The HCG Diet Protocol
The HCG Diet Made Easy
When it comes down to it, the HCG Diet is a very effective weight loss regimine, where HCG Injections are combined with a very low calorie diet for possitive body composition alterations. Basically, you lose a lot of fat, maintain muscle, and generally feel pretty good doing it. Without HCG, the experience and results would be different.
HCG Diet Introduction
An introduction to the HCG Diet Protocol
What is HCG?
HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy. When HCG is administered through injections, it mimics other specific hormones, and affects the hormone axis in overweight individuals in a positive way.
The Hypothalamus
Our bodies have a control system designed to regulate body weight. At the core of this system is a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The Hypothalamus receives signals from the body through the use of hormones to help determine if weight loss or weight gain is necessary. The Hypothalamus has many functions, including:
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Control of hunger and appetite
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Regulation of body temperature
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Storage and burning of fat
Obesity: A Growing Problem
Eating habits and activity levels have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. The availability and ease of calorie dense foods with few nutrients is a key factor, but sedentary lifestyles are also playing a huge role. The human body is designed to store extra calories in preparation for possible calorie famine. Once a person is overweight or obese, additional problems often arise, and weight loss becomes considerably difficult. At this point, the bodies regulatory mechanism is often not working as it should, and the signal to eat won’t turn off.
The HCG Diet can Help!
Our bodies are constantly trying to maintain a balance. This balance is called homeostasis. A lot of individuals find that when they try to lose weight, their body often returns back to where it started within a short period of time. Fortunately, homeostasis can be overcome, and anyone can lose weight permanently. The HCG Diet can help you do just that. Following the HCG Diet Protocol helps to release abnormal fat reserves while maintaining lean body mass and helps to control hunger.
HCG Diet Preparation
Tips to help ensure you are successful on the HCG Diet
Weighing Yourself
Weighing yourself is important to provide feedback on how your body is responding. We recommend weighing yourself every morning on the HCG Diet. From time to time, weight will shift up and down without warning. This is perfectly normal as the body fights to maintain homeostasis. Women tend to retain water more often, which can be a cause of undue stress. Don’t let water fluctuations get you down.
Measuring Yourself
Taking body measurements is a great indicator of progress. Weight loss will often slow down, stop, reverse, and speed back up without warning. Measurements will give you a more consistent indicator of success.
Setting Goals
Goals are an essential part of any weight loss plan. It might be helpful to also set milestones, or smaller goals that lead up to your final goal.
Setting a Date
In addition to measuring progress, a specific date can help motivate you to hit your goal. This can can be adjusted during the protocol to better motivate you, rather than discourage you.
Accountability on the HCG Diet
Personal accountability may be the most important step after setting goals. If you keep your goals a secret, it will be easier to give up. The most successful individuals are those who follow the diet with a friend or family member. To be successful, you can find an individual or group to report to on a regular basis. This is as simple as meeting with a diet coach, or a group of dieters each week.
Rewarding Yourself
Most dieters will automatically decide to set rewards based on how much weight they lose, but there will be times when you are following the diet closely without seeing changes. It is important to reward yourself based on consistent adherence to the diet. Also, find ways to reward yourself without using food as the reward. This may require you to dig deep, and to find new rewards and activities that you enjoy.
Phases of the HCG Diet
The HCG Diet is separated into 4 phases. The HCG Diet Phases are listed below with basic explanations.
HCG Diet Phases
- Phase 1: Loading
- During the Loading Phase, you will take HCG each morning and eat a lot of carbohydrate-rich food for two full days.
- Phase 2: Low Calorie Diet
- Phase 2 is a 3-6 week Low Calorie Diet plan during which you should experience accelerated weight loss.
- Phase 3: Diet Break
- Phase 3 is a controlled diet break which follows Phase 2. The completion of Phase 2 and Phase 3 is called a “Round”. Rounds are repeated until you have reached your goal.
- Phase 4: Transition and Maintenance
- After you have achieved your goal with the HCG Diet, you will proceed to follow the Transition and Maintenance Phase. Most of the HCG Diet Providers have options to help you maintain your weight loss.
Phase 1: Loading Phase
The Loading Phase is designed to prime the system to burn fat
The purpose of the loading phase is to stimulate the body to release fat deposits from problem areas, and increase the metabolic rate.
Prior to the Loading Phase
Here are a few precautions to think about before starting the loading phase.
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If you are sick prior to starting the diet, please make sure you have completely recovered.
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Women Only: Don’t start the diet during your period. You can start anywhere between 2 days after your last period, up to 5 days before your next one.
Two Day Loading Phase
The loading phase lasts for two days. During these two days you will take HCG injections each morning, and eat to stay full all day.
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Take 150 iu’s of HCG in the morning on both days (fill to the 15 mark on syringe). If you are using sublingual HCG, take one oral sublingual troche each morning.
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Load up on calories both days, and keep yourself full. It’s important to eat plenty of calories so your body can calculate how much fat to burn.
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Eat calorie dense foods, and try to specifically get a lot of carbohydrate rich foods. These foods include breads, cereals, and foods made from wheat, corn, rice, oats, and rye.
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Start weighing yourself every morning.
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Take initial measurements. Keep a record of measurements and weight.
After the loading phase, you will begin Phase 2, and continue taking HCG injections.
Phase 2 Below
Phase 2: Very Low Calorie Diet
Phase 2 is a strict low calorie diet which utilizes fats for fuel
Phase 2 requires you to follow a low calorie diet while eating from a strict list of foods. Also, continue taking 150 iu’s (15 mark) of HCG every morning.
Duration of the Diet
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Minimum Amount of Time on The Diet Diet
After starting the HCG Diet Protocol, Dr Simeons noted that a person must follow the diet for a minimum of 3 weeks to adapt to burning fat as a primary source of fuel.
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Maximum Amount of Time on The Diet Diet
Dieters will often get excited about the rapid changes in body weight and shape, and try to over-extend the duration of Phase 2. In the long run, this will most likely cause a reduced metabolic rate. In order to maximize results over time and guard against rebounding, follow this set of guidelines.
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Don’t exceed 6 weeks on the HCG Diet (unless advised by your coach)
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Follow Phase 3 (the break), after every 3-6 week round on Phase 2
500 or 800 Calorie Diet
In recent years, a lot of health clinic's have started offering an 800 calorie diet, instead of the original 500 calorie diet that Dr Simeons required. While I could write an article on how to decide how many calories to choose, the reality is that both will cause weight loss. The general rule is that the heavier you are, the more aggressivly low you can take your calories. As a person get's closer and closer to optimal weight, the body doesn't respond as well to drastically low calories. I recommend follosing the 800 calorie diet if you have less than roughle 25 lbs to lose.
The Diet Plan - 500 Calories
| Food | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | None | 1 Serving | 1 Serving |
| Vegetable | None | 1 Serving | 1 Serving |
| Fruit | None | 1 Serving | 1 Serving |
| MCT / Coconut Oil | None | 1 tsp. | 1 tsp. |
| Water | 2-3 Cups | 2-3 Cups | 2-3 Cups |
The Diet Plan - 800 Calories
| Food | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1 Serving | 1 Serving | 1 Serving |
| Vegetable | 1 Serving | 1 Serving | 1 Serving |
| Fruit | None | 1 Serving | 1 Serving |
| MCT / Coconut Oil | Optional | 1 tsp. | 1 tsp. |
| Water | 2-3 Cups | 2-3 Cups | 2-3 Cups |
Diabetic Patients: If you are having symptoms of low blood sugar, add a protein serving. If protein doesn’t improve blood sugar, add a fruit.
Phase 2: Food List
Protein
- Chicken Breast
- Turkey Breast
- Beef, Lean
- Ground Beef (93% Lean)
- Veal
- Venison
- Bison
- Pork
- Fish
- Tuna - 4 oz.
- Lobster - 5 oz
- Crab - 5 oz.
- Crawfish - 5 oz.
- Prawns - 5 oz.
- Shrimp - 5 oz.
- Scallops - 5 oz.
- Eggs - 2 whole
- Protein Shake (No or low-carb/fat)
Vegetable
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peppers
- Hot Peppers
- Green Beans
- Mushrooms
- Spinach (preferred cooked)
- Asparagus
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Field Greens
- Beet Greens
- Lettuce
- Chard
- Celery
- Red Radishes
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Yellow Squash
- Tomato - 1 slice
- Salsa - ½ cup
Fruit
- Apple - medium
- Orange - medium
- Peach - medium
- Pear - medium
- Apricot - 4 medium
- Grapefruit - medium
- Strawberries - 8-10 medium to large
- Blueberries - small handful
- Raspberries - small handful
- Blackberries - small handful
- Huckleberries - small handful
- Cantaloupe - 1 cup, cubed
- Honeydew Melon - 1 cup, cubed
- Watermelon - 2 cups, cubed
- Banana - ½ medium
- Grapes - 1 cup
- Kiwi - 2 Kiwi fruit
Details about HCG Diet Foods
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Water
Be sure to drink at least 8 cups of water each day. Water is an essential element in the weight loss process.
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Serving Sizes and Calorie Counting:
You shouldn’t have to count calories during phase 2, just eat foods from the list, in the quantities allotted. You will succeed if the diet is followed to exactness. This is true even if you weren’t using HCG. HCG assists you in weight loss by guarding against muscle wasting, improving improves energy, and improving improves overall wellness, which makes making it easier to follow the diet. It is essential that you are careful about serving sizes. We have found that the most common reason that clients fail, is because they aren’t carefully measuring serving sizes for the foods they are eating. When we catch this mistake, it often accounts for hundreds of un-counted calories per day.
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Coffee and Tea:
You may drink black coffee or tea in the morning. If you like, you may flavor coffee or tea with stevie and/or almond milk (40 calories/serving).
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Diet Soda:
While diet soda won’t cause you to fail, you should not exchange it for any of your water servings. You need to drink at least 8 cups of water per day, regardless of added diet soda.
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MCT Oil or Coconut Oil:
MCT, or Medium Chain Triglycerides are fats that are derived from Coconut Oil. MCT works great for low carbohydrate diets because it supports ketosis, provides energy, and guards against constipation. MCT Oil can be used for lunch or dinner as a salad dressing ingredient, mixed with any combination of salt, vinegar, and other calorie free seasonings. Also, you should use it as your cooking oil.
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Salad Dressing:
There are a few options for salad dressings. The first is MCT Oil. MCT Oil is a perfect compliment to the low calorie diet. Be careful that you don’t use too much MCT, or you may get will end up a stomach ache, and too many calories. You can mix it as mentioned above to make dressing. Other helpful ingredients in salad dressing is apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar (not einegarette).
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Seasonings:
Any calorie free seasoning is permissible on the HCG Diet., Be sure to check labels.
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Sweeteners:
We recommend using Stevie. Splenda/Sucralose is are permissible, but not recommended.
Phase 3 Below
Phase 3: Diet Break
Phase 3 is a break that provides the body with a rest period between rounds
Phase 3 will provide an increase in calories which will boost the metabolic rate, and provide you with a break from dieting. Phase 3 should be thought of as a practice round to see how well you can maintain your weight after a rapid weight loss stint.
Duration of Phase 3
The Diet Break will last 2-3 weeks. During this 2-3-week break, the goal is to increase calories, and allow the metabolic rate to recover. If you don’t increase calories, it may set you up for failure for the next round.
Introduction of Carbohydrates
When you start your diet break, you will likely gain 3-5 pounds immediately, but don’t be alarmed. After following a low carbohydrate diet for an extended period of time, you will be depleted of glycogen (sugar). When your body stores glycogen in muscle tissue, water is also stored in the muscle tissue; this can account for a few pounds. After a period of dieting, also keep in mind that your sensitivity to insulin will be high, which is good. This means that many much of the calories you eat, will be shuttled into muscle, instead of fat stores.
Increase Calories
Phase 3 increases calories to the amount needed to maintain body weight. This amount of calories will differ from person to person. Your goal is to eat enough to maintain your weight. If you are gaining weight, reduce calories. If you are losing weight, increase calories. It’s that simple.
Macronutrients and Calories
Phase 3 is a perfect time to start learning how to be more aware of macronutrients and overall calories. Macronutrients are the nutrients that contain calories. The macronutrients are:
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Protein (4 calories/gram) – Look for foods high in protein
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Carbohydrates (4 calories/gram)
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Fat (9 calories/gram)
We recommend MyFitnessPal on your smart phone to track your calories. By tracking your macronutrients, you will begin to have a much better idea of what you eat daily, and what foods contain the most calories. Only use this app during Phase 3, Phase 4, and afterwards to track calories. Do not use the app during phase 2.
Phase 4 Below
Phase 4: Transition and Maintenance
Phase 4 outlines some tools to help lose the last few pounds and maintain.
Phase 4 increases calories to the amount needed to maintain body weight. This amount of calories will differ from person to person. Your goal is to eat enough to maintain your weight. If you are gaining weight, reduce calories. If you are losing weight, increase calories. It’s that simple.
Finding Your Calorie Maintenance
Maintenance calories is going to be different for each person. There are a number of factors that affect how many calories you should be eating, which include:
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Weight
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Gender
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Age
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Activity level
Importance of Protein
Protein is the basic building block for most tissues in the body. It is also the most effective macronutrient for maintaining a healthy body composition. Protein satisfies hunger very well, supports lean body mass, increases metabolism, and tastes good.
Note: The maintenance phase provides only a basic guideline for maintenance dieting, and should be adjusted based on individual needs as time moves on. I recommend using a mobile app such as MyFitnessPal.com to track calories for a few weeks after the diet. This will help you get a better understanding of what you are eating, and how many calories your body burns.
