For most of us, doing HCG is a big deal. Keeping in mind that it is only 3-6 weeks of my life, I really want to get the most out of it that I can.
Here are some ways that I have found or heard about that can help enhance your weight loss during Phase 2.
- Use the ORIGINAL protocol. 500 calories, NO extras, no oils, no fats, no sugars no starches, etc. No yogurt, tofu, additional vegetables or fruits, etc. There are many variations out there, but the original protocol seems to work the best for me.
- Read Linda Prinster’s book and be sure you are not eating anything outside of the traditional/original protocol. POP stands for ‘Perfect on Protocol’; in other words, no cheating 🙂
- Use HCG Chica’s Digital HCG Diet Workbook for understanding the protocol, keeping good track of what you are doing, and more.
- Be absolutely sure that you are not getting any hidden sugar or starches. Read all labels. Always, ALWAYS ask in restaurants what they put on their food and in their food! Have everything cooked with no oil or sugar. Even a SMALL amount of sugar or oil matters! Most restaurants will be accommodating if they can be, even if some of the servers or cooks don’t always love the idea 🙂
- You should NOT be OVERLY hungry. Normal hunger for meals is fine, however if you are STARVING, not only does it feel bad, you won’t lose weight as quickly. If you are too hungry, it is important to adjust your dose so that you feel comfortable. (dosing tips)
- MOST cosmetics have OILS in them, lipstick included. Be sure that ALL of your cosmetic products, from soaps to shampoos, to make up and lotions, are all OIL FREE. I know it might seem like a small thing, but it really does make a difference. I was amazed to discover how much more quickly I lost weight when I stopped using toiletries that contained oils.
- If you are mixing vegetables, STOP. Only eat one of the approved P2 veggies at each meal.
- Only eat apples or grapefruit as your fruits.
- From my understanding of the protocol, you can cut out a fruit and or a starch. I personally would not cut down protein or vegetables.
- Cut down on red meat.
- Be sure that the ‘bread’ you are eating is only 20 calories or less.
- If you are eating tomatoes, cut down on them or cut them out.
- Drink more fluids. Be sure that your fluids do not have ‘fruit’, sugars, starches, or a bunch of additional ingredients in them.
- If you are exercising, STOP. It was shocking to discover that exercising during the VCLD/P2 not only left me feeling weak and exhausted, it actually slowed my weight loss down.
- Do an apple day, or a partial apple day.
- Do a protein and veggie day only.
- Do a ‘mini’ steak day as described in the original protocol.
I hope that this helps. Please feel free to send me any ideas you have that helped you lose on the protocol.
Good luck!
~inspired Girl aka Barbara
PS: as you know, I am not a doctor nor an expert in the field, and nothing I write here is ever intended as medical advice. I am just another HCGer who has had some success J
What would be a half apple day be?
Hi Carol,
A half an apple day would look like this: instead of 6 apples only in a full apple day, you would eat 3 apples and then a lite dinner of a protein and a vegie, and nothing else for the day except your fluids and perhaps your low fat milk in your coffee or tea and/or the juice of one lemon. I have found that having something light for dinner such as crab and lettuce with some vinegar works well and is very satisfying.
I prefer the half apple day to the full apple day. I LOVE apples, but when I eat 6 in a day I feel really ‘sweet-ed’ out. I have had great success in breaking stalls with the 1/2 apple day method.
Let me know what you think.
I hope this helps!
Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
~inspired Girl aka Barbara
PS: I am not a doctor nor an expert in the field, and nothing I write here is ever intended as medical advice. I am just another HCGer who has had some success 🙂
Barbara,
The health spa that gave me the hcg suggests that I do not drink seltzer water or sparkling water. While seltzer water has sodium, sparking water does not have sodium,artificial or natural sweetners. It is just carbonated water. Please help. I’ve had it the last two days. And today is day VLCD day 3 for me. I’ve lost only a pound each day. I’m down almost five pounds from my loading days.
Hi Ayanna,
Thanks for reaching out. Losing 1 pound each day is ALOT of weight! Most women average around .5 pounds per day over the long haul, from what I can tell, so your weight loss might slow down. Everyone is different though, and depending on how much you have to lose and other factors, you could lose more!
I do not think that carbonated water is on the Original Protocol, but I am not sure. I personally drink some when on P2, but everyone is different, and I think it’s important to do some trial and error if you care about drinking it: see if drinking it effects your weight loss. It just might!
Let me know how it goes!
Good luck,
~inspired Girl aka Barbara
PS: I am not a doctor nor an expert in the field, and nothing I write here is ever intended as medical advice. I am just another HCGer who has had some success 🙂
Hi Tanya, I have been on the HCG diet for 10 days now and have lost 5.2kg. However today I gained 0.1kg despited sticking strictly to the diet. Why has this happened? Help please. Thank you Leeann
Dear Leeann,
Inspired girl here, my name is actually Barbara 😉
That is a LOT of weight for 10 days, equal to 11.5 pounds! Wow! Of course you will stall a bit, and gain a bit and lose it again. Fluctuations are normal! Perhaps this blog post will help your understanding:
https://www.inspiredgirl.me/hcg-diet-stalls-frustration-and-fears-o-my/
It is very normal to have stalls, and lots of stalls! We don’t lose weight in a straight line. It is great to keep the BIG picture in mind and not get caught up in the day to day losses. You can figure that you will lose 15-20 pounds in a 40 day round, or an average of .3 – .5 per day AT MOST. Some days you might lose a full pound, other days, .2 pounds, some days gain a small amount, and many days lose nothing at all.
Since you have lost over a pound a day, you could easily stall for 4-5 days or more. Just stay POP and trust the bigger process.
Let me know how it goes!
Good luck,
~inspired Girl aka Barbara
PS: I am not a doctor nor an expert in the field, and nothing I write here is ever intended as medical advice. I am just another HCGer who has had some success
Hell, I have got my period 15 days before it was supposed to come . I am my 8th day of period and not taking hcg . It’s unusual for me . I always have mine only for 3-4 days. Is this common? Do I need to go to the doctor? I have some dark spotting and clots as well. Please help
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for reaching out. I am not a doctor and really don’t have any way to answer this, or any information on it, except I would say YES, go to a doctor. It might not be anything, but certainly worth checking out!
Let me know how it goes!
Good luck,
~inspired Girl aka Barbara
PS: I am not a doctor nor an expert in the field, and nothing I write here is ever intended as medical advice. I am just another HCGer who has had some success J
Body lotions can I use Aveeno? Would that change diet etc? I just started P2
Hi Tanya,
I do not know what ingredients are in Aveeno so I cannot answer that directly. I CAN say that using any body products that have OILS or FATS or BUTTERS in them can slow your weight loss down. It really does have an effect. So for me, I am always sure to use OIL free products. Coconut oil seems to be ok, but everyone is different.
Let me know how it goes!
Good luck,
~inspired Girl aka Barbara
PS: I am not a doctor nor an expert in the field, and nothing I write here is ever intended as medical advice. I am just another HCGer who has had some success J