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Ah so you are debating the 2 day vs. 3 day load question huh?
I think there are just 2 questions to ask yourself when it comes to this:
- Are you considering a 3 day load because you feel you truly need it, or because you want an excuse to buy another cake?
- How do you feel the morning after your 2nd load day?
#1 Do You Need It or Do You Just Want More Cake?
This is a valid question! I only loaded for 3 days on one round, and it was the round that totally flopped and you know what? It was my sugary load that set off my sugar bingeing again.
In reality, when I was debating on a 3rd loading day, my TRUE reason for doing so had nothing to do with thinking my body needed it to have better fat loss for the coming round. The real reason was that I wanted one more free, “legal” day to gorge on sugary foods in a way that wouldn’t be considered normal if I were not loading.
This is a protocol, not a true “diet.” The mind change that you will be going through needs to start NOW, with even these first types of decisions on the protocol. Doing this will help the diet plan not become a crutch that you return to where you want to do another round just so you can load without feeling guilty etc. (oh yes indeedy, I have thought this to myself before, so I know some of you have as well).
This is a life change. You are changing how you think about food and eating. It’s going to take time. But you want to start off on the RIGHT foot by letting these changes effect every part of the decisions you make on this protocol.
Don’t allow yourself to trick you. You’re only hurting you when you do this.
#2 How Do You Feel the Morning After Your 2nd Load Day?
There will be most likely one of two possible answers.
- If you wake up that third morning and feel just about as stuffed as when you went to bed, I feel you can probably call the loading phase good and start VLCD. That’s how I felt my final round, so I stopped at 2 days of loading. If you load well on FATS this will most likely happen.
- If you wake up that third morning and feel hungry or like you have a totally empty stomach, I could see that doing a 3rd load day may be a reasonable thing to do. This might be the case if you didn’t realize how important taking in enough fat is on your load and ended up inadvertently skimping on this the first two days. You can use that third day to really eat high fat stuff. Here you can see a rundown of what I ate loading for my final round of hCG.
Lastly, remember the #1 downfall when it comes to not loading well is not getting enough fats in on your load. FAT is the whole point of loading. You may end up eating carbs and sugar etc as well, but the biggest problem for hunger at the start of the Diet is because the load ended up being mostly carbs and not much fat.
For instance, a previous help email from someone very hungry at the start of the protocol, when I asked about loading on fats etc, she mentioned she felt like she ate a lot, but realized in retrospect that it was mostly things like crackers.
the Short Answer
So in short, you don’t have to plan in advance if you will load 2 or 3 days – you can just gauge how you are feeling when you wake up that 3rd day – if you are feeling quite full and “so ready to start VLCD” – it’s probably time to start VLCD! And if you wake up and feel like you could still easily eat a horse, a 3rd day of HIGH FAT loading may totally be in order.
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Kathy says
I started my shots on Monday day 1. But someone passed away and I failed to load for day 1 and 2. I am on Thursday and feel quite hungry. Should I load on day 5? I am 120.lbs. Thank you
Lucelle says
Hi Kathy,
This is Lucelle, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
Yes, it’s common to feel hungrier than normal when you didn’t load properly.
You can try clean loading so you won’t gain too much weight. Here’s the link to that blog post: http://hcgchica.com/loading-low-carb-clean-hcg-diet/
joann says
i loaded but dont think i loaded properly so my fifth day i did a mini load didnt know if i should have done his but i was extremely hungry messed around with dosage nothing seem to work so i did a mini load i guess i will find out how this panned out before i get the answer
Angelia says
I loaded for 5 days. It was only on day 5 that I felt fill the next morning; as well as I was so home the first 5 days and it was too difficult to not eat. Will I still be about to lose at least 25lbs not loading correctly.
HCGChica says
that’s interesting Angelia- do you know how many calories you consumed on the loading days? I ate 4,000 calories per day on the load days- usually there is a way to eat enough that you are really pretty full. But anyway, regarding your question, usually a person will gain more weight loading 5 days so they will of course have to get that off first during the very low calorie days. You will likely lose weight the same as you would have for the number of days you are on the diet though, if that’s your question. I hope that helps! I’m curious, how much did you gain over the 5 days? Love, Rayzel
Brittni says
I’m starting my load days the day after tomorrow, and was just informed by my husband that the day I planned starting the vlcd (2 day load) he’s invited a bunch of friends over for a bonfire, pizza and drinks. This is my third round and I’ve been prepping for it for the past month, buying high fat foods to load on, and freezing vlcd meals. Would it be a good idea to extend my load to 3 days, if only to avoid the discomfort and irritability of the first few days while our friends are over?
Cristel says
Hi Brittni!
This is Cristel, Rayzel`s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
You could try it. Others did it and still had successful rounds. There aren’t technically any rules. I don’t honestly think 3 days of loading are truly needed most of the time. If you load well the first two days, a third day isn’t usually needed. Usually I can tell by how I feel the morning after the 2nd load day- if I’m still as full as when I went to bed, then I know I’m ready for vlcd but if I woke up all hungry or something, I might do a 3rd day.
You can read more about the 3-day loading here: http://hcgchica.com/should-you-load-3-days-on-the-hcg-diet/
Hope that helps!
Cristel
Nicole says
Hello. If I decide to do a three-day load, when do I administer the third injection? Do I wake up on day three and gorge until say 3pm, then inject at 6pm? Or do I wake up on day three, inject, wait an hour, then gorge for the rest of the day? Thanks.
Li-An says
Hi Nicole!
This is Li-an, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you!
You do the injections as per normal in the morning – similar to what you did in the first 2 loading days. More details on 3-day load here: http://hcgchica.com/should-you-load-3-days-on-the-hcg-diet/
Hope that helps!
Casandra zappala says
I did a two day load however didn’t realize that I needed to use the cream. What should I do?
hcgchica's helper says
Hi Casandra!
Try to load 1 more day with the hCG. That’s what others did.
NM says
What cream are you referencing? I’m staring next week and I’ve not seen any mention of ‘use of cream’ during loading other than using oil free lotions/makeup during HCG
Lucelle says
Hi!
She’s talking about hCG cream. Years ago there are some who can still get that in that form.
Johnna says
Hi! I feel like I’m not sure if I loaded properly. On the 1st day I just ate 3 meals and no snacks, but the first two were fast food and the last was steak nachos. So very heavy stuff, but no snacking. Day 2 I ate eggs and toast with cheese, a cheeseburger and fries AND pizza. I plan to start VLCD today but I’m starving already. Do I need a 3rd day to load more fats, or am I OK? Thanks!
HCGChica says
Hi Johnna!
Yes, if you feel hungry still. Try to load on more fatty foods.
Hope that helps!
LATOYA MCKINNEY says
Hello!
This website is great as most places do not have so much info in one place at one time! OK can you use almond milk in coffee, or even better can you use flavor black teas with no added sweeteners of course? 2. Can you workout regularly. 3rd. Can I make a coffee protein type drink for breakfast with almond milk, coffee and super food powder milk.
Rhonda Klein says
I wouldn’t use almond milk as it’s high in sugars. A nutritionist told my daughter to avoid almond milk in her coffee.
HCGChica says
If it’s unsweetened almond milk, it will not be high in sugar- the nutritionist was probably confusing sweetened almond milk with unsweetened- unsweetened has zero grams of sugar per cup. Hope that helps! There’s plenty of unsweetened brands out there.
Lisa Cameron says
I started my with 2 loading days working around a marathon. Did not not get to load as much the day of the marathon which took me 6 hours and then I started 1 day of 500 calories. Not sure if I should start over or do another day of loading since I am still going to be doing a little of running while I am on the diet. Any advice??
Elundra says
what about concidering not loading and just going right into VLCD
hcgchica's helper says
Hi Elundra!
The loading days are extremely important. It’s not about having enough fat reserves- we all do- but the key is the hormone knowing where to access these (at least this is what it seems). You can do a clean load though and usually this doesn’t cause a large gain – info on that is here:
http://hcgchica.com/loading-low-carb-clean-hcg-diet/
Lucelle
Celine Ng says
Very good tutorials here Rayzel and i agree with you. Im on my 3rd round of HCG and since my appetite has become smaller, i did not do the load days properly and during VLCD days, i felt like dying. I was so hungry I could eat the carpet! Now I understand.
Lisa says
If I don’t load properly will it mess up my weight loss?
hcgchica's helper says
Hi Lisa!
Loading does seem to be pretty essential – you can do a clean load though and usually this doesn’t cause a large gain – Rayzel’s info on that is here:
http://hcgchica.com/loading-low-carb-clean-hcg-diet/
Vanessa says
I’m the opposite to you Rachael. I strongly dislike the loading phase because I don’t like eating too much. I physically can’t. I need to do a three day load because I usually lose weight in the loading phase as I can’t force myself to eat enough to make it a proper load. So I do three days because I’m not capable of gorging. I only ever use HCG to lose the “last ten pounds” that I can’t keep off with any other dieting method. I think that leaner people who are say a size 8 and below need to do a three day load. Especially if they are like me and not able to gorge.
Maria says
Hello Vanessa,
I would like to know how did you do with the whole protocol. As you, I only need to lose this extra 10 pounds and eating a lot on phase 1 has been the most difficult because I do not eat lots. Today is my second day on the diet and so far I fell I can manage, it really worries me the socializing part because people does not respect that you are on diet especially if you don’t look extremely over weight so there’s always comments about it, I fell likeI don’t want to see anyone for the next three weeks. On phase one I ate the things I like the most in large amounts, had some candy and things that are not allowed during the diet… can you tell me your storie, I really would like to hear more stories of people is not extremely overweight and that is only looking to maintain on certain weight. Looking forward to hear from you.