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Phase 2 hCG Diet Basics – the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)

by Rayzel

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Of course if you are this point than you will already have taken care of Phase 1 – loading.

Da-da-duh!

You are ready for the most exciting part- the part where you lose weight.

What is Phase 2 of the hCG Diet?

The very low calorie diet (VLCD). This is the part of the diet that you eat 500 or so calories a day, usually for a period of 3-6 weeks, from a specific list of foods, portioned out a specific way as well.

Phase 2 is also often referred to as the VLCD or very low calorie diet/day. It’s not fun. It’s not a party. But it will accomplish a lot for you if you follow it closely. What do you do if you have more weight to lose than what you’ll lose during 3-6 weeks? You take a break then do another round of 3-6 weeks.

I personally recommend taking REAL HCG while on this diet – you can buy prescription HCG injections online from a certified U.S. Pharmacy.

Please see my posts on:

How Long Breaks Between HCG Rounds Should Be

  hCG Breaks Are Important – Why This A Journey and Not a Race

Phase 2 Basics of the hCG Diet - hcgchica.com

Phase 2 (P2) of the hCG Diet: 3-6 weeks

Basics on What To Do

1. Inject/swallow your chosen dose of hCG each morning

If you are using hCG Injections:

For most this is going to be125ius or 150ius if you are using hCG injections, however it’s highly individual and will change from round to round even for the same person, so please see more details on dosing here).  Other injections tutorials here – including how to mix, where and how to inject- everything!

Injections are done only once a day, usually in the morning. If you are taking drops, you will be taking them 3-4 times a day.

If you are using hCG pellets:

hCG Pellets and drops are another option- to be honest I do not highly favor this form, but it’s certainly an option and you can see my complete guide on prescription real hCG hormone pellets here. In this case you would take your pellet 1x a day, but you can also experiment with cutting your tablet in half and taking it twice a day if you are struggling with hunger. The dosage of each pellet is a standard 500iu from the online hCG pharmacy companies I discuss on my blog. The reason the dosage is higher than for injections is because a lot of the active ingredient is lost to digestion, which doesn’t occur with injections.

2. How many calories to eat on the hCG Diet – 500-800 calories

500 Calories

The original protocol in Dr. Simeon’s hCG diet was to not exceed 500 calories each day. This is still followed by many today, and is what I personally followed when I did the hCG diet.

Exact foods allowed and how to portion the calories below.

There is actually a caveat here. See my post (coming in the near future!) on when you may need to eat more – if you are thinner and don’t have much to lose, or if you’re a huge dude with a very labor intensive job. IF you do need more than 500 calories, I’m not talking about a lot more- we’re talking 100-250 extra calories.

I know it sounds crazy, but the vast majority of people are not going to need more than 500, 600 calories tops. Out of all 5 rounds of hCG I did, I only needed to eat more than 500 calories on my final round as I was getting to a lower body fat percent (we’re talking 17-18% as a woman) and even then, I only need 100-200 extra calories on some days.

video

Watch Kim’s Full Interview here

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Watch Nathan’s Full Interview here

800 Calories

It’s also worth noting that many hCG protocols being followed today at weight loss clinics and mentioned in a few hCG books involve eating 800 calories. This is totally a personal choice. Many find that the 500 calories are totally sufficient, as long as you are on the right dosage of hCG – this makes a BIG difference. And yet there are also a sizeable number of people who feel they have the same weight loss while eating the higher 800 calorie protocol and/or feel better during the diet, and this certainly worth considering.

Do you have to pick one or the other? I don’t think so necessarily. You can always begin with the 500 calorie protocol, and if you find yourself struggling too much, despite changing your hCG dosage, you can move to a higher calorie and see how you do.

Recipes for Phase 2!

We now have a huge number of P2 hCG Diet recipes over at hcgchicarecipes.com!

video

Watch Heather’s Full Interview here

3. Eat to hunger.

What this means is that some days you may you only need to eat as little as 300 calories even. You can omit any foods you are not hungry for, but I personally recommend always having the two 100g protein portions each day. If you’re hungry for all 500- by all means eat them all! Please see my post on eating less than 500 calorie at times for more info. There may also be times you need to eat more than 500 calories – please see my post on this (coming in near future).

Not everyone will agree with me on this. But I believe our bodies have a lot of wisdom and if we don’t actually feel hungry, to me this is an indicator that I don’t need food right now.

video

Watch Nisa’s Full Interview here

4. Weigh yourself daily once, in the morning, and keep track of it.

Only once you hear? You WILL weigh more later in the day – remember even 16 ounces of water you drink equals another pound inside you till you pee it out! Also, I am compiling an article about those who have decided to weigh only once a week or not at all and what situations you might choose to do this in- I’ll link to it here when it’s ready.

You can track your weight loss in my handy-dandy Phase 2 hCG Diet Tracker if you like.

The following is Dr. Simeon’s Original Protocol and then modifications that many have made in more recent times with success.

How to Portion the Calories

Approved Food Choices List Below.

Breakfast:

Coffee or tea

Lunch:

  • 1 protein (100 grams)
  • 1 vegetable
  • 1 fruit
  • 1 grissini or melba toast

Dinner:

Same as above

More detail on the above in a moment (like oh my god are you saying I CAN’T have breakfast even if WANTED to???? You can have breakfast if you need – wait for the tips section).

Original Dr. Simeons hCG Diet Protocol

Approved hCG Diet Foods List

Links will take you to hCG diet recipes using that ingredient!

Strict Protocol Protein:

1 Serving size = 100 grams/3.5 ounces(2 servings a day total)

  • Beef – very lean – ideally 95% or more fat free  (80/20 will NOT do)
  • Chicken breast
  • Veal
  • White fish (examples: Catfish, Cod, Flounder, Halibut, Sole, Red Snapper, Sea Bass, Tilapia, Trout) SKIN REMOVED
  • Lobster
  • Crab
  • Shrimp

Occasional meat replacement allowed (1 serving):

Strict Protocol Vegetable:

Serving size: None is indicated in original protocol. You are allowed to eat to satisfaction.

Strict Protocol Fruits:

Serving size as noted below.

Strict Protocol Carb:

  • 1 Grissini Stick (without oil- check many have olive oil in them)
  • 1 Melba Toast

Strict Protocol Other:

  • 1 lemon/day
  • 1 tbsp milk/day
  • Judicious use of sugar-free sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, swerve, etc
  • Spices and herbs (that do not contain starchy fillers etc).

Alternate Protocol Proteins

These are foods that many weight loss clinic in modern times administering this protocol now use with success, as well as many hCG ladies in my audience

AP PROTEINS:

AP VEGETABLES:

AP FRUITS:

ADDITIONS/CONDIMENTS:

Sweet or Savory:
Savory only:
Sweet or baking type ingredients:

AP Carbs/Fiber:

video

Watch Lori’s Full Interview here

Where to Find Lots of Recipes for Phase 2

We have tons of beautifully photographed P2 recipes over at hcgchicarecipes.com – free for your use.

There is also a fantastic hCG Diet Cookbook on amazon by the lovely Tammy Skye.

More Phase 2 Instructions + my side notes

We’ve got a set of Do’s, a set of Cans and a set of Cant’s which are taken from Dr. Simeon’s original protocol. Below each of them has my side notes, which may include reasons that I may have chosen to go differently than he suggested and the reason why.

5 Do-For-Sures

Do #1: Drink 2 liters (about 2 quarts) of liquids a day.

Toxins are stored in fat, so drinking enough water while on hCG is wise as it will help your body flush out toxins that may get into your bloodstream as your body metabolizes your fat for fuel.

Do #2: Weigh the 100 Grams of Protein Raw.

If you need to weigh meat that’s already been cooked, you will want to measure out less than 100 grams as raw meat contains a higher water content. A good rule of thumb would be to weigh cooked meat at 70-80 grams instead.

Do #3: Remove all visible fat from meat.

You don’t need to overthink this, just cut off any “white” looking parts, visible fat, and call it good. If it were me, I wouldn’t spend 15 minutes removing every little speck of fat. Just get the main stuff and you’re good.

Do #4: Skip 1 injection a week if doing the diet >3 weeks (continue the VLCD diet as normal).

It doesn’t hurt to do this, so you may as well. This was instituted by Dr. Simeons as a way to prevent immunity that he said occurred in some patients. I haven’t actually seen this happen in practice for some reason. You don’t have to panic if you didn’t skip a shot for a few weeks. Just do it as a precaution when you remember.

Do #5: Skip hCG but continue the diet during menstruation.

I chose to skip hCG on my heaviest flow days only – for me this was 1-2 days. From my observation it is a good idea to do this because otherwise sometimes hCG can cause issues with menstruation, either preventing it entirely or causing it to last longer than normal, while on hCG. Also see why you might want to wait till AFTER your period ends to start the hCG Diet. This can really help when you are planning your round to ensure success and less struggling.

5 Yep-You-Can-Do-That’s

Can #1: You can break up the 2 meals as much as you like.

What this means is that you can making multiple snacks out of a meal. Examples:  Take the lunch fruit serving and have it for breakfast. Or take 50 grams of the lunch protein and have it for breakfast. Saving a dinner fruit for late night snack. Etc.

Can #2: You can eliminate anything you are not hungry for.

This means there may be times you are actually eating less than 500 calories. This is okay IF you are truly not hungry. Hunger is largerly hCG dose dependent. If you are experiencing excess hunger on hCG, you likely need an adjusted dose.

I personally recommend always having the protein servings. I am a big believer in protein – recently I was not getting enough and was not experiencing muscle growth at crossfit- when I increased it bam, had a huge increase in my muscle mass (tested through hydrostatic body fat testing) – so I still feel it’s wise to make sure to eat at least this.

Can #3: Sugar free items can be tentatively used.

Most of us use stevia daily on hCG as our sweetener of choice. This is my favorite powdered stevia.

Erythritol or Swerve (made of same thing, just a brand name) or other brands of this sweetener are often used, but I would say not as frequently as stevia.

Some use Splenda. Splenda/sucralose make my tummy feel AWFUL though so I do not consume it at all.

They say stevia and erythritol are healthier/more natural than sucralose. Maybe that will change in 50 years but for now that’s the consensus when you do some reading online.

But in some cases if you are on the leaner side you may be more affected by sugar free sweeteners, or if you are using too much of them. Sugar alcohols may be okay but use them very sparingly as too much does indeed affect blood sugar which will affect weight loss on hCG.

Here’s an article on various sugar free sweeteners out there.

Can #4: If weight loss stalls for a few days in a row, an Apple Day can be done.

Apple days involve eating up to 6 Apples, minimizing water intake, and eating nothing else. Apple days begin at noon one day and end at noon the following day. Keep in mind Dr. Simeons mentioned the main 2 tactics of doing such a day were to help you emotionally while dealing with the stall, and to get rid of excess water retention. Doing an apple day involves eating a lot more carbs than usual and no protein, so just keep that in mind when deciding to do one or not.

I have 2 in depth posts on apple days here:

What Apple Days Are and When to Do Them

Are Apple Days Good For Stalls and After Cheats? Possibly not…..

Can #5: TREATMENT INTERRUPTIONS: Taking a short break from hCG DURING Phase 2.

If something comes up and you need to be off hCG and the diet for 2 weeks or less, you can do an interruption. Technically only to be done after you’ve already used 23 injections worth otherwise weight regain during the break is more likely. This involves getting off hCG as if you were finishing Phase 2, with the same 72 hour transition period.  Eat Phase 3 style to hunger (calories may end up being somewhere between 800-1600). When ready to resume hCG no re-loading or doing Phase 1 is necessary, simply start hCG and the very low calorie diet again to finish out your round. See my complete guide on hCG Diet Interruptions here.

4 Cant’s

Can’t #1: Do not mix vegetables at a meal (but I do so do many others)

Dr. Simeons did not explain why vegetables were not to be mixed – my theory on this is that you easily end up consuming more calories doing this because it’s tastier. I did mix vegetables at times and felt it was okay for me. If you DO choose to mix some P2 vegetables together, be more conscious of how much of it you are eating (this easy to do with our P2 recipes because the amounts of veggies and the calories are already carefully calculated for you).

I have a very detailed post on this subject here:

Can you mix vegetables on the hCG Diet?

Aaaaannd we have a ton of P2 hCG Diet Recipes on the blog with lots of mixed veggies and it just hasn’t been a problem. So basically this isn’t really a can’t in my book, therefore I lied and there’s only 3 cant’s in real life.

Can’t #2: Do not combine multiple servings into one meal.

Examples: No eating of both fruit servings at once, or the two protein servings for the day at once. I think it’s wise to follow this advice.

Can’t #3: Avoid any contact with oils on the skin.

The hCG hormone makes your body more sensitive to fats than usual – both to losing it and gaining it. Our skin is our largest organ. Let me repeat that. Our skin is our largest organ. I am inclined to believe Dr. Simeons that fats and oils on our skin will cause problems during the diet. Wear gloves when cooking with fat.

Gloves I like on amazon here.

Can’t #4: Do not use makeup or skincare products containing oils unless it’s mineral oil.

Same argument as above. I have a free ebook download called “Mac to Maybelline – Makeup and Skincare Products Safe to Use on the hCG Diet” that was researched by a skincare specialist and a fellow hCGer who checked ingredients for oils in common brands. It was a labor of love on her part that took many many hours and I’m honored she offered me to make it available here for you guys.

Alternate hCG diet foods that other hCGers ate while on P2:

Watch Amy’s Full Interview here

Amy has been overweight as long as she can remember. She lost 104 lbs with the hCG protocol and lost 88.75 inches overall. She has some wonderful tips for Phase 2 for you guys!

Watch B’s Full Interview here

B lost 100 lbs in 16 months. From size 28 to size 8. B took a solid 6 months to research the protocol before starting it herself. She shares that throughout her 4 rounds of the diet she has had to change her dose every round. We discussed lots of tips on Phase 2 and how she maintained her weight loss.

Watch Casey’s Full Interview here

Casey lost 80 lbs with hCG injections. She went from size 18 to size 6. She has a very interesting tip on cooking food easier and healthier. She also EXERCISED while on P2. So watch this interview to know how she modified her eating on Phase 2 to compensate for that.

Watch Diane’s Full Interview here

Diane started her hCG journey when she was 57 years old. She lost 102lbs with homeopathic drops. Diane shares some very helpful information on lipedema and interesting tips on cosmetic surgery post-weight-loss.

Watch Elke’s Full Interview here

Elke lost 70lbs on hCG and lost another 13 lbs or so on her own. She did something different on her Phase 2, she used the Jay Robb protein shakes for 1 of her meals while on P2. She shares more P2 and P3 tips here.

Watch Kerrie’s Full Interview here

Kerrie lost 59 lbs using hCG injections. She went from size 14 to size 6. She did not lose all of this weight during P2, she actually lost 23 lbs in between rounds, without hCG. She also shared some of her P2 experiences in this interview.

Watch Kimberly’s Full Interview here

Kimberly went from size 26 to size 12 with hCG injections. She is a nurse and she has a health condition that makes it hard for her to lose weight. Her first round of HCG was very emotional and she had to deal with all of her eating disorders to achieve success. We talked about a lot of helpful tips on both P2 and P3 in this interview.

Watch Lisa’s Full Interview here

Lisa lost 111 lbs with hCG. From size 24 to size 8/10. Lisa ate healthily and exercised but still, she gained weight and could not lose it. She had tried different kinds of diet but only lost the weight on hCG. We discussed a lot of topics on hCG and metabolism.

Watch Lynette’s Full Interview here

Lynette here lost 17.8 lbs with the hCG injections. She prepared for her hCG journey by researching hCG for 6 months. She has some really great tips to share with us.

Watch Michelle’s Full Interview here

Michelle was diagnosed with Celiac about 6 years ago, she also has HPT, fibromyalgia and Hashimoto’s. Currently, at the age of 54, she has done 5-6 rounds of hCG over the past 5 years and overall lost more than 50 lbs and went from a size 14 to a size 4.

Watch Patti’s Full Interview here

Patti lost 40 lbs with the hCG protocol. From size 13 to size 0 of the same clothing brand. She used both homeopathic hCG and the real hormone. She had failed Phase 3 before and now she will share how she finally stabilized and maintain her weight loss.

Watch Stefanie’s Full Interview here

Stefanie lost 70 lbs with hCG injections. She was considering gastric bypass when her friend who was a nurse practitioner responsible for follow up care of bariatric patients suggested she compare the pros and cons of surgery vs. the hCG protocol. We talked about her 3 rounds of hCG here.

Watch Tamara’s Full Interview here

At the age of 51, Tamara lost a total of 50lbs and went down by 10 dress sizes. Despite post-menopause and serious bouts of hormonal imbalance, she had great results with hCG injections and have been successfully maintaining 19% bodyfat for a full year!

Watch Tracy’s Full Interview here

Tracy here lost 47 lbs with hCG injection. And overall she lost 44.5″. She has a Major Depressive Disorder and the antidepressants prescribed to her was a major factor in her weight gain. In this interview, she shared some of her sanity savers while on P2.

Once Done With Phase 2

Transition Off the hCG Hormone – 72 hours

When your 3-6 weeks of time on Phase 2 is up, there is a little process to this – you don’t just stop taking hCG one day and then eat bacon 😉 Although I would prefer it that way. For 72 hours following your last dose of hCG, you actually continue the VLCD (very low calorie diet- yes the same boring stuff you’ve been eating the last 6 weeks and same calories) until the hCG hormone is completely out of your system. Complete guide on the 72 hour transition period here.

Start Phase 3 of the hCG Diet – Stabilize Your Weight Loss

This is a 3 week period that used to be more tricky because there was only one  real rule: No starches or sugars for 3 weeks.

You would think less rules would be a good thing, but what actually happened is that we would all arrive at P3 thinking we’d be excited because we finally get to eat some regular food again but found ourselves terrified because we didn’t know WHAT to eat. It was like, what foods are okay? What foods aren’t? How MUCH of these foods are okay?

We have a lot more resources to help us these days. Please see:

My Complete Guide to Phase 3 of the hCG Diet – FREE

Phase 3 Foods List – FREE

My P3toLife Program – Completely Structured program for Phase 3 for $149

All My Phase 3 Blogposts

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Related posts:

2 Year Anniversary of Maintaining Weight Loss from the hCG Diet with HCG Injections
HCG Diet Round 1 VLCD 35 - Miracle Noodles Can Cause Temporary Weight Gain
My HCG Protocol - Round 3- In Detail
Help Create the hCGChica Phase 2 Cookbook for the hCG Diet

Comments

  1. Hello! If I’m planning to do a 2nd round of VLCD – I know I need 3 weeks between the rounds, but do I need to follow your P3 food options for those 3 weeks?

    Reply

  2. What do I do if I’m on a round of 200ui for 28 days, I’m halfway through, want to try to lower my dose, but the doctor supplied me with prefixed syringes? I don’t want to waste any HCG.

    Reply

  3. HELP!
    My weight is going up! On day 11 of P2
    Started at 127, due to loading, Prior to loading I started at 123
    Dropped down to 121within the first week, then went up to 123 next day, did an Apple day dropped down to 120 and been there for a couple days. Now it’s going back up.

    I’m following everything and seriously thinking of giving up since I’m almost right where I started and was only planning on doing 20 days.
    Body fat at 16% current weight 121

    Reply

  4. Hi – can you have garlic in Phase 2? I have been using garlic when i make my food. I don’t see it listed in the AP list of veggies.

    Reply

    • Hi Koncha!
      This is Lucelle, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
      Yes, I think you can have garlic in small amounts

      Reply

  5. Quinoa and Amaranth are fantastic protein substitutes for folks who cannot eat meat or fish. Amaranth has even more protein than quinoa and doesn’t have the same nutty flavour of quinoa that some folks don’t like. I eat it often with a plain veggie broth, or make a simple chili with it using plain tomato sauce and chili spices. 🙂

    Reply

  6. This is my third time doing the HCG protocol and I’ve never known I wasn’t supposed to use oil on my body. I am an avid coconut oil person, using it to take off mascara and to moisturize daily. I slathered my body with it today while sitting out at my friend’s pool. Is this messing me up for real? I think I lost about 20 pounds on my first time 4 or 5 years ago, and then 17 lbs at the beginning of this year. I took a break and am on Day 5 of vlcd.

    Reply

    • Hi Angie,

      This is Li-an, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! People actually have different views on this. There are ladies who are using oils and did not have any problem while others experience stalling when they do. Would be best to observe your losses if it gets affected.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply

    • Hi Kate! Yes for modern alternate protocols, many use broccoli with no issues, and we are using it as an ingredient for AP (alternate protocol) recipes on hcgchicarecipes.com

      Reply

  8. Hey, I’ve integrated NUTRASMART DIET SUPPORT SHAKE meal replacement with around ¾ cup of Unsweetened almond milk, a cup of strawberries and a heaping tbs of TRIPLE ZERO OIKOS GREEK YOGURT a few times a week for lunch or dinner. It’s delicious and satisfying, and it hasn’t interrupted my Weightloss in ANY way. I’m on my 12th day of Phase 2, and I’ve lost 10lbs from my starting weight. Please let me know if I’m doing something wrong or fooling myself into thinking this is a good idea.

    Thanks so much!

    Reply

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    Reply

  12. shouldn’t the vegetable part be around max 100 calories per meal?
    if you calculate together, 100 grams of lean meat/fish are about 100 calories and in total you want to stay below 500……
    how did you measure the greens? vegetables?

    Reply

    • Hi Anne,

      Most people found it easier to “eat to hunger” versus measuring or weighing the vegetables. Technically, there are no clear cut rules as to how much P2 veggies you can eat – but as long as you eat approved veggies to hunger, you won’t have any problems I believe.

      Hope this helps!

      Li-an, Rayzel’s assistant

      Reply

  14. I’m very confused on the whole taking break thing. So what you are saying is that after 3 to 6 weeks of phase 2 you take a break in other words you completely stop the injections? If so for how long and do you have to load when you start phase 3 like you did when you started phase 2? I am just very very confused.

    Reply

  15. Hello! what calories DO we need to count? EVERYTHING that is consumed or just the protein? because the specific proteins listen in 3.5oz portions often don’t add up to more than 200 some calories a day. I’m a little lost here.

    Reply

  16. Hello! I’m confused here it says eat vegetables to satisfaction but I still have to count the calorie content correct? what calories DO we need to count? EVERYTHING that is consumed or just the protein? because the specific proteins listen in 3.5oz portions often don’t add up to more than 200 some calories a day. I’m a little lost here.

    Reply

  17. I cannot hit my calorie mark with the veggies listed on the program. I don’t know how anyone does. I consumed an entire bag of spinach today and it’s only like 50 calories. I am doing tomato, onion, cucumber, but have no idea how to make this work without cauliflower. What am I missing here? I’m not losing like I should at all, and actually doubt I’m burning much fat. I’ve lost like 2-3 pounds in one week and I think it might be water weight only. My ketosis strips test at the lowest number. Any tips??? With cauliflower and broccoli I hit the 500-550. Without it, I won’t. 50 pieces of asparagus (an entire bag from Trader Joe’s) only has 70 calories.

    Reply

    • Hi Isabel!
      This is Lucelle.
      Others do eat cauliflower/broccoli and they still lose weight. Rayzel herself did some modifications that worked for her, you can read more about that here: http://hcgchica.com/modifications-to-the-hcg-diet-protocol-what-works-and-what-doesnt/
      Also, re the ketones- it’s a bit tricky- when are you testing your Ketones first of all? Should be first pee in the morning. Also, what’s your current height and weight? The ketone strips only show EXCESS ketones, and what happens is, even if you are in full blown ketosis, if you are getting thinner your body is likely using most or all of the ketones to function, which means there are non “extra” to spill over into your urine. This is what happened to Rayzel – when she initially tracked she had dark ketones, but they gradually got lighter and lighter as she got thinner and eventually registered nothing- even though she know she was in ketosis and eating the same way-
      But that brings me to the next point which is that yes, when she did that and was in ketosis, she was not eating any fruits on P2 at all. So only protein and veggies. So it’s very possible the breakfast fruit is interfering with that.

      THAT all said, in reality, you do not have to be in ketosis to have a good round and lose fat.
      Your body will lose fat regardless. She ate fruits in one of her later rounds again and still lost fat.
      So Rayzel consider the ketosis thing an option, but not required. The reason it felt helpful to her was that it makes her incredibly NOT hungry and she had good energy and the diet just felt pretty easy while in ketosis.

      I hope that helps you a little!

      Reply

  18. Hello! I’m a teeny bit confused here it says it to satisfaction with the vegetables but I still have to count the calorie content correct?

    Reply

    • Hi Susan!
      From other’s feedback, it appears that those who have more weight to lose, say 50lbs+, the pellets have been great and they haven’t experienced hunger, but those who have less to lose have experienced hunger so it seems like leaner people may not find the pellets to be the ideal choice for them.
      One pellet is 500iu so it’s hard to adjust your dose with it being in pellet form.

      Hope that helps!
      Lucelle

      Reply

  20. I see that Sea Bass is allowed on Phase 2. How about Chilean Sea Bass? Technically its a Patagonia Toothfish and more on the fatty side, but its soooooo good!! Is it allowed?

    Reply

    • Hi Lisa!
      I’m not really sure. You can try and see if it works out for you but it has 14g of fat per 3oz so I’m a bit wary.
      Maybe save it for Phase 3?
      -Lucelle

      Reply

  21. HI, I am starting a 3rd round. fasted for 2 days and today is my 1st 500 calorie a day diet. I am a flight attendant so I am nervous about getting food prepared without oils. Also it is winter and i need a face cream / make up. what do u recommend? Also what about my hormone pills? Do I stop them? And I am vitamin D deficient…can I continue my drops? Thanks, Amy

    Reply

    • I’m a flight attendant too. Cool your meals and put them in bpa free freezer bags. Freeze and bring on the road with you in your food bag. Slam click at night and get good rest! Take vit D pills… but drops are prob ok too

      Reply

  22. Would green beans and broccoli be allowed? Also, if strawberries are ok, can we also substitute raspberries and blackberries? Last question, if the mustard contains no oil or sugar, would a little bit be ok?

    Reply

    • Hi Sue!
      Others do eat the broccoli and they do fine, not sure with green beans. Yes, I think raspberries and blackberries can work too. Mustard with no oil and sugar is okay too.
      Lucelle

      Reply

  23. Hello!

    I am new to HCG (expecting my kit here soon!) and was wondering if you think, or know, whether or not Broccoli would be okay as a vegetable?

    Thank you!

    Reply

  25. I have to go on a business trip for 3 days and am in Phase 2 – are there ANY convenient travel foods that are P2 compliant that I can use during this time to stay on track? I checked and my hotel room does not include a fridge, so I am hoping there are some bars or something I can make ahead that does not require refridgeration. Help! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Melissa!
      I don’t have much info on that but I’ve heard of others using low-carb protein powders. Maybe that can help.

      Reply

      • There is a Stevia flavored vanilla or chocolate EGG WHITE protein powder by Jay Robb that you can get at Kroger or Amazon. 100 cals/serving.

        As a competitive speed walker, I do endurance events. I can only do HcG at the start of a 16-18 week training cycle when my mileage is low. Still, by the time I get 5-7 weeks in, I’m up to 12/14 miles, which can take ~3 hrs. I get puny after 2 hours without adding something, so I consume one serving of the Jay Robb around mile 8.

        Hope that helps!

        Reply

        • Hey Laurie! Thanks so much for chiming in with this. It’s great having everyone’s tips for tweaking things to fit the demands of their lifestyle. WOW 12/14 miles – you mean per day? How fast are you walking girl?? Rock on.

          Reply

  26. I am on R1 VLCD 3 injection 5- my question is about a wired feeling I seem to have. It is a weird whole body feeling including my abdomen and legs. Is this normal? I don’t feel like I am bouncing off the walls, but for the fact that I don’t feel like I am sleeping well, I think I should be more tired. Example the night before last, I don’t think I slept at all, and I am a sleeper, and I was tired yesterday, but able to do my job. Last night when I went to bed, I had a hard time falling to sleep, and I still had this weird wired feeling going on.
    I dropped my dose from 150 to 125 today to see if that helps, but I really am ready to talk to a HCGer that has been through this.

    Reply

  29. Hi,
    I Was wandering about body lotion. If it is based on Mineral oil – Is that ok?
    I’m asking because it will cover all of my body. Please help – Thanks,

    Lily

    Reply

  30. Do you know of anyone who has been successful that has had bariatric surgery previously? I want to lose another 20lbs but have been stuck at a plateau for 2 years now. I had gastric bypass and lost a tremendous amount of weight and I believe my body is just used to my diet now.

    Reply

  31. Hello! 🙂 I’m on my 1 day of phase two HCG injection …. I am an esthetician, I do facials using all kinds of skincare products containing organic seaweed-based oils and such. I hope that washing my hands consistently will be ok.
    Also …. can I take a multivitamin during this program? Or will this interfere the HCG effect?
    This is my 2nd round of this program, first one was through my doctor ….. I used to be 201 lbs, currently 171 lb. I SUPER DUPER LOVE this site because of detailed support. I truly feel this will be a success for me and hope this for everyone else 🙂 THX!

    Reply

  32. I am on day 1 of phase 2 and it is hard!! I know it’s only better from here though. My question is how exact does the meat measurement need to be? It is soooo difficult to make a perfect 4oz serving size. Also should vegetables be measured raw or cooked? Thank you!

    Reply

  33. I have used the HCG drops and lost 40 lbs but with a 800 calorie intake. 800 was even tough for me for P2 so 500 seems especially daunting- and then to ween myself back to regular (even with a healthier lifestyle) food intake- foods that are considered ”healthy’ avocado, almonds, etc- they all added up and I tried to maintain at 1400 cal/day. I would like to lose another 40 lbs- and am considering doing the injections this time- but dont think I can do 500. Will it not be affective at all at 800 calories on P2? I know the weight loss will not be so drastic- but I should still experience some significant loss- right?

    Reply

  34. I am on day 10 and seem to be struggling losing. I am using hcg in a lotion form that I got from a doctor. Is that my problem that I am not doing injections?

    Reply

    • I used the HCG lotion and it worked out great for me, lost 18 lbs. Keep taking magnesium and potassium to help you..it worked for me. Good luck.

      Reply

  35. I’m getting ready to start and wanted to know the whole hunger thing. I want to find a dosage where I am hungry? Is higher not better?

    Reply

  36. Wow, I really need your help. I totally fudged up the first week of phase 2 thinking I could eat anything. It always totaled 500 daily calories however. Should I just stop the diet altogether and try again to start fresh?

    Reply

  37. Hello. I’ve been successful on a low carb lifestyle for several months, and just need to lose the last 15lbs or so, and I will be doing HCG. I am of the belief that (healthy) fats are not a problem (with me, at least, on a low carb/high fat diet) so I would like to continue eating low carb/high fat for the rest of my life really. Many doctors are agreeing with this nowadays. Do you know of any reason why not to eat LC while on HCG? Is it just because the volume of food would be less (at 9cals/gram vs 4cals/gram you obviously eat less)? If the goal is to get into ketosis, this seems like the best way to eat on HCG, so I am a bit confused why the diet says no fat. My only explanation is that ‘low cal’ was the only acceptable way to lose weight when this diet first came out? Your thoughts on this would be helpful :). Thank you!

    Reply

    • I wish someone would offer a better explanation or do a new study on the LC side of this. I’m with you – I do not understand why we can have apples but can’t have ALL low carb veggies. Have yet to hear a report about this. Asked my HCG supplier and they just said, “It’s not on the protocol.” But on to your fat question – you can’t have fat because, when combined with the veggies, etc., your body won’t consume its own fat if you also eat/wear/touch it. Also, fat is high in calories. Now, as to why you can’t just consume 500 calories of only fat and nothing else in the day and have a successful program… that I don’t know. Prob more for a scientist to explain.

      Reply

      • I followed the diet to a T but disregarded the skincare part because of my super sensitive skin and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice what works for my skin…..I still lost 20lbs each round. With a total of 40 gone. Some of the ideas seem weird it’s hardly a “trace” amount of oil it’s not like we are bathing in coconut oil or something

        Reply

        • It does affect. In particular when one wants to achieve the maximum weight loss as the 500 cals per day is such a huge sacrifice. I’ve found the sacrifice of leaving my lotions just until I finish my rounds, easier than esting just 500 cals. You can find in Amazon a oil free (really oil free) lotion; Chica recommends one that works for her.

          One thing that helps enormously is to exfoliate with oil before starting the rounds (before those eating normal ‘loading’ 2 days). That way you won’t get uncomfortable feeling dry flaky skin. Get a good pedicure before starting! <3 Then when you get to mantainance phase, rewsrds yourself with a little more pampering.

          Reply

      • Read hcg2.0. A book by a dr. Explains a new update version of hog as far as food. I used his book for my eating and lost 20 lbs.

        Reply

  38. Hi Rayzel! I had a question about the 1 tbsp of milk allowed a day on Phase 2 of HCG. I was wondering if you could substitute that for 1 tbsp. of powdered coffee creamer? I’m talking about the unflavored plain coffee mate which has 0.5 g. of fat, 1 g. of carbs, and 10 calories per tsp. which would amount to a total of 30 calories, 1.5 g. of fat, and 3 g. of of carbs. per day. I’ve read information on this online and have gotten conflicting responses. Some say it will stall weight loss but others say it didn’t affect them. What are your thoughts and experiences? I need to have some in my coffee. Milk just won’t cut it (I’ve tried it). Please give me your insight.

    Reply

      • But the calorie difference? I’m SO confused….this is my 3rd round and I’m reading more and you say here to eat veg to satisfaction but my info says 3.5 oz per meal and 1c fruit. So with the allowed protein at 100g and 3.5 oz allowed veg and 1c allowed fruit the day is always at 500cal or a teeny under

        Reply

  41. Hhmmm I don’t know why my question appears to have disappeared. Kale & buffalo are not listed as foods to be consumed on P2. Is there a particular reason….. Kale is nutritious and low in calories and buffalo is a very lean meat

    Reply

    • Hey @CJNGRL1 – it didn’t disappear, I just have comments set to be approved before they go public that’s all. So you should see it now! 😉

      I don’t know for sure, but it could possibly be because when the protocol was developed back in the 1950’s, I don’t think Buffalo was a commonly available food item like it is now, and I”m not sure about the Kale. I do know of some using buffalo on P2 now because as you said, it’s very lean, so I think it could probably be a very good choice.
      The kale, I have no idea! But you can always choose to experiment and then report your results back to us- we love hearing about this stuff. Take care. – Rayzel

      Reply

  42. I know that kale and buffalo are not listed in P2, but is there a reason why? Kale is low in calories and buffalo is very lean

    Reply

  43. Hi I have a few questions. When does hunger kick in? Is it ok to never be hungry as of the first injection? when on 40 vlcd with injections how long should the maintenance phase be? Can you do only 3 weeks for the maintenance phase and start another round of hcg? Has anyone used their hcg past the beyond use date? Also in the 40 day injection round do you have to take off one day? If you have to should one just do 34 injections instead? Also is it ok to lose weight in p3?

    Reply

  45. Thank you so much, I have one more question: Do you know of anyone that has done HCG as a vegetarian or vegan and been successful?

    Reply

  46. I’m a little confused about how many veggies we can eat. The protocol listed above under approved vegetables says to “eat to satisfaction”. But does this mean as long as it is still within the 500 per day calorie limit? I was under the impression I needed to weigh my veggies too and that I couldn’t have more than that amount. (kind of hoping I’m wrong here). I’d love to know if I can snack on approved vegetables during the day, I really miss having something crunchy – or any snack at all. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Hi @KJEB Pretty much Dr. Simeons, the original creator of the diet, didn’t give an amount on the vegetables, even though he said to eat 500 calories a day or less. Pretty much I think he wanted the protocol to be as simple a non-anal as possible, and in most cases, if you are sticking to the protocol veggies, you won’t like go over 500 calories, unless you’re like a cucumber fanatic and eat like 8 of them lol. Technically speaking you are allowed 2 servings of 1 veggie each. As far as snacking, it’s possible it’s okay- in that case you might want to just try inputting some calorie values in myfitnesspal.com for a couple days to see how it’s adding up, then you can know if it’s okay for you or not. I hope that helps! – Rayzel

      Reply

  47. I started the HGC diet 6 days ago. I have already lost 7 lbs! (Morning weight) My question is I have the Mirena. Will the hormones reduce the effectiveness of my IUD? I have recently started spotting with it and usually do not have a cycle. I have had my IUD for almost 3 years. I love the diet and how it is finally causing me to change my eating habits. I haven’t really applied myself after having my last child 2 years ago. I hope I can maintain this for the 40 days! I am excited and already feel better about myself!!

    Reply

    • Hi @Liliana Ponce I wouldn’t know about the interaction of birth control and hCG – as far as I know it doesn’t effect it negatively, but I can’t be sure. As far as spotting goes, I have seen hCG to sometimes mess around with a woman’s period, and to be honest I don’t know what the cause of it is. If you have any issues with your period and hCG together, it’s good to stop injecting for a day or two and see if it normalizes, then you can try again and see. I hope that helps a little! – Rayzel

      Reply

  48. I just cooked for my house mate and touched some olive oil?!?!??! i washed my hands and arms thoroughly…. am i likely to be affected?

    Reply

  49. i saw somewhere in one of your videos or blogs that i thimk it said we could have a kind of cheese maybe block cheese or maybe it was a dream can you help me with this Thank you

    Reply

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Disclaimer- PLEASE READ! I am NOT a medical professional in any way, shape or form. I'm simply a mom sharing what has worked for myself and others. Any content on hcgchica.com should not be misconstrued as medical advice. It is your responsibility to speak with your physician about anything medical related.

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