Welcome back! In Part 1 of this series, we talked about the basic rules for how long you should wait after a round of hCG to start your next round. But there are two questions that often come up:
Are there times when it would:
1. work well to do the Protocol for a longer period of time without stopping, or to take shorter than usual breaks between rounds?
2. be advantageous to take longer than normal breaks from the hCG Diet?
Freight Train Through the Diet- When Can it Work?
Lets start with question one- there’s technically 2 parts to it- staying on the diet longer than the 40 maximum injections that Dr. Simeons outlined, or taking shorter breaks between rounds. I’m just going to give you a few examples that I have observed.
Let me first say though, that in general, I don’t really advocate this as the right way to go for most of us. Please don’t read just this part of the series and then get all excited to do this diet plan till you drop. :)- We’ll get to the why on that in part 3. But there are certainly times when taking this shorter route has turned out quite well.
Example 1: One of my most recent interviews with Donna, who lost 127lbs with the hCG Protocol did just this. She took breaks as short as 3 weeks before starting another round, and went as long as 62 days on Phase 2. Plenty of people have done this type of thing but have NOT been successful in the long term, which indicates it’s not a good choice for many of us. But Donna has been maintaining her weightloss over a year now, so clearly it worked for her. Why did this work for her? She was highly motivated. And she says she had already addressed the deep seated emotional issues that many of us have in years past, so did not have as much of that “junk” shall we call it, come up during her weight loss journey. Lastly she stated, “for me as long as I didn’t feel depleted (usually due to my health things and fatigue) and my head was in it” she would choose to keep going.
Example 2: Another hCGer who gave me her feedback said she too was highly motivated and she lost over 100 lbs in just 8 months, doing 4 rounds of the diet in that time. She took mostly 3 week breaks, and did vlcd’s up to 60 days long. She was on the higher 700-800 calorie protocol, taking homeopathic hCG. That was 2 years ago and she says she been able to maintain her weight loss with a p3/p4 eating lifestyle.
Example 3: A 3rd hCGer who calls herself HappyConsciousGal says, “I did 63 VLCD days in my first round and that worked brilliantly for me. But I was being tested by my weight loss clinic the entire time, and I also was in a peak state of health before I started, as I’d done a long cleanse and was highly mineralised and full of nutrients after a year of eating raw. In fact, she has since written 3 whole books on doing this protocol successfully (you beat me to it girl, mine are still in limbo, half-written but I’ll catch up!)- you can check them out here.
The question is then, how many of us start the diet in a peak state of health, or how many of us are positive that we have no emotional issues surrounding either our bodies or food or both?
This is food for thought because I didn’t personally fit into either category when I started the hCG diet.
My feeling is that neither do many others. The above examples not the norm, meaning there aren’t hundreds of examples online of people doing it this way with success. I have seen trying to do this diet too much, too fast to lead to the exact opposite of what most people want.
In part 3 we’ll talk about when it might be a good idea to stick to the original max number of injections (40) per round, and when taking the minimum breaks from the protocol (or even longer!) may be a good idea.
Feedback from ladies who did long rounds:
Watch James’s Full Interview here
Watch Amy’s Full Interview here
Watch Casey’s Full Interview here
Watch Elke’s Full Interview here
Watch Diane’s Full Interview here
Watch Kim’s Full Interview here
Watch Teresa’s Full Interview here
Want Motivation?
37,000+ hCGers Join
hcgChica's
Email Tribe
how-to's | interviews | pep talks
Yup, I want this!
Hi there
I’m on day 39 of hcg and have lost 22 lbs and stalled at 148 lbs. I’m 5’2 and still overweight. I would like to at least get down to 140 but I’m not losing anything on steak days or when I eat ship and spinach for lunch and eggs and spinach for dinner. I’m wondering if it could be my hcg is bad or if I’m getting immune? I’ve been taking 1 day off of injecting a week but wondering if it’s beneficial to try mixing another batch if I’m this far in and stalling… please help!
I was told that after 45 days the hormone shuts down in the body, so how could someone go 60+ days straight? I have 6 more days before I hit day 45 and am wondering if I should waist mixing another bottle. Right now is perfect time for me to keep going and I have about 10 more pounds to lose. What do you suggest? I am very strict with my diet, I have no desire to cheat, I am feeling good, no issues here.
Hi Ashley,
This is Lucelle, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
Here’s an article that might help somehow: https://hcgchicahelphub.com/people-becoming-immune-to-hcg-diet-who-stuck-to-protocol/
I have a question about taking a break DURING HCG. I don’t remember if I read it here or another website, but I read that if a person is doing a longer round of HCG, it is okay to take a break between weeks. For example, 2 days of loading, followed by 19 days of vlcd (which is 3 weeks) then take a week break and start again. Can this really be done? I’m asking because my mother is having an emergency surgery done next week Tuesday and I know for a fact I won’t be able to remain on protocol while out of town. I don’t plan on eating out of control but I need to know what I should do. Also, if you all have a post about this please send me the link! Thank you so much!
Hi Brittney,
I think you’re talking about doing an interruption. Here’s the link on how to do it properly: http://hcgchica.com/interruptions-on-the-hcg-diet-how-to-take-a-short-break-during-an-hcg-round/
Hi Chica!
I am 53 years old and nearly menopausal, as I have not had a menses in almost 9 months. For the past two years, I have been struggling with continual hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, migraine headaches, fatigue, general body aches, not to mention vaginal dryness! I know this is probably too much information for some, however, as women we are all destined to go through this process at some point in our lives. I wanted to tell you what an inspiration your journey has been to me. After struggling with weight gain the past couple of years, I decided to try the HCG diet. I find that I truly am not hungry during the day or evening, am adhering to the diet with some minor modifications that you mention, and am consistently losing weight. I am only on day 12, but had to write to tell you that I have never felt better! I cannot even begin to tell you how much energy I have and how much better I am sleeping at night. I feel very alive, aware, productive, and positive each and every day! While on this diet, I have not had one migraine headache or hot flash!! In addition to this, the dryness in my nether regions has improved drastically! I was advised to take a dose of .200 by injection, however, I decided to begin at .150 instead, and have actually had to lower that to .130 to get those morning hunger pains under control. I too have been a sugar addict my entire life. On this diet, I have been able to curb my cravings for sugar and discover new and creative ways of cooking healthy! I’d like to say thank you for sharing your very personal weight loss journey with those of us who needed encouragement and inspiration. I only hope other women who are approaching menopause or in menopause, and wish to lose weight, eliminate hot flashes and headaches, sleep better, and have a happier sex life, approach this diet with a positive, open attitude. It truly makes a difference in one’s life!
Why does the workbook go 8 weeks on phase 2?
Hi Andrea,
This is Li-an, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you!
Some people do extended rounds that are longer than usual. This could be a rare case but there are ladies who do it and have been successful!
I started week 4 (I’m doing 40 days) of phase 2, and I am exhausted. I did really well the first 3 weeks and lost 17 lbs. I never cheated, nor did I eat any of the breadsticks or melba toast. Yesterday I had zero energy, and today I’m trying to hold my eyes open at work. I’ve drank at least 80 oz of water per day as well. I’m wondering if I just need to add some electrolytes or if I need do another day of loading. Thanks!
Hey Jill!
My apologies first of all for not being able to get to you in a timely manner when it would have been helpful. We are trying to be better at staying caught up with blog comments.
Here’s what I wanted to tell you, which now probably doesn’t help nearly as much- I’m so sorry you’re feeling so crummy at the moment. You might definitely try the electrolytes- and in fact I have some resources for some sugar free online ones if you have Amazon prime here: http://hcgchica.com/phase-2-hcg-diet-favorite-resources/ For instance here is one on that page she listed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HC3EN8M/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hcgchicacom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01HC3EN8M&linkId=3037de95955a9656a033514ee9872a4a Regarding the idea of the extra loading day, I don’t typically feel that this is something useful, especially for what you are mentioning with fatigue. One thing is that I feel like in general if you continue to keep feeling crummy, you might not always be able to pinpoint the reason but it may be a sign your body is telling you it needs a break and usually it’s best to listen to this signal.
Thank you! I actually went ahead and did the electrolyte replacement. I had some Hammer Enduralytes Fizz (I’ve used these for tennis) and since they’re sugar free I used some of those and it worked great. I’m now on week 5 and have lost 23 lbs!
I went thru this and my doctor told me to back away from the caffeine and do not over exert yourself because of the low caloric intake. When I readjusted my daily activity my body turned its energy back to the way it was before. Lots of it.
I did one big long round with hhcg followed by a regular break and then several shorter rounds and shorter breaks losing 90 lbs in a year. I maintained well during breaks and then got pregnant! This was also a perk to the diet/weight loss as I was infertile! I’ve regained all the weight after having the baby and am restarting again hopeful for hhcg to work as well this time around! The only downside to rapid weight loss I found is loose skin. This time I will be skin brushing.
I am about to start “loading” tomorrow. My question is, is it possible to take a weekend “off” and then hop right back on hCG? I ask because my boyfriend has made all these reservations and plans for the weekend after Valentine’s Day, and I feel sure that there will be some “illegal” food and drinks involved. Thanks!
Hi Taylor!
If it was me I wouldn’t risk cheating while on hCG. I did that and I did not gain but I stalled for a week, so it’s really not the best idea. Others have been lucky, our bodies just react differently.
You might want to try doing an interruption, here’s the link to that blog post: http://hcgchica.com/interruptions-on-the-hcg-diet-how-to-take-a-short-break-during-an-hcg-round
Hope that helps!
Lucelle
Hi hcgchica,
I have a question – when deciding to do an extended round – nearly 62 days, can one reload in the middle ?? Or when you feel kind of drained. And keep at it again while taking hcg throughout to get back pop after reloading for 2-3 days?
I really have a lot of weight to lose and it has to be done sooner for my fertility procedure in 2 months which is why I did not want to take a break.
Has anyone done reloading during an extended p2? I do know of people who have done long rounds of p2 – even up to 90 days and done really well.
Hiya!
I think there’s no need. Those that I know who did extended P2 didn’t load in the middle.
Lucelle
hi guys! I have few questions
I started HCG injections and i will reach to 21 days, but i am traveling after 2 weeks and i will stop it for 15 days.
Is it possible to extend the cycle for more than 21 days until i leave to get the best result? because it is really working now, and I will control my food while away, but just without injections.
during this break, the food has to remain the same qty as 500 cal per day?
can I restart as soon as I get back for another 21 days?
let me know thanks!!
hi guys! I have few questions
I started HCG injections and i will reach to 21 days, but i am traveling after 2 weeks and i will stop it for 15 days.
Is it possible to extend the cycle for more than 21 days until i leave to get the best result? because it is really working now, and I will control my food while away, but just without injections.
during this break, the food has to remain the same qty as 500 cal per day???
can I restart as soon as I get back for another 21 days?
let me know thanks!!
Hi Maria!
This is Lucelle, Rayzel’s helper. Nice to meet you! 🙂
Rayzel actually has a post that can help you here: http://hcgchica.com/interruptions-on-the-hcg-diet-how-to-take-a-short-break-during-an-hcg-round/
Hope that helps!
Hi HCGchica! I’m on HCG drops (it is more like a serum, that I take up in a syringe and put under my tongue . it is RX from a pharmacy, it was recommended to do this by my plastic surgeon before getting my TT done..her clinic supplies the HCG) The rounds are 30 days each, Im on my second round. So it will be a total of 60 days. I was told if I want I can keep going for another 30 days beyond that before taking a 6 week break and doing a 4th round if I like. Ive lost 23lbs since starting (Im on day 37). Im wondering is it safe to do the VLCD with the HCG for a total of 90 days with no break?
This is food for thought for me. I am almost done with my first round of phase 2 (I call it phase one even tho I did hcg for a short time 3 years ago) I only have a week to go I’ve lost 28 pounds and I feel great. I really wanted to do an extended around but I wasn’t sure…. And then my sister-in-law is getting married and I’m traveling to Minnesota Next Sunday so… since I will be visiting family they probably will not let me eat only 500 cal a day but I do plan on doing phase three religiously ( it shouldn’t be that hard because they will notice that I lost weight so I can be like yeah this is how I eat now and skip carbs and sugary things) but I wish I didn’t have to go because then I probably would stay on the hCG for another 2 to 3 weeks! I have been losing a good average of like .09 lbs a day constantly and I’m not really missing food or feeling bad because I want more food I actually feel like my state of mind it’s pretty great , enough to just keep going a few more weeks. So since I have no choice but to eat a little bit more than I would on the hCG diet because I’m going to visit family I think I’m just going to do three weeks of phase 3 and then start my hCG drops again I want to maximize as much “looseage”as possible …
I started this 227 pounds and as of today I am under 200! I am at the in the 190sz I haven’t been there in years!!! I’m excited I’m happy and I feel great but I also know that I have a long way to go before I can be completely comfortable and look the way I want!
Hello Chica,
Beverly here again. I just finished with the Dr interview for my HCG. She said that since I was in the morbidly obese range that I needed to do a 60 day round and only skip during my cycle (not once a week). Have you seen anyone do this? Results? I am doing some research before I start…
Thanks so much!
Hi, hope everyone is well out there. So, I am on day 20 our P2. I’m down 15 pounds…. I was hoping for 17-18 by this day. I did HCG about 6 years ago and went from 208 to 165 and went from a size 18W to a size 10. I was hoping I’d have the same luck this time around!! So fingers crossed! I gained a ton of weight back from be an accident where my foot was busted in 4 places and I was on steroids long term. Depression, Steroids and restricted movement for 18 months lead to be gaining more weight than I lost! Sigh…. So I’m in a great mindset and am really enjoying my HCG round. I’m not feeling an hunger and feel happy and great! I want to do 40 day rounds back to back because I’m in a great place to do so. However, my concern is developing an immunity to the hormone. Have you ever heard of this? I read an article to prevent this from happening skip one shot per week. I’d really love advice because I want to plan out my game plan! Would anyone out there do back to back 40 day rounds? I read a couple success stories but wanted more feedback, since the protocol isn’t cheap! ? Any suggestions would be great! 2 rounds back to back would work out amazing for my summer schedule!!!
I am doing HCG injections under the direction of my naturopath. I just reached the end of my first round, 36 days long (not 40, because I was just going until I had used up one bottle), and was all set to enter Phase 3. My doctor tested my bodyfat and reviewed my weight loss and was very pleased with what he saw (down 18 lbs and a hair less than 25 inches, overall, in 5 weeks) and said he saw no reason for me to take a break. So, it looks like I’m doing another 40.
I should add, I had already come off starches and sugars several weeks before I started, I had been doing 20-30 minute sessions of cross training 5-6 days a week and I’m in excellent health…I just had too much body fat squirreled away. No one would have guessed I was 41% fat (hydrostatic testing).
I have not even had a TASTE of any unapproved foods, although I continue to cook and bake for my family.
I have done the traditional hcg in the past, but have not been successful in the last couple of years. After multiple surgeries, I gained quite a bit of weight. My recent attempt at HCG were not successful. Headaches, light headed, nausea. It was suggested I look into the 800 calorie diet plans out there for HCG. Trying to review them I’m just wondering how good they are. They say the 800 calories help with low blood sugar, hair loss etc and have opened a lot more food options. They also say you can go much longer, as long as 16 weeks according to WebMD. Any thoughts on this? I really need to find a way to get off the bulk of that 60-70 pounds as soon as possible. Second question any ideas about doing it over the holidays? I’d like to start now, I already have my hcg, but I’m wondering what would happen if I was off plan a bit on Thanksgiving and Christmas – if I could rebound quickly from that.
So it been a week that I’ve been on P4 and I’m itching to do my next round of HCG could my wait time between rounds be as short as one week?
I am curious I loaded for 2 days and 21 days is coming up on Monday. I was wondering could I stop the drops for 3-4 days continue on p2 without then after the four days do another 2 loading days with drops and start up another 21 day p2 and then go into p3 after ? I am going on vacation for 3 days and know it will be hard to vacation on p2 Thank you 🙂
I am curious I loaded for 2 days and 21 days is coming up on Monday. I was wondering could I stop the drops for 3-4 days continue on p2 without then after the four days do another 2 loading days with drops and start up another 21 day p2 and then go into p3 after ? I am going on vacation for 3 days and know it will be hard to vacation on p2 Thank you 🙂
Hello Rayzel! I ABSOLUTELY love your blogs/videos, very inspirational… so i was wondering, i am taking the homeopathic drops, what is the max number of days i should take those? Including the first two loading days? Im on day 24 of phase two…
Hi @Maria Castro – thank you so much! That is so great to hear that you are find my blog helpful.
The days on Phase 2 are fairly flexible- I usually think it’s best not to go past 6 weeks or so, but you don’t have to worry about doing an exact number of days really- Dr. S. just said do at least 3 weeks and not beyond 6 weeks. A day or two extra won’t change anything. I have a post on this topic here for ya: http://hcgchica.com/proper-length-time-hcg-diet-rounds/ I hope this helps! – Rayzel
Hi Chica, I am wondering if you could take a shorter break between if your previous course was broken? As in, it was to be a 3 weeks course, however things happened requiring you to travel and be unable to prepare food and therefore you were forced to give it up after the first week? My mom went into the hospital with congestive heart failure, then was deemed incompetent and requiring a Guardian, etc etc etc… And she doesn’t live anywhere near me. Was hoping that it would be okay to start over another 3 week course beginning 4 weeks after the last dose of that failed attempt…
Hello! I’m on P2 and was curious how you all felt about fat-free/sugar-free coffee creamers. They’re 15 calories per tablespoon. This has been a hard thing for me to let go of for the mornings!
My husband and I just finished P2, me for 26 days and lost 14 lbs since pre-loading and him for 19 days and he lost 11 lbs since pre-loading. He joined me after my first week on tge diet. We used the 1234 homeopathic drops. I had 1 Tbs of half and half every morning in a small iced coffee and he had 2 Tbsp of it every day in 2 cups of coffee. This was our main “cheat” and something we did not want to give up. We both used sweet n low and/or stevia drops in our coffee. We are happy with our results and feel it was worth it.
HI~
I have done 3-4 full rounds of HCG over the past couple of years. By November last year I had lost about 20+ pounds. I started what I was planning as a short round (which I’ve never done before) about 25 days ago. Is it okay to go a little longer but not do the full 40 day protocol? I just broke a one week plateau and have lost 11 pounds and would like to go a few days longer and was wondering if once you get to the 23 mark if you can go longer but not all the way to 40.
LOL I guess I already have, but wanted your feedback on doing that….thank you so much ♥
Hi @Ange yes you can totally go longer than 23 days and less than 40 – I explain it all in this article here for you, but essentially anywhere between 23 days and 40 is totally fine: http://hcgchica.com/proper-length-time-hcg-diet-rounds/ – Rayzel
As always, Thank you so much Rayzel!
Due to your site, I am able to briefly explain this intricate diet to friends and then just send them off to your site to fill in all the cracks… ♥
Thank you!
Hello…if I only did 30 days the first round do you think I could take a shorter break before starting again? Maybe 3-4 weeks?… Just wondering because this is mostly when people have done 40 or more to begin with…who are recommended to take the 6 week break
Hi Angie- 30 and 40 days is really not that much of a difference. It’s up to you of course, but I have a couple posts in regards to deciding how long a break to take actually in this section here that might help you decide:
http://hcgchica.com/length-of-time-on-the-hcg-diet-and-breaks-from-hcg/ Hope that helps! – Rayzel
I can’t find part 3 of this discussion!
HELP:
I’m not finding Part 3 either, even after doing a “search”.
Hiya!
Here’s the top page for this subtopic: https://hcgchica.com/length-of-time-on-the-hcg-diet-and-breaks-from-hcg/
Hope that helps!
Thanks Rayzel! Like you always say, everyone is different! I think we each have to find what works for us, and it is great to hear other people’s experience!
Yes indeed! Thanks for commenting!