It is just pure hot outside right now. HUMID and HOT! I am ready for fall! Where are you? It has been a heck of a day already and it is only 2:30! The girls and I went to the commissary this morning for a few groceries, went and got them and Ted some lunch, then back home to eat and unload the car, and then finally naps. Oh and I forgot to mention, I purchased tickets this morning to see Trans Siberian Orchestra for November 20th! They will be in right down the road in Philadelphia and I can't wait. I really do LOVE them! We had gotten tickets to go last year but then Ted got deployed to Afghanistan and I ended up giving them away. I regretted not going in a way, but in a bigger way wanted to share that experience with my Ted.
The girls are still napping and I am enjoying my nice cool house and the quiet. Thank you God for my air conditioned house. I think when Ted gets home we will be going to get him fitted for a suit he needs for a conference he is going to in Orlando in October. I mean really, a suit? He is in the military and it is mainly a military conference and you want him to buy a suit!? What happened the wearing his uniform!? It is much cheaper ;)
On a diet note, I am anxious to start my diet and wish my month visitor would make an early appearance so I could start it earlier. I am ready for a skinnier, sexier, happier me. I hope everyone had a blessed rest of the day.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A little about the hCG diet
So lots of people have been asking me what the hCG diet was and how it works so here is a little info I have pulled off of a website. I am doing the 6 week or 42 day so an extra 3 weeks longer than most people do. You can find a link to a copy of Dr Simeons manuscript in the helpful links tab. Also instead of injections most people now use homeopathic hCG drops which can be bought on one of the websites I have listed in my helpful links tab, however, Simply hCG offers the best prices and she is a military wife here at McGuire.
Read this short summary of the HCG Diet fully to get a well-rounded
understanding of what the HCG diet entails.
Phase 1 (Protocol Preparation Phase)
This is an optional phase that Kevin Trudeau added. You can see his book for more info if you would like. Again it is, completely optional. We do not really think it is necessary.
Phase 2: (Gorge and Very Low Calorie Diet – VLCD Phase)
First 2 Days on HCG -- The Gorge!
Dr. Simeons called it gain before loss “One cannot keep a patient comfortably on 500 Calories unless his normal fat reserves are reasonably well stocked. It is for this reason also that every case, even those that are actually gaining must eat to capacity of the most fattening food they can get down until they have had the third HCG day. It is a fundamental mistake to put a patient on 500 Calories as soon as the injections are started, as it seems to take about three injections before abnormally deposited fat begins to circulate and thus become available.” (p 19) This is very important! If you do not gorge properly (eating as much FATTY food as you can get down), you may be quite miserable the first day or two.
Here is a sample gorge day menu:
Breakfast: 3 donuts with 2% milk, sausage, bacon, and a heaping pile pancakes with syrup
Snack 1: A Twix Bar
Snack 2: A Twinkie
Lunch: Pizza, a Caesar salad, and some avocado
Snack 3: A pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream
Snack 4: A Big Mac or other hamburger & french fries
Dinner: Fettuccini Alfredo (for the fatty sauce), garlic bread, and some rich New York Style cheesecake
Snack 5: A Snickers bar
Snack 6: Some Oreos, some 2% milk, etc.
You get the idea. Fatty, fatty, fatty. Also, be sure to include anything on these gorge days that you think you might crave in the next month. Any restaurant favorites or culinary pleasures you must satiate before your “cleanse”? Go for it!
Day 3 on HCG to minimum 23 days or maximum 41 days on 500 cal diet
Dr. Simeons called these the first days of treatment as these are your first days on the HCG and the very low calorie diet (VLCD for short) phase. In this phase, you will follow this VERY specific diet and weigh everyday to ensure you are progressing as you should be in order to achieve maximum weight loss.
The Food -- You can eat this food and ONLY this food. NO substitutions!
The 500 calorie diet is explained to those patients who will be preparing their own food, and it is most important that the person who will actually cook is present - the wife, the mother or the cook, as the case may be.
Breakfast: Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. Saccharin (brand name Sweet ‘n’ Low) or Stevia may be used.
Lunch: 1. 100 grams of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat must be carefully removed before cooking, and the meat must be weighed raw. It must be boiled or grilled without additional fat. Salmon, eel, tuna*, herring, dried or pickled fish are not allowed. The chicken breast must be off the bone. *We have found through working with thousands of clients that canned tuna packed in water is okay. We believe that Dr. Simeons said tuna was not allowed because in the 50’s tuna was only packed in oil.
2. One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage.
3. One breadstick (grissino), one Melba toast, or 2 Melba “snacks” (original, garlic, whole grain, or sesame flavored)
4. An apple or a handful of strawberries or one-half grapefruit or 1 orange.
Dinner : The same four choices as lunch.
Other Dietary Notes:
-The juice of one lemon daily is allowed for all purposes.
-For spices, NATURAL salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, etc., may be used for seasoning, but no oil, butter or dressing.
-The fruit or the breadstick may be eaten between meals instead of with lunch or dinner, but not more than four items listed for lunch and dinner may be eaten at one meal.
-NO MIXING of vegetables.
-Vegetable MUST be eaten with the protein.
Drinks on the Protocol
Tea, coffee, plain water, or mineral water are the only drinks allowed, but they may be taken in any quantity and at all times. In fact, the patient should drink about 2 liters of these fluids per day. Many patients are afraid to drink so much because they fear that this may make them retain more water. This is a wrong notion as the body is more inclined to store water when the intake falls below its normal requirements.
Spices
For spices, NATURAL salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, etc., may be used for seasoning, but no oil, butter or dressing. Also, NO pre-mixed spice combinations unless you see in a reliable HCG book that they are allowed. For example, the HCG Safe Spice and HCG Diet Cajun Spice sold on diyhcg.com are allowed, but no Lawry’s, Mrs. Dash, etc. You will receive much more information on spices in the DIY HCG Loser’s Manual sent with every HCG Diet Drops order on DIYHCG.com.
Sweeteners
For a great natural sweetener, our choice is Stevia (available at diyhcg.com). Stevia comes in a regular sweetener flavor and as well as many other tasty flavors (Berry, Vanilla crème, English toffee, and even Coffee) which can be used in unlimited quantity while on the HCG protocol. For an artificial sweetener, brand name Sweet ‘n’ Low may be used and is also allowed in any quantity.
Best Time to Start a Round
If you are a menstruating woman, the best time to start is right after your cycle. Also, keep in mind that you want to start your two gorge days (the first two days you are on HCG) on days when you will have the time and ability to eat as much fatty food as you can get down. We usually recommend starting on the weekend as this is when most people have more free time.
Cosmetics and Hygiene – Great news! With so many suggestions from our customers, we have added many approved products available for you to quickly add to your cart on the HCG Diet Personal Care page of our site!
NOTHING with oils, fats, vitamins, gels, etc. should be eaten or put on the skin. Although this is the general rule, there are some exceptions with the very specific and knowledgeable observance of what chemical ingredients are currently in cosmetic and personal care products. Although it may seem totally odd with this whole litany of rules for cosmetics and oils, you are allowed to use pure mineral oil and baby oil to moisturize while on the protocol. There is a much more detailed list in the book you will receive when you order. Also, whether you decide to go with homeopathic HCG or not, you should check out the Checklist for Optimum Performance on the HCG Diet under the Buy HCG Products tab. It lays out everything you will need for the protocol. On it, you will see that we offer a whole host of researched oil-free, fat-free, vitamin-free, and gel-free products for your one-stop-shop convenience at diyhcg.com.
You will also get tons of useful advice for personal care items in the DIY HCG Loser’s manual which is sent with each order of HCG Diet Drops from DIY HCG.com. Go to the “Lotions and Creams and Buttery Soaps, Oh MY!” page under “Which HCG Phase are you in?” for more good info regarding cosmetics on the HCG diet.
Exercise
No exercise is required while on the VLCD phase of the HCG protocol. In fact, you are discouraged from starting something new, except walking. You can start walking each day if you would like. If you already have an exercise routine in place, you should be able to continue that. Just watch your weight lifting and excessive rigorous exercise. Just to put it into perspective, Dr. Simeons suggested that his patients wade in the ocean and walk around town as the extent of their exercise while on phase 2.
Massage and Tanning
No and no. No massages on the HCG diet. NO tanning either.
Notes and Finishing Phase 2
In the first week it is normal to have a slight headache (aspirin is allowed) as you are detoxing from sugars, soda, chemicals, etc. You may also feel slightly hungry and a little tired up to day 5 on the VLCD phase of the protocol. Again, THIS IS NORMAL and will get better around day 7 when your abnormal fats stores are finally circulating enough fat to feed your body and mind.
Then on the 500 calorie phase of the HCG protocol, somewhere between 21 and 41 days, (whenever you decide to stop) –stop taking the HCG for the last three days of the diet to let the HCG exit your system. If you do NOT do these last three days, YOU WILL GAIN.
Phase 3: Maintenance Phase
After the last three days of the 500 calorie diet with NO HCG, start the maintenance phase. Maintenance between round one and two consists of two 3 week periods. The first 3 weeks eat anything you like, except NO SUGARS AND NO STARCHES. Do a steak day whenever you are 2.1 lbs over the last HCG date weight (the weight you were at on the last day you took HCG.
On the second 3 week period you will SLOWLY start adding back in healthy “sugars” and starches and do a steak day whenever you are 2.1 lbs over your last HCG date weight. Now I bet you are dying to know what a “steak day” is. Well I will tell you. A steak day is a day when you eat nothing for lunch or dinner, but drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Then, in the evening have 1 large steak (8-18 oz) followed by an apple OR a raw tomato. This should set you back in your HCG date weight range.
It is at this weight, the HCG date weight, that you are trying to train your body to maintain over the next six weeks. During the 6 week maintenance phase, losing or gaining more than 2 lbs in maintenance is a no-no. You do not want to lose more than 2 lbs below your last HCG date weight and you also do not want to gain more than 2 lbs over your last HCG date weight. Again, you control the gains with steak days to really lock in your new weight.
Phase 4: Getting on with Life!
This is when you move on with your new, healthy lifestyle in your smaller pants. Continue eating normally. You should be craving healthier foods and a diet full of low fat, lean protein meals now that your hypothalamus and metabolism have been retrained and reset. To control weight for the rest of your life, just weigh yourself daily. If you are up more than 2.1 lbs over your last HCG date weight, you guessed it: do a steak day.
Read this short summary of the HCG Diet fully to get a well-rounded
understanding of what the HCG diet entails.
Phase 1 (Protocol Preparation Phase)
This is an optional phase that Kevin Trudeau added. You can see his book for more info if you would like. Again it is, completely optional. We do not really think it is necessary.
Phase 2: (Gorge and Very Low Calorie Diet – VLCD Phase)
First 2 Days on HCG -- The Gorge!
Dr. Simeons called it gain before loss “One cannot keep a patient comfortably on 500 Calories unless his normal fat reserves are reasonably well stocked. It is for this reason also that every case, even those that are actually gaining must eat to capacity of the most fattening food they can get down until they have had the third HCG day. It is a fundamental mistake to put a patient on 500 Calories as soon as the injections are started, as it seems to take about three injections before abnormally deposited fat begins to circulate and thus become available.” (p 19) This is very important! If you do not gorge properly (eating as much FATTY food as you can get down), you may be quite miserable the first day or two.
Here is a sample gorge day menu:
Breakfast: 3 donuts with 2% milk, sausage, bacon, and a heaping pile pancakes with syrup
Snack 1: A Twix Bar
Snack 2: A Twinkie
Lunch: Pizza, a Caesar salad, and some avocado
Snack 3: A pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream
Snack 4: A Big Mac or other hamburger & french fries
Dinner: Fettuccini Alfredo (for the fatty sauce), garlic bread, and some rich New York Style cheesecake
Snack 5: A Snickers bar
Snack 6: Some Oreos, some 2% milk, etc.
You get the idea. Fatty, fatty, fatty. Also, be sure to include anything on these gorge days that you think you might crave in the next month. Any restaurant favorites or culinary pleasures you must satiate before your “cleanse”? Go for it!
Day 3 on HCG to minimum 23 days or maximum 41 days on 500 cal diet
Dr. Simeons called these the first days of treatment as these are your first days on the HCG and the very low calorie diet (VLCD for short) phase. In this phase, you will follow this VERY specific diet and weigh everyday to ensure you are progressing as you should be in order to achieve maximum weight loss.
The Food -- You can eat this food and ONLY this food. NO substitutions!
The 500 calorie diet is explained to those patients who will be preparing their own food, and it is most important that the person who will actually cook is present - the wife, the mother or the cook, as the case may be.
Breakfast: Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. Saccharin (brand name Sweet ‘n’ Low) or Stevia may be used.
Lunch: 1. 100 grams of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat must be carefully removed before cooking, and the meat must be weighed raw. It must be boiled or grilled without additional fat. Salmon, eel, tuna*, herring, dried or pickled fish are not allowed. The chicken breast must be off the bone. *We have found through working with thousands of clients that canned tuna packed in water is okay. We believe that Dr. Simeons said tuna was not allowed because in the 50’s tuna was only packed in oil.
2. One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage.
3. One breadstick (grissino), one Melba toast, or 2 Melba “snacks” (original, garlic, whole grain, or sesame flavored)
4. An apple or a handful of strawberries or one-half grapefruit or 1 orange.
Dinner : The same four choices as lunch.
Other Dietary Notes:
-The juice of one lemon daily is allowed for all purposes.
-For spices, NATURAL salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, etc., may be used for seasoning, but no oil, butter or dressing.
-The fruit or the breadstick may be eaten between meals instead of with lunch or dinner, but not more than four items listed for lunch and dinner may be eaten at one meal.
-NO MIXING of vegetables.
-Vegetable MUST be eaten with the protein.
Drinks on the Protocol
Tea, coffee, plain water, or mineral water are the only drinks allowed, but they may be taken in any quantity and at all times. In fact, the patient should drink about 2 liters of these fluids per day. Many patients are afraid to drink so much because they fear that this may make them retain more water. This is a wrong notion as the body is more inclined to store water when the intake falls below its normal requirements.
Spices
For spices, NATURAL salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, etc., may be used for seasoning, but no oil, butter or dressing. Also, NO pre-mixed spice combinations unless you see in a reliable HCG book that they are allowed. For example, the HCG Safe Spice and HCG Diet Cajun Spice sold on diyhcg.com are allowed, but no Lawry’s, Mrs. Dash, etc. You will receive much more information on spices in the DIY HCG Loser’s Manual sent with every HCG Diet Drops order on DIYHCG.com.
Sweeteners
For a great natural sweetener, our choice is Stevia (available at diyhcg.com). Stevia comes in a regular sweetener flavor and as well as many other tasty flavors (Berry, Vanilla crème, English toffee, and even Coffee) which can be used in unlimited quantity while on the HCG protocol. For an artificial sweetener, brand name Sweet ‘n’ Low may be used and is also allowed in any quantity.
Best Time to Start a Round
If you are a menstruating woman, the best time to start is right after your cycle. Also, keep in mind that you want to start your two gorge days (the first two days you are on HCG) on days when you will have the time and ability to eat as much fatty food as you can get down. We usually recommend starting on the weekend as this is when most people have more free time.
Cosmetics and Hygiene – Great news! With so many suggestions from our customers, we have added many approved products available for you to quickly add to your cart on the HCG Diet Personal Care page of our site!
NOTHING with oils, fats, vitamins, gels, etc. should be eaten or put on the skin. Although this is the general rule, there are some exceptions with the very specific and knowledgeable observance of what chemical ingredients are currently in cosmetic and personal care products. Although it may seem totally odd with this whole litany of rules for cosmetics and oils, you are allowed to use pure mineral oil and baby oil to moisturize while on the protocol. There is a much more detailed list in the book you will receive when you order. Also, whether you decide to go with homeopathic HCG or not, you should check out the Checklist for Optimum Performance on the HCG Diet under the Buy HCG Products tab. It lays out everything you will need for the protocol. On it, you will see that we offer a whole host of researched oil-free, fat-free, vitamin-free, and gel-free products for your one-stop-shop convenience at diyhcg.com.
You will also get tons of useful advice for personal care items in the DIY HCG Loser’s manual which is sent with each order of HCG Diet Drops from DIY HCG.com. Go to the “Lotions and Creams and Buttery Soaps, Oh MY!” page under “Which HCG Phase are you in?” for more good info regarding cosmetics on the HCG diet.
Exercise
No exercise is required while on the VLCD phase of the HCG protocol. In fact, you are discouraged from starting something new, except walking. You can start walking each day if you would like. If you already have an exercise routine in place, you should be able to continue that. Just watch your weight lifting and excessive rigorous exercise. Just to put it into perspective, Dr. Simeons suggested that his patients wade in the ocean and walk around town as the extent of their exercise while on phase 2.
Massage and Tanning
No and no. No massages on the HCG diet. NO tanning either.
Notes and Finishing Phase 2
In the first week it is normal to have a slight headache (aspirin is allowed) as you are detoxing from sugars, soda, chemicals, etc. You may also feel slightly hungry and a little tired up to day 5 on the VLCD phase of the protocol. Again, THIS IS NORMAL and will get better around day 7 when your abnormal fats stores are finally circulating enough fat to feed your body and mind.
Then on the 500 calorie phase of the HCG protocol, somewhere between 21 and 41 days, (whenever you decide to stop) –stop taking the HCG for the last three days of the diet to let the HCG exit your system. If you do NOT do these last three days, YOU WILL GAIN.
Phase 3: Maintenance Phase
After the last three days of the 500 calorie diet with NO HCG, start the maintenance phase. Maintenance between round one and two consists of two 3 week periods. The first 3 weeks eat anything you like, except NO SUGARS AND NO STARCHES. Do a steak day whenever you are 2.1 lbs over the last HCG date weight (the weight you were at on the last day you took HCG.
On the second 3 week period you will SLOWLY start adding back in healthy “sugars” and starches and do a steak day whenever you are 2.1 lbs over your last HCG date weight. Now I bet you are dying to know what a “steak day” is. Well I will tell you. A steak day is a day when you eat nothing for lunch or dinner, but drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Then, in the evening have 1 large steak (8-18 oz) followed by an apple OR a raw tomato. This should set you back in your HCG date weight range.
It is at this weight, the HCG date weight, that you are trying to train your body to maintain over the next six weeks. During the 6 week maintenance phase, losing or gaining more than 2 lbs in maintenance is a no-no. You do not want to lose more than 2 lbs below your last HCG date weight and you also do not want to gain more than 2 lbs over your last HCG date weight. Again, you control the gains with steak days to really lock in your new weight.
Phase 4: Getting on with Life!
This is when you move on with your new, healthy lifestyle in your smaller pants. Continue eating normally. You should be craving healthier foods and a diet full of low fat, lean protein meals now that your hypothalamus and metabolism have been retrained and reset. To control weight for the rest of your life, just weigh yourself daily. If you are up more than 2.1 lbs over your last HCG date weight, you guessed it: do a steak day.
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