A weight loss stoppage is common during the hCG diet. The typical hCG diet plateau sometimes lasts up to several days, even a week, if you do not take immediate action to stop it. Here are the 5 best ways to get back on track.
What is the HCG Diet Plateau
A plateau is simply a period of time, lasting up to several days, where your weight loss stops. You can normally expect a loss every day of up to a full pound from the previous day. This is why it is important to keep track by weighing yourself every morning, even if you travel during the protocol.
When you experience a plateau, that is a weight loss stoppage, over several days, one of the five following strategies is likely to help you break through it and get your weight loss going again. The first strategy is often the best of all, although you may need more than one of the following to get fully back on track.
1) The Best Strategy Overall - An Apple Day
In the classic book on the hCG diet, Pounds and Inches, author Dr. A.T.W. Simeons stated that an apple day was the best and most commonly successful strategy for busting through a weight loss plateau on his protocol. All you have to do is eat nothing but apples all long, up to six of them, and drink as little water as possible. His explanation was that this strategy gets sludgy food moving again and reduces fluid retention. It is hard to explain physiologically, so rest assured that it the most commonly effective way to break through a weight loss plateau on the Simeons protocol.
Since this method involves the reduction of excess fluids, you will typically see a weight drop of two or more pounds the day after an apple day. Then you should be on your way to your expected weight loss rate once again.
2) Increase Bowel Movements
Constipation and infrequent bowel movements are the main problem leading to an hCG diet plateau. This makes impeccable sense. You must move your bowels at least once per day during the protocol, and two or three times per day would be better.
Increasing the frequency of your bowel movements is relatively easy by just drinking more water. If that doesn't work, though, you can move things along by adding a soluble fiber to a glass of water each morning. The best one is psyllium powder, which is found in Metamucil and similar products. Those kinds of products usually contain too many unnecessary additives to be good for you health, including the worst ones of all, sugar or aspartame. It is better to get pure psyllium powder, which is easily found in health food stores and some supermarkets. Besides, pure psyllium powder costs about half as much as the brand name products that contain additives.
3) Be Sure to Stick to the Original Protocol
Many people succeed by substituting lean ground beef as one of the sources of protein, or by mixing vegetables at a single meal instead of one vegetable at a time. These modern modifications of the original protocol may or may not work for you. If you are stuck on a plateau and the first two steps above are insufficient for getting you back on track, then make sure you are sticking closely to the original protocol, without any of the newer modifications of it. If anything, you can change things up by cutting out one piece of Melba toast, just to reduce the carbohydrate impact of your meals.
4) Eat Different Foods Within the Same Day
Chicken breast may be your favorite, and you may not like any other source of protein. However, eating it at every meal might lead to a plateau. Just change out the protein source for lunch or dinner so you don't eat the same foods all the time. The same goes for the vegetables and fruits, too. Changing up your foods may help you bust through a plateau if the first three strategies above don't help.
5) Eat Everything!
Reducing calories is almost never a good strategy for losing weight, especially on the hCG diet. If you cut back on your food intake, going below 500 calories, you will slow down your metabolism. When that happens, the rate that your body burns abnormal fat, which is the underlying cause of weight loss on the hCG diet, will slow to a stop. So make sure you eat everything, in the right quantities that the protocol calls for!
What is the HCG Diet Plateau
A plateau is simply a period of time, lasting up to several days, where your weight loss stops. You can normally expect a loss every day of up to a full pound from the previous day. This is why it is important to keep track by weighing yourself every morning, even if you travel during the protocol.
When you experience a plateau, that is a weight loss stoppage, over several days, one of the five following strategies is likely to help you break through it and get your weight loss going again. The first strategy is often the best of all, although you may need more than one of the following to get fully back on track.
1) The Best Strategy Overall - An Apple Day
In the classic book on the hCG diet, Pounds and Inches, author Dr. A.T.W. Simeons stated that an apple day was the best and most commonly successful strategy for busting through a weight loss plateau on his protocol. All you have to do is eat nothing but apples all long, up to six of them, and drink as little water as possible. His explanation was that this strategy gets sludgy food moving again and reduces fluid retention. It is hard to explain physiologically, so rest assured that it the most commonly effective way to break through a weight loss plateau on the Simeons protocol.
Since this method involves the reduction of excess fluids, you will typically see a weight drop of two or more pounds the day after an apple day. Then you should be on your way to your expected weight loss rate once again.
2) Increase Bowel Movements
Constipation and infrequent bowel movements are the main problem leading to an hCG diet plateau. This makes impeccable sense. You must move your bowels at least once per day during the protocol, and two or three times per day would be better.
Increasing the frequency of your bowel movements is relatively easy by just drinking more water. If that doesn't work, though, you can move things along by adding a soluble fiber to a glass of water each morning. The best one is psyllium powder, which is found in Metamucil and similar products. Those kinds of products usually contain too many unnecessary additives to be good for you health, including the worst ones of all, sugar or aspartame. It is better to get pure psyllium powder, which is easily found in health food stores and some supermarkets. Besides, pure psyllium powder costs about half as much as the brand name products that contain additives.
3) Be Sure to Stick to the Original Protocol
Many people succeed by substituting lean ground beef as one of the sources of protein, or by mixing vegetables at a single meal instead of one vegetable at a time. These modern modifications of the original protocol may or may not work for you. If you are stuck on a plateau and the first two steps above are insufficient for getting you back on track, then make sure you are sticking closely to the original protocol, without any of the newer modifications of it. If anything, you can change things up by cutting out one piece of Melba toast, just to reduce the carbohydrate impact of your meals.
4) Eat Different Foods Within the Same Day
Chicken breast may be your favorite, and you may not like any other source of protein. However, eating it at every meal might lead to a plateau. Just change out the protein source for lunch or dinner so you don't eat the same foods all the time. The same goes for the vegetables and fruits, too. Changing up your foods may help you bust through a plateau if the first three strategies above don't help.
5) Eat Everything!
Reducing calories is almost never a good strategy for losing weight, especially on the hCG diet. If you cut back on your food intake, going below 500 calories, you will slow down your metabolism. When that happens, the rate that your body burns abnormal fat, which is the underlying cause of weight loss on the hCG diet, will slow to a stop. So make sure you eat everything, in the right quantities that the protocol calls for!
About the Author:
Get Dr. Dennis Clark's experienced advice on the hCG diet at BestHCGWeightLoss.com, including where to order hCG.
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