Phase 2 tips for success - Part 1

My number one tip for being successful with the hcg protocol is to read and re-read the Pounds & Inches Manuscript. If you do not have access to the original manuscript I would highly recommend that you join this yahoo group, go to their files and read it ASAP!



Supplements

There are NO required supplements while on the hcg protocol. Many find that these two supplements are helpful while on the VLCD.

Potassium: You may want to take potassium 4-99 mg tablets a day. This is equivalent to a banana and will help prevent potassium deficiency. We pee so much on this protocol that we need to balance that with potassium or you will feel weak and have muscle cramps.
Magnesium: Can be taken to help keep the bowels regular. Take 1000 mg or more until your bowels start to move, then you can back down and find the dose that allows you to remain regular.
Any other supplements you choose to take must be sugar free, starch free, and oil free.

Food List

The only food list I recommend is found in the original Pounds & Inches Manuscript. There are many altered food lists out there, some of which include tuna. Dr Simeons said no tuna. People try to say that back in Dr. S's day tuna was packed in oil.... no back in Dr. S day where he lived tuna was FRESH, so if we are not to have tuna FRESH why do people think it is ok in water? My philosophy is... phase 2 lasts for 21 -40 days, I can do without ANYTHING for that short period of time. Dr. S tells us that using other foods yield less than favorable results. If I'm going to go through the trouble of doing this very strict diet I want the BEST results possible. So we do not gamble with altered food lists, coconut oil, or any other "new and improved" hcg protocols. We eat the foods listed by Dr. Simeons.

Be sure to track your calorie. Dr. Simeons says we are allowed 500 calories a day. This is very important. When on hCG up to 4000 calories of fat are being mobilized for energy use a day. If you add in more than 500 calories it floods your body with more than it can handle and it will often cause a gain or stall. In the files of the yahoo group mentioned above there is a file called HCG Daily Calorie Count forms. This document has all the allowed VLCD foods and their calorie amount per ounce. You will calculate your 2 proteins, 2 fruits, and 2 melba/grassini (must be about 20 calories per serving), then subtract from 500 calories. The rest of your calories can be spent on veggies. It is perfectly fine to stay UNDER 500 calories. Dr. S said we can omit any foods we aren't hungry for. I would highly recommend that you never omit the protein. This diet gives us just enough protein to not be protein deficient, so please eat your 2 protein servings every day whether you are hungry or not.

You can divide up the allotted foods throughout the day. We often start the day with fruit, eat protein & veggie for lunch, fruit and melba for a snack, then protein & veggie for dinner, and end the day with a melba. The foods can be divided up throughout the day however you want. BUT since we are not allowed to eat 2 of one item at a time it is best to space similar foods by 2-3 hours. So if you ate fruit at 10, wait until 12-1 to have another fruit.

Water and Other Beverages

We need water for our bodies in general, but when on this protocol it is vital to the expelling of fat as well as vital for the flushing of toxins. Did you know that your fat holds toxins? We are flushing LOTS of fat on the protocol which means a lot of toxins are being put back into movement in our body. Flush those toxins by making sure you are drinking a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day. If you weigh more than 256 pounds then you need to drink MORE than 1 gallon of water a day. Your water intake should equal 1/2 your body weight in ounces. However, I find that while on phase 2 I lose more consistently when I drink 1 gallon a day.

Coffee and tea are also acceptable beverages while in phase 2. They must be drunk black with the exception of 1 TBSP of whole milk a day. I would also recommend that you drink decaf most of the time. The caffeine is a diuretic, so if you drink caffeine throughout the day you need to drink 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of coffee to keep from dehydrating. To super-hydrate yourself you'd need at least 3 to 1.

The only other beverage that would be acceptable is plain seltzer water sweetened with flavored stevia. Diet sodas are poison and should not be a part of your diet. The aspartame and Splenda will cause you to have excess cravings and the sodium can cause water retention.

The First Week Blues

Be prepared for the first week on the VLCD to be tough. Your body will be detoxing from all the sugar, starch, chemical laden foods that you have been putting into it. Most people experience at the very least head aches for a couple days. Other detox symptoms that some struggle with include but are not limited to: nausau, weakness, tiredness, irritability, emotional outbursts, and rashes. Almost EVERYONE experiences hunger for at least the first few days for as long as 10 days. If your hunger continues beyond that you need to consider adjusting your dose of hcg or changing your dosing options. You can take over the counter pain relievers if your detox symptoms are unbearable.

Ok, this post is getting really long so I'm going to make it a 2 part post. It will end here for today and I'll post more tips for phase 2 at another time.