The HCG diet has been growing in popularity over the past few years. Staggering weight loss results have been reported, with some people losing as many as 2lbs per day. The HCG diet differs from many traditional diets as the list of foods you can eat is rather small. That, and the fact that you need to supplement HCG along with your diet, of course. The HCG diet meal plan isn’t so much a specific plan as it is a list of foods you can eat, and how much of each type of food should be consumed each day.
Breakfast will typically consist of a piece of fruit, along with coffee or tea. It’s important to note that no sugar should be added to the coffee or tea, but a tablespoon of milk is okay if you need it. The fruit will be an apple, an orange or half a grapefruit, but you can have as much of the approved liquids throughout the day as you want.
Lunches will be small, consisting of 100g (3.5 ounces) of chicken, beef or fish, a small serving of vegetables and a grain. A lot of people go for melba toast, because it’s a whole grain and possesses a lot of dietary fiber. There is a little bit of wiggle room with the grains, as they don’t necessarily have to be eaten with a meal but can be saved and eaten as a snack later on.
Dinner is set up the same as lunch, with a protein, vegetable and grain or fruit. The list of approved foods does not end with meal choices, though, as there are specific seasonings that are allowed and others that are forbidden. Often, people find that eating a small breakfast and lunch while on the HCG diet is preferable, in order to allow for a somewhat larger meal to be eaten during dinner (provided the 500 calorie a day limit is not exceeded).
The reason the daily calorie count is so low on the HCG diet is because of what HCG does. It triggers the hypothalamus to release stores of fat into the blood stream to be used as energy reducing the chance that HCG diet side effects will be bothersome. Eating less calories per day ensures that the majority of the energy you get each day comes from fat stores, allowing for the maximum amount of weight lost while on the diet.
Some people lead more active lives than others, and simply require a larger diet in order to fuel their bodies. There is an alternative, known as the 800 calorie HCG diet in which a larger allotment of calories is allowed per day. If you work a job where you find yourself on the move a lot, or if you have a large amount of muscle on your body, then the 800 calorie per day HCG diet may be much better for you in the long run. Eating more calories per day may affect the total weight lost, but in the long run it’s better to be able to complete the diet and lose less weight than to not do it at all. There are many HCG diet forums online where you can go to get information on the HCG diet and its 800 calorie option. If you think this might be for you, then it’s a good idea to do your research beforehand to ensure your success.