5 Tips for Succeeding on the HCG Diet
If you are thinking of starting the HCG diet, I have some tips for having a successful round. I have lost 35 pounds doing 2 rounds, one long and one short one, and have many friends and family members who have lost weight and kept it off. These are the main tips I give to my friends when they are going to start this diet.
1. Purchase and weigh your protein before you begin. I froze my 100 gram protein servings in individual freezer bags as soon as I bought them. Having all of it frozen made it much easier to make my meals each day. All I had to do was choose the 2 proteins I wanted to eat the next day, put them in the refrigerator and they would be ready for my meals the next day. You really need to have a food scale for accurate weight. I actually used my postal scale for this when my mom was on this diet at the same time as I was and she needed to borrow my food scale because she didn't have one.
2. Purchase a digital bathroom scale that shows your weight in increments of .2 pounds. This is important because you want an accurate reading of your weight each morning. If you do gain weight it is essential to figure out why it happened so you can avoid it in the future. Digital scales cost anywhere between $20-$65. I bought a nice one that works great and looks stylish in my bathroom for $25.
3. Wear gloves when handling food. If you handle food, especially fatty food, without gloves your body will absorb the fat and you will gain weight. I chose snug fitting gloves so I could easily handle food and utensils. At first I used regular cleaning gloves, but cut a big hole in them when I was cutting up some vegetables. Then I bought some hospital type gloves which worked great. I wore them every time I handled any type food or dirty dishes. It can seem like a nuisance, but is well worth it.
4. Use natural alternatives to your skin and hair care products. You need to read the labels on all of your lotions, makeup, soaps, body wash, shampoos, conditioners, sunscreen and toothpaste. The added chemicals in these products will interfere with your weight loss when taking HCG so it is important to make some changes. Examples would be using mineral makeup, crystal deodorant, and witch hazel for facial cleanser and makeup remover. You can use baking soda for shampoo, soap, toothpaste and deodorant. I used baking soda for my shampoo and apple cider vinegar for my conditioner.
5. Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. Do not include coffee or tea in this amount, you should only count glasses of water. Water is what helps remove the fat from your body when on HCG so that's a great incentive to increase your water intake. It may help to get either a 16 or 32 ounce refillable water bottle so you can easily keep track of your water consumption.