Yowza

I've been doing the 17-Day Diet for the past week - I needed to detox after my week-long food and beverage orgy in Las Vegas.

I just stepped on the scales this morning.

I lost 5.2 pounds -- in one week!

Granted, considering what I'm eating (and more importantly, not eating), that's not shocking. But, it's one of the biggest scale jumps I've ever seen.

The diet is in four cycles - each lasting 17 days.

• Cycle 1 - Restrictive, limited carbs
• Cycle 2 - Allows more types of meat, veggies, beans and natural starches
• Cycle 3 - Allows for treats
• Cycle 4 - Maintenance

Here's the skinny on the first cycle:

Cycle #1

• Unlimited chicken breasts, turkey, lean ground turkey, fish, eggs (2 eggs per day)
• Unlimited non-starchy veggies (no potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas)
• Two probiotics a day (kefir, low-fat yogurt, acidophilus milk, cottage cheese)
• Two fruits before 2 p.m. (no bananas)
• Condiments - low-sugar ketchup, low-sugar marinara, soy sauce, salsa, sugar-free jam, fat-free salad dressing, fat-free cheese (I use low-fat because fat-free is nasty)
• 2 T of olive oil or flaxseed oil
• 17 minutes of exercise a day
• 8 glasses of water a day
• 3 cups of green tea a day (at meals)

Click here for the complete cycle 1 food list.