in sharing YOUR story.

BASICS

The basics of the diet are eating three meals and one snack a day each totaling 400 calories. You will eat 1600 calories daily with a Mediterranean-style eating plan and places an emphasis on eating real foods and avoiding processed ones. The key to the diet is eating a MUFA every meal. MUFA’s are monounsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, flax, avocado, and oils. In the Flat Belly Diet! book Coauthor and Registered Dietician Cynthia Sass explains, “research shows that MUFAs have health benefits and target belly fat. They also help control satiety, so by adding in one MUFA at meals and snacks it is easier to stick with the plan and lose belly fat.”

FOUR DAY KICK START

The first four days on the plan are an anti-bloat jumpstart period designed to kick start the diet. During these four days, dieters eat 1200-1400 calories from a specialized list and drink 2 liters of sassy water daily (see recipe below). After the four days, dieters move onto the 1600 calorie meal plans. Try our 40 fresh fruit water recipes to help you with hydration while on the rest of this diet.

EXERCISE

Exercise is optional on the Flat Belly Diet but it is encouraged. Their website recommends 30 minutes of exercise three to five days a week with a combination of cardio, strength training, and stretching.

CONCLUSION

The Flat Belly Diet is based on healthy principles and creating habits that will last long after the 32 days have ended. Be wary not to over eat. Nuts, seeds, and the other MUFAs contain many calories dieters must not over indulge on them.

SASSY WATER RECIPE:

8 ½ cups water

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

1 medium lemon, thinly sliced

12 leaves spearmint

Combine all ingredients in a large Ice and Fruit Pitcher, let it sit overnight, drink all the water in one day.

Start the Flat Belly Diet today with the Flat Belly Diet Coach App for Iphone (click here to download).

This is a the perfect cardio and strength workout when you are crunched for time. You can do it at home or in the gym all you need is a timer and weights. I use “Interval Timer” on the iphone. It is a free app that allows you to completely customize your fitness routine. You can set the length or your warm up, intervals, and cool down.

Directions:

1. Do each exercise for one minute. You will rotate between strength and cardio moves.

2. Start each exercise in full effort. If you tire before the minute is up, modify until you build your cardio and strength. Example: if you tire while doing curls using your heaviest weight before the minute is up, move to a lighter weight and finish the minute. Same with push ups, start on your feet and more to your knees if you need to.

3. After the first circuit rest for one minute

4. Complete 2-3 circuits

“Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”