Staying Motivated While On the HCG DietStaying motivated the first week or two of the HCG diet can be challenging, but you can do it! The HCG diet is quite different from what most people are used to eating, so the important thing is to get in the right mindset. Here are a few tips to help set up motivators all around you. Remember the goal of taking HCG drops: to shed pounds and look and feel great!
1. Reward yourself. Treat yourself to something fun like a new shirt or a new DVD for every five or six pounds you lose. It’ll keep you going.
2. Enjoy some down time. Go see a movie, go to the spa, or relax with a good book. Allow yourself to relax to help with the transition of starting a new diet.
3. Go for a walk. This will help relieve anxiety, create a good distraction, and reinforce your new, healthier lifestyle.
4. Count down. HCG dieters with drops can only stay on the diet for a maximum of 60 days. If you want to lose a certain number of pounds, set a goal by when to do it. Create a “count down” till when you will hit the goal day.
5. Take a “before” picture. Take a picture before you start the diet and keep it in a place you will see it often. The photo will serve as a reminder of why wanted you started the diet. Look at it often.
6. Read motivating quotes. You could even print some out and pin them up in different spots around the house and even at work. Pinterest is a great source for finding inspiring quotes.
7. Keep a journal. Before you start your HCG weight loss journey—or even in the midst of it—write down why you want to lose weight. It may because you’re attending an upcoming wedding and you want to look great, or because swimsuit season is coming up, or because you want to be more active with your children or grandchildren. Whatever the reason, write it down! When you are tempted to quit the HCG diet, go back and read your reasons for starting and be re-inspired. Even better, track your diet journey with daily, short entries in your journal.
Top Four Causes of Failure With the HCG Diet
#4 - Cheating on the diet! What if your daily calorie intake was 700 instead of 500? Even though it seems to be a small deviation, this causes your body to start pulling your energy from your calories instead of your fat deposits. The purpose of the HCG diet is to cause the body to pull your energy from stored fat. If you are even slightly above the 500 calorie daily intake, then it will change where the body pull its energy from.
#3- Wrong types of proteins and calories. When on the HCG diet, we often see the word protein and immediately think steak, beef, pork, or other meats that are high in fat content. Even though it is okay to have these meats in small amounts, it should not be looked at as a main course because of the volume of fat content. When thinking of foods to add proteins to our meals, fish, chicken, and lean types of beef are a much better and healthier option along with making it easier for our bodies to burn stored fat.
#2- Constipation. One of the common side effects of the HCG diet program is constipation. When we don't lose weight for several days and we aren't using the bathroom as often, this could be to blame. It is recommended while on the HCG diet that natural colon cleansing methods are used regularly to allow the body to pass our stools.
#1 - Lack of consistency. Whether it be with remembering to take the HCG diet drops or with your overall daily calorie intake, this is probably the most common reason people fail to lose weight while on the HCG diet. When the menu calls for 1 serving of vegetables, 1 serving of fruit, and a protein we sometimes substitute other foods for the foods we don't want. Or, we succumb to our temptations and substitute another fruit instead of the vegetable. The body demands a specific balance and any deficiency will force the body to pull its energy from other sources. For example, some fruits have a large amount of natural sugar. If we double the amount of natural sugar, then the body will begin to pull our energy from that source. Our body will burn through it very quickly and then we will start to get very hungry and our body will crave more calories. Our body while on the HCG diet is in a state of deficiency, if the balance is knocked off even just a little bit for one day, it can throw off the results by a large amount for days to come.
Do's and Don'ts
Do’s
Do take a good multi-vitamin/mineral with potassium (or take separately). Make sure all vitamins are NOT fat soluble. No fish oils, vit E or A. We recommend you buy high quality products such as those carried by health food stores. They will help with energy and regularity.
Drink lots of water
Do light exercise.
Don’ts
Do not use lotion, oils or lubricants. This includes oil based cosmetics. – Fats, oils, creams, lotions and ointments applied to the skin are absorbed and interfere with weight reduction by hCG just as if they had been eaten. The body will stop burning fat and digest these oils instead. Stay away from these while on this program. Mineral oil (baby oil) may be used if needed. Lipsticks and powders are fine. Oil free foundation or mineral powder is a good substitute. Alba oil free lotion from your local health food store is a great alternative. Not abiding by this can stall weight loss for 1-3 days.
Don’t add any foods of any kind that are not on the food list.
No Sugar! Read all your labels on seasonings and food. No sugar or starch.
No gums or mints
No diet drinks (diet sodas, diet/sugar-free powdered drinks)
No butter, oil or dressing
Plateau Breakers (if weight loss slows)
1. Increase water intake
2. Try adding a glass or 2 of green tea to your day
3. Don’t eat 2 apples for the 2 fruits or cut down apple size
4. Cut beef down or out
5. Check all condiments for any form of sugar.
6. If mixing vegetables, stop.
7. If having trouble with constipation, try magnesium, Epson salt, or Smooth Move tea- most people find this very effective. Found in specialty section of grocery store or local health food store. It is not unusual to have a bowel only once every 3 -4 days while on this diet and that, provided plenty of fluids are taken, this never leads to any disturbance. If constipated or going longer than 4 days use a suppository or tea.
8. Leave out one or both breadsticks/melba toast
9. Stop eating out.
10. No diet drinks or cheats.
Click here for answers to frequently asked questions.
Other Helpful Links
About.com: HCG Diet
About.com: HCG Diet Pros and Cons
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