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“I have to say, this is the first round where I did a 95% clean load and MAN what a difference it makes. I’ve had literally NO hunger these first 3 VLCDs.”
– AMY
What is the traditional, or regular way people load for the hCG diet?
Eat whatever you want including pizza, donuts, milkshakes, fries and burgers, whatever.
What is Clean or Low carb loading for hCG?
Load without carbs and sugars.
Focus instead on high fats, proteins, and low carb veggies.
Foods I eat when loading clean: Meats like porkchops, chicken thighs with skin, lambchops, steak, etc., butter, mayonnaise, coconut oil, or olive oil on everything, low carb veggies like snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower, sour cream, avocado, cheese. These are just examples. Oooh bacon!! How could I forget bacon?
Foods I avoid when loading clean: All regular sugar sources, fruit, all grains, nuts very sparingly. Yes you read that right. I even avoid fruit.
“I’ve done hcg before and it took forever to detox from the sugar/carb addiction! Love the “clean” loading advise! It worked like a charm for me! No sugar/carb cravings and I’m going strong on day 8 of VLCD.”
Is One Way Right and One Way Wrong?
I don’t like to approach things like that. I don’t believe only one way is correct in most cases. I would like to explain to you the reasons that I personally chose to stop loading the traditional way after my 2nd round, and chose to load clean/low carb my last 3 rounds instead. Any future rounds of hCG for me will only include low carb loading as well.
Reasons I chose to load low carb for my last 3 rounds:
Reason #1- Loading on sugars and carbs was too like my previous eating disorder.
The very first reason I ended up deciding to load clean for the hCG diet on Round 3 was because loading “dirty” on Round 2 led me back into my binge eating mentality and it wasn’t a healthy place for me to go mentally and emotionally. I used to have a binge eating disorder and that loading on chocolate cake and ice-cream set me off on a 9 week binge eating rant once I finally made it to P3 where I regained 15lbs in that short span of time. Not only that, I REALLY struggled during phase 2 of that round and found myself cheating a lot, feeling depressed, and really craving those yucky foods again- it was a HORRIBLE experience, something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
After that I realized that never again could I EVER binge on those types of foods for any reason whatsoever. That’s a pathway in my brain I must block off forever. So for me there is no reason good enough to just eat whatever I want in whatever amount I want without a care for my body and my mind.
Even if you haven’t had an eating disorder like this, if you find that you consistently have difficulty in controlling the amounts of carbs and sugar you eat, you might consider this idea- cravings are quite powerful and can dissolve the capabilities of the strongest of women.
Reason #2- Get into Ketosis and Fat Burning Mode Faster
I also had a couple other ideas in mind when deciding to load clean and the cool thing was things panned out just as I had planned- I did some research on getting into ketosis as fast as possible, etc, stuff like that, and decided to eat low carb for a week and half prior to starting hCG, then load low-carb, then hope to be in ketosis (fat burning mode) right away- and guess what I was! I am always in ketosis after the first VLCD (very low calorie diet) day now. I kind of feel like this helps me make the best use of time while on the hCG Diet because my body is already burning fats right from the get go instead of having a bunch of carbs and glycogen stores to burn through the first several days- I don’t know I could be wrong about that- that’s just my theory. So far seems to work good for me so I’ll stick with it. The other reason it’s great to be in ketosis outside of burning fat is that it adds to the feeling of no hunger.
Reason #3- First Few Days of Diet Feel Much Easier– Far Less Cravings and Hunger
Thirdly, I have found the first few days on VLCD are MUCH more manageable now that I’m no longer having huge carb/sugar withdrawals when making the big change from Loading to eating super low calorie. I noticed when loading with carbs and sugars included that I would feel much more hungry and have a lot more cravings those first few vlcd’s which wasn’t fun at all and made for a very rocky start. There’s actually a good article explaining more about the challenges you face at the start of low carb here. As you’ll see, being able to eat other things, especially high fat things, is key to getting through the initial stages of carb withdrawal- which you can’t do if you’re already on VLCD- making the whole experience MUCH more miserable- hours feel like days- for me it was brutal enough to want to avoid those feelings in the future.
(Check out my one-in-a-million stick figure drawings in this post! You’ll be oh so jealous of my artistry skills. ?)
But Dr. Simeons SAID to Eat Pastries with Whipped Cream When Loading- Won’t My Hypothalamus and Metabolism Not Reset Properly If I Don’t?
I have heard this several times. I understand it comes from the idea that by doing this you’ll be sticking strictly to the original protocol that Dr. Simeons devised. In looking at the context of what Dr. Simeons said though, to me it seems the focus and the main point in loading had to do with eating foods that were fattening– not necessarily foods that contained sugar or carbs- would some of these fattening foods contain such? Sure. But I do not feel that his main point was that if you didn’t include sugar in your load that you would run into problems.
I’ll show you what I mean- the section in Pounds and Inches is called “Gain before Loss” – on page 74 from the manuscript I have. Also keep in mind there are various renditions of his manuscripts where I can see that changes have been made. I think I have one of the more original versions.
He stated to begin with, “one cannot keep a patient comfortable to begin with on 500 calories unless his normal fat reserves are reasonably well stocked. It is for this reason also that every case, even those that are actually gaining, must eat to capacity of the most fattening food they can get down until they have had their third injection.”
Later in mentioning some examples of what some of these fattening foods might be he says, “highly concentrated foods such as milk chocolate, pastries with whipped cream, sugar, fried meats particularly pork, eggs and bacon, mayonnaise, bread with thick butter and jam.”
If you’ll notice the one thing that all these foods have in common is what he said was important about loading- they are high in fat. Some of these do also contain sugar and carbs yes, but they do not all have this in common as fried meats, pork, eggs, bacon, and butter that are also mentioned are very low in sugar and carbs.
The result would be the patient is always “amply rewarded afterwards by the complete absence of those difficulties which patients who have disregarded these instructions are liable to experience.” To me it seems the main difficulties he was referring to earlier was being comfortable ie. not hungry, on the diet the first several days.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, his main point was load on food high in fat. Should some of these foods contain lots of sugar and carbs as well, fine, no problem. Was there any indication that eating high fat foods not containing sugar and carbs would be a problem? Not that I can see. That being the case, I don’t actually feel that loading clean or low carb is in conflict with Dr. Simeon’s original protocol.
I’m living proof that loading without donuts will not ruin your chances for long term weight maintenance and a healthy metabolism. I have done 3 rounds with no sugar during loading, and 2 rounds with no fruits on P2 even. I have an EXCELLENT metabolism now. I do attribute this greatly to crossfit as well, but it has been EASY to maintain my final weightloss from hCG for over a year now, and it was easy to maintain my fat loss after each round I loaded clean as well, which means I have been maintaining some of my fat loss from earlier rounds for 2 years now. This just wouldn’t have happened if loading clean was a dangerous thing to do. I don’t have to eat low carb to maintain my weight either.
I have absolutely no concern whatsoever that this won’t be maintainable for life. If you choose to load clean, I feel my results prove that this certainly won’t harm your experience, and may likely make it even better.
“I am on day two of a clean load. It’s going great and for the first time I don’t feel horrible. Normally the carby loading days make me miserable.”
But Please Do LOAD
Don’t mistake this conversation about clean vs. regular loading to mean you don’t have to eat much when you load. I do eat high calorie and high fat on my clean loads- as you’ll see in the image below I ate close to 8,000 calories during my last 2 day load- almost 4,000 calories each day and 300 grams of fat each day.
I do think is important and I think Dr. Simeon’s is right that if you don’t load properly by getting enough fat into your system, you will feel hungry and weak and possibly even have lower losses as a result that first week. He tried to explain why this happens/why it’s important in pounds and inches but I’m not sure it makes scientific sense at this point- but I pretty much always take user experience over science most days, and enough people have reports about their experiences when loading or not lot loading well and then what happened to make sure that I load well.
As an example, if you choose to load the regular way with carbs and sugar, make sure you are indeed getting enough fat- I have had reports of gals who loaded mostly on things like crackers, which are low in fat and mostly carbs, and they had a very rough time the first week on the diet- much hunger, feeling sick, bad losses, etc, showing that their load really wasn’t sufficient or useful for them. Remember the focus for loading is high fat foods.
Here is a photo showing what I consumed during the 2 days of my last clean load (just an ingredient list basically):
Should YOU load clean for the hCG Diet?
I am not suggesting this is the best route for everyone- there might even be reasons that it’s not a good idea somehow for some people, I’m not sure.
You may not have an overeating disorder in your past, you may not be addicted to sugar. Plenty of people load the traditional way and lose weight with hCG and do well later. So can you be successful with chocolate cake? Sure!
Loading however you want is a free choice and you should be entitled to load how you want with no guilt!
I have just found this to my favorite way to load for the above reasons and I feel my long term results so far show it did not hamper my metabolism or ability to keep my weight off in any way, which I think has been the main concern for some- so there ya go I’ve been your little guinea pig! I just started out doing hCG expecting just a little, then realized how far it could get me, so I started getting more scientific and strategic about it.
How To Load Clean
To get ideas on clean loading, I have a Clean Loading Pinterest Board with lots of high fat, low carb, ketogenic style recipes to check out.
Essentially what I did was
Included:
- Higher fat meats, bacon, or lean meats with lots of butter.
- Low carb veggies, with lots of butter/coconut oil/olive oil.
- High fat items like avocado, olives
- Low carb homemade breads made with flax and chia type stuff slathered with lots of…you guessed it, butter.
- Dairy like cheeses, full fat yogurt, sour cream, heavy whipping cream (dairy actually has more carbs than you might think, so things like milk is probably better avoided.
- P3 Style smoothies with low carb protein powders, a lavish amount of coconut milk or avocado, water or almond milk (sugar free kind), ice cubes and stevia.
- Nuts
- Made use of small amounts of sugar free sweeteners
Again, for ideas on how to actually eat these foods in a pleasing to the tastebuds combination check out my Clean Loading for the hCG Diet Pinterest Board.
Avoided:
- All generally accepted as carbs foods. ie. All grain and beans
- Anything containing any form of sugar – ie. sugar, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, honey, etc.
- Fruit
- Higher Carb Veggies
More Feedback from hCGers using this method of loading:
Watch Elke’s Full Interview here
Watch Denise’s Full Interview here
Watch Alexandra’s Full Interview here
Watch James’s Full Interview here
Watch Tracy’s Full Interview here
Watch Lisa’s Full Interview here
Watch Chris’s Full Interview here
“I have to say, this is the first round where I did a 95% clean load and MAN what a difference it makes. I’ve had literally NO hunger these first 3 VLCDs – and I usually struggle the entire first 7-10 days adjusting in P2. I am so thrilled…and highly recommend a ‘mostly clean’ load for anyone who has struggled with hunger in the first few days of P2. (I did indulge in cheesecake- but aside from that, it was a lot salmon, butter and heavy cream, olives, fatty beef)?” – AMY
“My first round loading was low carb, sugar free and high protein and fats. I feel i did not have a hard time the first few days even though i was letting go of the caffeine, sugar and other bad things. No headache or grumpies.” – ESTELLE ON FACEBOOK
“I did 2 rounds so far- one with clean loading and one with keto prep and clean loading. I had not read your post about clean loading but I have a history of doing a lot of baking and I instinctively knew when Simeon’s was taking about pastry that he was really talking about BUTTER, not sugar. I couldn’t imagine eating cookies and cake at this time, going into a very low calorie phase- I knew that would make me feel super sick. When I read your post about clean loading I patted myself on the back. The second time, though, I did do the keto prep and that was great! Very little issue sliding in to the VLCD phase. YAY! Thank you!” – HILARY
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Yup, I want this!
Is it possible to load for one day instead of two? If you’ve been eating fattening foods leading into the diet, aren’t your fat stores already full?
Hi there!
The hCG needs to be in your system when you load.
What dishes did she actually make with all of those ingredients?
Just read a doctor say that with the 3 types of fat (structural, visceral and regular…I belie e) that loading helps the body FIND the unwanted fat when it thinks you’re pregnant, and then it knows where to find it to start breaking it down…also takes 2 days or 2nd shot for the body to break down the fat cells)
Hi Lisa,
Yes, this was stated in the Pounds and Inches book by Dr. Simeons – the creator of the original hCG protocol.
This is my second round of my second session with hcg. The first time was with a chiropractor who knew nothing about the diet. The second time is with a weight and aging clinic and what a difference! It is true you need to clean load and they preceded thier starting point with salad vege protein clean basal metabolic detox followed by the injections and clean loading. I continued to lose weight even through maintenance (resting) period only plateau-ing one week. The secret is in the keto genic carb to fat ratio. But the types of carb are important. More veges and fruits like blueberries versus bread crackers etc. always balance more fat / protein ratio over carbs . I lost 20 lbs in 40 days 26 lbs of fat gaining 10 lbs muscle. I did cheat with 2 Panera kitchen sink cookies 2 bottles of wine 1 fifth of rum since I did this over holidays! Lol
I cannot find the pinterest board.
I have done both ways and honestly, lost more weight doing it old school way. But…I do believe if you have a bingeing problem, it may trigger those cravings. For me I do the Hcg Protocol the first 3 weeks of every new year just due to all the junkie foods and alcohol I consume over the Thanksgiving-Christmas holidays. I find this really detoxes my body and I lose what little weight I gain. It is especially great for getting rid of all the alcohol damage done during the holidays.
HI! So, I have ordered the HCG injections but have not started yet and wanted to comment on this post. I am looking to do the “clean loading” instead of the typical load because I get horrible acid re flux and feel like I could vomit and am very uncomfortable when I eat too many carbs. I’m hoping this will still work for me. I just feel so horrible when I eat really bad carbs even for 1 day. Thanks for all of the advice!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you found this. My fiance and I are about to start our second round of HCG. Our first round I did not load enough, and it was mostly sugars. I ended up quitting halfway, so craving sugars that I messed up maintenance, and eventually gained it all back. I’ve been a fan of the ketogenic diet in the past, and have already started my pre-load keto cleanse. Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to a much more successful HCG regimen.
Hello, I have a question which I feel sure I should know but I do not…what is the longest amount of time you can stay on phase 2
Hi Patricia,
This is Lucelle, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
Rayzel have some blog posts on the length of time and extended rounds on hCG here: https://hcgchica.com/length-of-time-on-the-hcg-diet-and-breaks-from-hcg/
Hope that helps!
+1000 on high fat/ low sugar loading. I did a total of 2 protocols. My first protocol I loaded with burgers/fries/ice-cream and I suffered every day, was tempted to cheat (didn’t) and had a miserable time. Lost 15 pounds in 30 days, had to do apple days and steak days. On second protocol I loaded clean: lost 30 pounds in 30 days and FELT AMAZING, no cravings whatsoever. Maintenance was a breeze too. I am a HUGE believer now in clean loading (eat those calories, hoover that bacon, guacamole and pork chops!!) I truly believe that with proper loading, you will guarantee yourself a truly pleasant protocol AND encouraging results. Also, ease into the next phase, don’t rush. I was able to break my relationship with carbs and sugar. I now crave chicken, salad, eggs, avocado, veggies. And, of course, I cannot say enough about the dose: if you are lucky to hit the right dose, you will have a breezy time. It is not easy. I tried 150, then 175, then 125. My sweet spot turned out to be 135, go figure. Also, I felt that injecting into the fat of the back of the tricep worked better for me than tummy. Don’t know why, just a feeling. I played with switching tummy and tricep and tricep felt better in terms of hunger and craving. Don’t be discouraged, play with the dose, give it a couple of days. You will know when you found the right one. Once I did, I didn’t even want (!) Melba toast or apples. I felt happy as a clown on microwaved tilapia fillet, a bunch of cherry tomatoes and a handful of strawberries for desert. Or boiled chicken breast, cucumber/lemon salad and strawberries. I “tested” myself by baking a few times a week for my family and had zero cravings. Smelt that batter and those cookies and tarts and muffins and… was completely indifferent. That feeling, that power was so encouraging!! So, pork out during your loading phase, but pork out cleanly (fats and protein). And listen to your body when finding your perfect dose. And you will be fine, totally fine. And sexy. And revitalized. A new person!! And THANK YOU, Rayzel. Your support helped tremendously, both in information and emotional support!!
Hi,
What do you mean when you speak about finding your perfect dose? Aren’t you suppose to follow the protocol as laid out?
Hi Reynada!
This is Cristel, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
Rayzel actually an article on her blog that will answer your question. Here’s the Link:
http://hcgchica.com/find-hcg-injection-dose-syringe/
Dosage varies at some point in the diet – and right dosage is key to not feeling hungry while on VLCD. Technically, the leaner you are, the lower dosage you would need. Here’s the Link for more information:
http://hcgchica.com/hcg-dosage-how-should-feel-on-the-hcg-diet-when-you-are-on-the-right-dose/
Hope that helps!
Cristel
Hey @Tiarra J. Thanks for the wonderful input, this is great! Incredibly helpful indeed. Especially loved the tips on the liquids with some salt and electrolytes while flushing out the system, great idea. And I agree re the pre-hcg diet low carb week or two- in fact I did just that myself on a couple of my rounds, which I discuss in more detail here as well: http://hcgchica.com/hcgchicas-little-pre-hcg-diet-thing/ I completely agree, going through sugar detox and carb detox PRE hcg is so incredibly wise and makes the protocol much easier to handle, for those of us who were “souped up on carbs” prior to starting. Thanks again for your great input. – Rayzel
My pleasure! I think going low-carb for a few weeks before you start HCG helps, too, because your appetite just disappears, so it prepares you for the VLCD in that way as well.
I just took my last injection for my first round of HCG this morning, and my LDW is 18 lbs lower than my pre-loading weight. I’ve lost over 3 inches off my waist, and am feeling great. I owe part of it to eating and loading clean, definitely, but also to you and your website! Reading all of the articles on your site, and listening to your podcats/interviews/etc., throughout the month really helped me to feel like I wasn’t in this alone. Thanks for such a wonderful resource.
Thank you for all your efforts to document your journey. Because you did it I tried it last year and had some success. I plan to load clean this time around because I have struggled with sugar in the past. This has been so helpful.
Hey there-
Thanks for this and love it!!! I did my first round two years ago tomorrow. I’ve maintained within 3-5 pounds. Recently I’ve felt puffy and sticky so I decided to do an anniversary round. What almost stopped me dead in my tracks was the Loading.. When I completed my first round I was below target (happily) 26 pounds in one month.. No way was I going back. I also made the decision to remove all sugar. Accept fruit. No beans, grains, honey or even mango sweet fruits. Why boher going back to what I know is super toxic. So The Load :() Aaaaaahh- attempted to eat ice cream, it was like spooning sugar from the jar! Then french fries and a burger With A Bun! A bag of cheese puffs my old favorite… Anyway today at the end of day 6 I want sugar!!!!!!! I mean having conversations in my head about it 🙂 Super glad to know that you don’t have to give up your values or what you value to be successful. Yay! Theres always a solution. Curious opinion/thoughts… I Oil Pull daily and stopped for p2. You dont actually swallow the oil? But I swear by it and haven’t gotten sick once since starting it.
Thanks and keep up the Fabulous work!!!!! The Best kristin
I loaded with an emphasis on fat and avoid sugars and starches during my first two days of my second round HCG and found that I actually that my weight went down on the scale on day 2 and day 3 so it worked, I wound up losing weight at a very fast pace during the first 14 days, lost about 20 pounds, but then experience a plateau for about 5 days which went away and then went back to a more steady pace of weight lost that fluctuated between .5 to 1 pound a day, loading with fat made the initial week of the very low calorie diet easier to tolerate. I wound up with a total loss of 32 pounds in total and was happy with that loss of weight.
I went on slightly different version of the program under physician supervision, and I used drops provided to me by my doctor, my caloric intake was 800 calories instead of 500, I had 3 meals a day. My diet was different in that I went on a vegan protocol during Phase 2, I had a protein shake using a vegan protein power, frozen berries, and a green vegetable usually either kale or spinach, my doctor allowed me no limit when it came to green vegetables. I also used a fiber supplement to keep me regular. In addition I used a multivitamin and a B12 supplement to keep my energy levels up.
When I went on to phase 3 I began to consume animal products again but I limited myself to mostly eggs and fish. I would have eggs for breakfast with spinach, tomatoes, and cooked in butter and olive oil. For lunch I would get shrimp and broccoli. I would only eat low sugar fruits like strawberries and blueberries. I would also have a cup of nuts like almonds and peanuts. For dinner I would have fish.
Eventually I would add back carbohydrates back into my diet, in the morning I would add oatmeal, for lunch I would add steamed rice to my shrimp and broccoli, and for dinner I would add a baked sweet potato.
The main lesson I learned here is that if you go back to bad habits the weight is going to come back, but this diet gives you a chance to learn good habits and gives you chance to start again. That is why this is a great diet. You can still enjoy yourself once in a while but you need to understand to read food labels and nutrition, you need to exercise and stop the bad habits that keep so many people in this country fat and out shape and see that food is about life not pleasure.
I think the attitude that so many people have about food is a big part of the problem of obesity in America, people see food as pleasure or a substitute for something missing in their lives.
Hi there @Joe Dickerson thanks so much for sharing your story here! Really appreciate. And great results too! If you’d be open to it, I’d be interested in doing an interview with you about your hCG experience – what do you think? If you’re agreeable or want to know more, could you email me at [email protected] with “hcg interview’ in the title and I can give you the details of how I do do the interviews. Thanks! – Rayzel
What happens if you elimate the fruits or carbs from the meals during P2. Is it possible to lose more or do you need the fruits? Also, Can ayou contine to lose weight after you complete the HCG diet just by diet and exercise? Thanks!
HI @Tiffanie Hopkins – this is actually something I did on a couple rounds and I talk all about it in this post here: http://hcgchica.com/skip-fruits-on-hcg-diet-phase-2/ That might help you out. Yes many can continue losing weight – in several of my hCG interviews – you can find those here: http://hcgchica.com/category/hcg-diet-interviews/ people were losing weight between rounds during Phase 3, and I myself have lost about 5-6 lbs here and there as needed on my own with hCG during the last 2 years. I hope that helps! – Rayzel
I loaded a total of 3 days – I chose a clean load and did a Whole 30 mainly the week of. I chose high fats, lots of guac and some chips, but with the shots the first 2 days I wasn’t hungry so it was kind of hard. Morning 3, same dose I was starving so chose to load a 3rd day and threw in some heavier foods. This morning, upped my dose, and wasn’t hungry. Finished lunch and I’m starving now. Is this how it will just be the first few days or do I need to go up again on my dose?
Hello and Happy Holidays to you. I so love your site, its well organized and very informative. I ordered my hcg and will be doing injections. I plan to start next Monday 1/5 but tomorrow will do clean eating for 7 days, before my load days. I wanted to ask you a clarification question. I like this idea of Clean Loading, but I wanted to know if you ate the 4,000 calories daily all through the week you were eating clean or was that just on the 2 loading days only? Thanks for your time.
Hi @erikasosolisosimpson:disqus – thanks so much I’m glad you are finding my site useful to you. Awesome, I’d love to hear your feedback on doing the 7 day clean eating thing before the protocol when all is said and done. The 4000 calories was just on each of my 2 loading days, not the 7 day eating clean period before loading. Good question! Nope, on the 1 week pre-hcg diet thing I just ate as I felt like it – if I started craving ice cream I’d cook up some bacon lol etc but didn’t keep track of calories, but I’m guessing it about the same amount that I usually eat on a daily basis, just super low carb that’s all. I lost a little water weight during that 1 week, about 2.5 lbs I think if I remember correctly. I hope that helps! – Rayzel
I think one of the reasons why Dr. Simeon’s protocol allowed for more sugars and grains is that the protocol was written in 1954 in Europe, where the sugars and grains weren’t quite so tampered with as they are these days. Also in Europe, sweets aren’t AS sweet as they are in the US, so less sugar was used, and it was much purer. I completely agree with the clean load and hope that it helps this next round better. Best of luck to all!
I am researching HCG right now and I had read about loading and I automatically thought it was smarter to do it this way. I figured I could find ways to load up on lots of naturals oils and keep them down for me it just makes sense. I am very sensitive to carbs in general so when I eat them I crash hard and I do crave them. I am excited to try this diet since I eat pretty clean anyway and unfortunately I can live off of very little food which messes up my metabolism I am also the very unfortunate who can eat super healthy and not drop a pound and I only drink water and nothing…anyway love the site super excited to get started and I love your site! 🙂
Thanks for pitching in Mrs. L! 🙂 Yep, loading clean has definitely not been harmful to me in anyway, and i definitely feel that I benefited by doing so for the reasons you mentioned. I hope your research on this protocol continues to go well!
Hello Rayzel ( love your name),
I loaded clean this weekend and ate any thing and everything high in fat I could find almost to the point of gagging. I had been following the hunger/fullness scale( Robin’s) for the last two weeks but for the purpose of storing fat before VLCP I threw that out the window. I went to bed uncomfortably full last night and woke up this morning with slight hunger pains that subsided quickly. When I got on the scale I had gained only 0.2 ounces since Sat?? However, the previous week(without HCG) I had been eating high carb and high fat and my total gain for that week was 4lbs. So I am hoping that’s enough because I can’t eat like that one more day!
One question, is it ok to eat breakfast during phase I of the protocol? That’s my biggest problem. I get really hungry in the morning. Could I have one fruit with tea before lunch? Please advice. Thanks.
Great info! Thank you for dissecting Dr. Simeon’s protocol to explain loading clean. I can appreciate food addictions. I am not an expert, but speaking from experience and that of close friends I can say that some of us have a certain cellular predisposition to foods that trigger addictive patterns in the brain. It is obviously different for each person. For me it’s is pizza and spaghetti. Something about that carb-sugar-acid-fat combo does something to my brain that triggers binging. It could also be related to an emotional response that is linked to the biochemistry of the cells involved. My second round was also a disaster, so I can totally understand where you’re coming from. I’ll be starting my third round this coming weekend and I’m grateful I found your video. Thanks again 🙂
LOVE the information and your site! I’m thrilled I found it and wish I had seen it on Friday before i started loading. I’m almost done with Day 2 loading and am wishing I had done it clean. Think it’s worth doing a 3rd loading day totally clean and fat-focused in order to minimize the carb withdrawals? I know some clinics have recommended 3 loading days.
I’m upping the fat this afternoon for sure but am curious about thoughts on an extra full fat loading day. Thanks again and look forward to exploring your site more during this round and beyond!
Hey Amy! Sorry I got it to ya a little too late! Perhaps next round. loading 3 days is always possible- I kind of feel like the way to know if you should load a 3rd day is be seeing how you feel the morning of the 3rd day- my last round I was contemplating a third load day, but when I woke up feeling just as full as when I went to bed, I knew I was done loading- so maybe you can go by that in the a.m. Either way, you’ll survive! I have just found this method to be easier on me that’s all. Thanks for commenting!
Great article on loading! So, so wish I’d seen it on Friday. Today is my second loading day and I’m afraid I did not get enough fat. I’m upping it the rest of the day for sure but I wonder if I will have a better round if I load one more clean day? I’ve heard of thre loading days before. And I so want (need) a strong round this time. Thoughts? So glad to have found you. Love the info!
Hi, Thanks for the Video on clean loading. I’m getting ready to begin the protocol again after two years, I gained all the weight back and more, however I really like the idea of the clean load makes more sense to me. and like you I don’t want to trigger the craziness. I will begin the protocol on Wednesday the 7th and i’m so glad to have a network of people who care as I begin this journey.
Wonderful Deborah! I really do like the clean load far better for myself. I hope it goes well for you- would love to hear your feedback on it later. Just a few more days till you start then!
I LOVE the finger paintings!! Very cheerful!
Thanks! We gotta keep things amusing in life don’t we?
YES! My daughter and grandson’s drawing always cheer me up!
This is my second attempt at the HCG diet. I failed BIG TIME! a few years ago.. Back then there was not a lot of “support” online.
I am Morbidly Obese, a sugar and carb addict!
Your videos are WONDERFUL ~ I’ve considered video blogging my journey, but to be honest I have become SO big and SO gross … be it vein or whatever… I don’t think I can… we will see?! Nobody talks about the embarrassing things that go along with being obese……
My family ALL have a weird shape, a huge belly. I am 1 of 4 children and I’m the only one that doesn’t yet have severe diabetes! i measured my belly and my 48″ tape measure was NOT big enough!!!!!!!! had to add another 8″……. I always swore I wouldn’t grow up to look like the rest of my family, and yet here I am… carbon copy! My health is going down hill. I now have ulcerative colitis.
My daughter loves to draw and she drew a picture of me .. NOT flattering small head, little legs and a BIG BIG BELLY – looks like a stick figure that ate a bowling ball! — I HAVE to get control of my body and my health – Thank you for leading the way and covering so many important aspects!
I know you can do this Tammy! You really don’t need to feel intimidated- there are so many people now on youtube with 100+ lbs to lose sharing their journey too- I think it helps when you are not the only one doing it you know? Even if you don’t vlog publicly, you may be really glad one day if you just take some video of yourself now to compare with later- I wish looking back that i Had more footage of my before hCG journey, but at that point I wasn’t sure it would work. You’re welcome and it’s good to know there are such avid appreciators of this info out there like you!
Tammy, I just want to chime in and encourage you….for me the key element is writing down every morsel I eat. I think this will be a long term requirement. Nearly a gallon of water too, daily. If you write down all you eat you will be very surprised at your caloric and nutritional intake…it’s easy to get that information on the web. You MUST change your lifestyle…do this diet, it’s not easy, but then you have to adjust your brain to making a complete lifestyle change. You CAN be that one in your family that looks and feels different. What if you are the first to start the turn around for your whole family? My hopeful wishes for you.
I just loaded for 2 days and I allowed myself to eat what ever I wanted and I found all I wanted was sugar and carbs, which goes to show, that is what I’m addicted to. I had no desire at all for high-fat foods…..you are definitely correct in that if you do have an eating disorder in regards to carbs and sugar, that is not the best way to load because you then have to go through the withdrawal symptoms the first week or so of VLCD and you’ll most likely blame the VLCD for feeling crappy instead of the pecan pie you ate during the load. Just like the alcoholic blames the coke instead of the rum for their hang-over. Next time I’ll do it differently but for now I know if I feel crumby it’s because I’m withdrawing from the carbs and sugar.
Hey Lydia- you’ll get through it! I did make it through the withdrawal my first round, it just wasn’t easy is all- hang in there! It’s amazing how much power food can have over us isn’t it? I hope you have a great round.
Great post Rayzel! I normally eat gluten and sugar free. My first round I ate anything and everything during my loading days, and I felt so gross and sick the first few days on P2. I had a major sugar crash, and I felt overly emotional and just plain crummy. After hearing what you had to say about a clean load, I kept my second round’s load gluten and sugar free. I still ate plenty of fun food, including things like french fries which I almost never eat, but I stayed away from sugar and gluten products. I felt so much better that first week, had little hunger or cravings, and I think lost weight quicker too. Thanks for the tips! It really helped!
Thanks for sharing your experience Barb- helps others to decide what might benefit them as well!