I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm tired of people being upset when they find out I'm on a diet. And one that entails me eating only 500 calories a day? I may as well check myself in to a rehab center for eating disorders.
Here's the thing though...I may not be 50 lbs overweight, but I am interested in cutting my body fat, and dozens of my coworkers have gone on this diet (which I will explain in short detail in a moment) and I have seen their results. 12-40 lbs of weight loss in less than 2 months. And the mechanics of the diet involve a hormone called HCG, which breaks down your abnormal fat stores. So if I want to lose body fat, I can't think of a better, quicker, (and yes, easier...who doesn't want easier?), more effective way to do it?
Here's the diet:
HCG- You either get needles and HCG from your doctor and do daily injections, or you can buy homeopathic HCG which is what I have, and you spray it under your tongue 3 times a day. It is absorbed through the gland under your tongue. The stuff tastes like water and when I first started I thought I'd been ripped off. But 10 lbs later, I know I haven't.
GORGING- The first two days you begin your HCG intake, it is critical to eat as many high fat & sugar foods as you can. Like a whole box of cookies, a whole tub of ice cream, fries and burgers from 3 different fast food joints, 4 rounds at chuck-a-rama, a king size dark chocolate bar (these may or may not be hypothetical examples...mostly because I'd never admit to eating at chuck-a-rama aside from extended family gatherings)
VLCD- (very low calorie diet) The very low calorie diet begins day 3 and your daily allowance is as follows: No breakfast, lots of herbal tea or coffee, lunch and dinner both consist of the same thing: 3 oz of a select variety of veggies ie spinach, celery, asparagus, tomatoes, onion; 3 oz of lean meat or white fish ie chicken breast, halibut, veal, tilapia; 1 of the following fruits-grapefruit, orange, apple or a handful of strawberries. That's it! I discovered that if you eat only raw spinach and chicken breast you will actually only be around 300 calories for the day. No wonder I lost 2 lbs a day for the first few days!
Other considerations- No oils or fats at all in or on your body. No deoderant, no lotion, careful on the conditioner, no butter, olive oil (or as Rachel Ray likes to call it, "O O") You grill your meat in ample spices, however which helps a lot! Also no sugars. No sugar or artificial sweetener in your tea. There are substitutes though. I am a new believer in Stevia which is an all-natural sweetener and tastes just the same.
WATER! You must drink at least a 1/2 gallon of water a day, not including your tea. This is cruccial to your weight loss.
That's pretty much it. Yes, I've been somewhat hungry. Each day is different. Yesterday I was starving. Today I'm fine. The interesting thing is that I have been craving healthy things. Like almonds, or rice, or granola. Not chips or cookies or ice cream. I have heard that if you don't eat carbs for several weeks or a month, your body stops craving them. I'm excited for that to be an added bonus to the diet.
Well, the last 2 days I've been VERY bored with my food. Cold chicken and veggies...although the fresh taste is nice, and I like feeling like I'm putting healthy food in my body, my mind is getting bored. I love cooking, its one of my favorite things to do. So of course, I am craving some culinary creativity. So yesterday I looked around online and tried to find some info on recipes. There is an HCG recipe book you can buy for $40, but I thought Icould figure some delicious recipes out myself.
So I have decided to blog my HCG journey, which I'm sure has been done a million times over, BUT perhaps not with the twist of adding the delicious recipes I've used (or even not so delicious at all) So for the curious reader who may not be able to take the leap into the HCG VLCD regimen, I will at least have some suggestions of how you can eat healthier. I have been shocked for example, that olive oil, butter and sugar are absolutely unnecessary in making delicious food. Also, I've been shocked at how many extra preservatives and chemicals are in food. I may start paying the extra money for organic on a more regular basis. But more on that in a later entry.
I am already one week in, but I will recap the gorge days in one entry, then this week in one entry. One a day is too much for me. Then we'll see how the rest goes.
You can continue the HCG diet anywhere from 23-40 days. I only want to lose 15 lbs, and since you're supposed to average 1 lb a day, I'm sticking to 23. So this journey will be short-lived, which is good because, if you read my blog about my ISTP personality type, I'm TERRIBLE at routines.
Let the journey begin!
Here's the thing though...I may not be 50 lbs overweight, but I am interested in cutting my body fat, and dozens of my coworkers have gone on this diet (which I will explain in short detail in a moment) and I have seen their results. 12-40 lbs of weight loss in less than 2 months. And the mechanics of the diet involve a hormone called HCG, which breaks down your abnormal fat stores. So if I want to lose body fat, I can't think of a better, quicker, (and yes, easier...who doesn't want easier?), more effective way to do it?
Here's the diet:
HCG- You either get needles and HCG from your doctor and do daily injections, or you can buy homeopathic HCG which is what I have, and you spray it under your tongue 3 times a day. It is absorbed through the gland under your tongue. The stuff tastes like water and when I first started I thought I'd been ripped off. But 10 lbs later, I know I haven't.
GORGING- The first two days you begin your HCG intake, it is critical to eat as many high fat & sugar foods as you can. Like a whole box of cookies, a whole tub of ice cream, fries and burgers from 3 different fast food joints, 4 rounds at chuck-a-rama, a king size dark chocolate bar (these may or may not be hypothetical examples...mostly because I'd never admit to eating at chuck-a-rama aside from extended family gatherings)
VLCD- (very low calorie diet) The very low calorie diet begins day 3 and your daily allowance is as follows: No breakfast, lots of herbal tea or coffee, lunch and dinner both consist of the same thing: 3 oz of a select variety of veggies ie spinach, celery, asparagus, tomatoes, onion; 3 oz of lean meat or white fish ie chicken breast, halibut, veal, tilapia; 1 of the following fruits-grapefruit, orange, apple or a handful of strawberries. That's it! I discovered that if you eat only raw spinach and chicken breast you will actually only be around 300 calories for the day. No wonder I lost 2 lbs a day for the first few days!
Other considerations- No oils or fats at all in or on your body. No deoderant, no lotion, careful on the conditioner, no butter, olive oil (or as Rachel Ray likes to call it, "O O") You grill your meat in ample spices, however which helps a lot! Also no sugars. No sugar or artificial sweetener in your tea. There are substitutes though. I am a new believer in Stevia which is an all-natural sweetener and tastes just the same.
WATER! You must drink at least a 1/2 gallon of water a day, not including your tea. This is cruccial to your weight loss.
That's pretty much it. Yes, I've been somewhat hungry. Each day is different. Yesterday I was starving. Today I'm fine. The interesting thing is that I have been craving healthy things. Like almonds, or rice, or granola. Not chips or cookies or ice cream. I have heard that if you don't eat carbs for several weeks or a month, your body stops craving them. I'm excited for that to be an added bonus to the diet.
Well, the last 2 days I've been VERY bored with my food. Cold chicken and veggies...although the fresh taste is nice, and I like feeling like I'm putting healthy food in my body, my mind is getting bored. I love cooking, its one of my favorite things to do. So of course, I am craving some culinary creativity. So yesterday I looked around online and tried to find some info on recipes. There is an HCG recipe book you can buy for $40, but I thought Icould figure some delicious recipes out myself.
So I have decided to blog my HCG journey, which I'm sure has been done a million times over, BUT perhaps not with the twist of adding the delicious recipes I've used (or even not so delicious at all) So for the curious reader who may not be able to take the leap into the HCG VLCD regimen, I will at least have some suggestions of how you can eat healthier. I have been shocked for example, that olive oil, butter and sugar are absolutely unnecessary in making delicious food. Also, I've been shocked at how many extra preservatives and chemicals are in food. I may start paying the extra money for organic on a more regular basis. But more on that in a later entry.
I am already one week in, but I will recap the gorge days in one entry, then this week in one entry. One a day is too much for me. Then we'll see how the rest goes.
You can continue the HCG diet anywhere from 23-40 days. I only want to lose 15 lbs, and since you're supposed to average 1 lb a day, I'm sticking to 23. So this journey will be short-lived, which is good because, if you read my blog about my ISTP personality type, I'm TERRIBLE at routines.
Let the journey begin!
HEY!! I do have lots to lose and I've been on HCG for 3 weeks now. I've lost a total of 18 lbs and will finish my round in about another week or so. I researched this diet for MONTHS before I started it. I love it and it's amazing how I already feel so much better about myself. Of course my big goal is to lose weight. I still have 65 lbs I want to release but I have learned SO much about eating healthy and really listening to my body. After I am done with the HCG than I am beginning a maintence program that includes total body and mind transformation. Then onto building my muscles more! Good luck and let me know if I can help you. Even though you don't have 50 lbs to lose it will help you lose the extra weight that is just tied to fat in your body then you can really focus on sprucing up your lean muscle! You're already so active so I'm sure it'll be great for you. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAnne, this is Brooklin, Bruce's sister. When you get a chance post your recipes that you have come up with. I just started yesterday, but I have dieted many times before and I always get really bored with the food so I am sure I will need some variety. After hearing how good it is going for you I am excited to start it!
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