A weight loss plateau on the hCG diet is to be expected. This hCG diet plateau may last up to a week or more if you do not take aggressive steps to stop it. Here are the best ways to do so.
The HCG Diet Plateau
When your weight loss stops from one day to the next, perhaps staying the same over several days, this is a plateau. Knowing this is why it is crucial to record your morning weight as soon as you arise every day, even if you are traveling. Normal loss is expected to be a half pound to a full pound every morning, sometimes more.
If your weight loss stops over a few days or a week, you are on a plateau that is usually caused by one or more common problems. Here are the five strategies that have often been helpful in breaking through a plateau. The first one is the best, although you may require a combination of two or more of the following steps to completely break through your plateau.
1) The Best Strategy Overall - An Apple Day
In the book, Pounds and Inches, by Dr. Simeons, the apple day was the first recommendation for breaking through a plateau. An apple day is very simple. It requires that you eat nothing but six apples all day and that you drink as little water as you can get away with. Dr. Simeons' explanation for this strategy entailed the movement of sludgy food. His explanation is a challenge to understand physiologically, so just know that it almost always works.
This method removes excess fluids in a hurry, so it is common for weight to drop two pounds from one day to the next. After that, your normal progress should be restored.
2) Increase Bowel Movements
Infrequent bowel movements and constipation are also a common problem that can lead to the hCG diet plateau. This makes sense. You must be able to eliminate properly at least daily during the protocol. Two or three bowel movements every day would be even better.
The easiest and most effective way to increase bowel movements is simply to drink more water. However, if this doesn't work, you can help things along by simply drinking a glass of water containing soluble fiber mixed into it. The best soluble fiber is psyllium powder, and it is easy to find in supermarkets and health food stores. It is the active ingredient of Metamucil, although that product contains too many unnecessary additives (e.g., aspartame or sugar, artificial colors, etc.) to be good for you. Just get pure, unadulterated psyllium powder. Besides, the pure powder, without additives, costs less than any other product.
3) Adhere More Closely to the Original Diet Protocol
Many people succeed by substituting lean ground beef as one of the sources of protein, or by mixing vegetables at a single meal instead of one vegetable at a time. These modern modifications of the original protocol may or may not work for you. If you are stuck on a plateau and the first two steps above are insufficient for getting you back on track, then make sure you are sticking closely to the original protocol, without any of the newer modifications of it. If anything, you can change things up by cutting out one piece of Melba toast, just to reduce the carbohydrate impact of your meals.
4) Eat Different Foods Within the Same Day
If you prefer eating chicken breast at every meal and reach a plateau that isn't stopped by any of the above strategies, then vary your meals more. Substitute a different protein from lunch to dinner. Do not just eat the same foods twice every day. This goes for the fruits and vegetables, too. Vary them a bit and see how this might help you break through your plateau.
5) Eat Enough!
Reducing calories is almost never a good strategy for losing weight, especially on the hCG diet. If you cut back on your food intake, going below 500 calories, you will slow down your metabolism. When that happens, the rate that your body burns abnormal fat, which is the underlying cause of weight loss on the hCG diet, will slow to a stop. So make sure you eat everything, in the right quantities that the protocol calls for!
The HCG Diet Plateau
When your weight loss stops from one day to the next, perhaps staying the same over several days, this is a plateau. Knowing this is why it is crucial to record your morning weight as soon as you arise every day, even if you are traveling. Normal loss is expected to be a half pound to a full pound every morning, sometimes more.
If your weight loss stops over a few days or a week, you are on a plateau that is usually caused by one or more common problems. Here are the five strategies that have often been helpful in breaking through a plateau. The first one is the best, although you may require a combination of two or more of the following steps to completely break through your plateau.
1) The Best Strategy Overall - An Apple Day
In the book, Pounds and Inches, by Dr. Simeons, the apple day was the first recommendation for breaking through a plateau. An apple day is very simple. It requires that you eat nothing but six apples all day and that you drink as little water as you can get away with. Dr. Simeons' explanation for this strategy entailed the movement of sludgy food. His explanation is a challenge to understand physiologically, so just know that it almost always works.
This method removes excess fluids in a hurry, so it is common for weight to drop two pounds from one day to the next. After that, your normal progress should be restored.
2) Increase Bowel Movements
Infrequent bowel movements and constipation are also a common problem that can lead to the hCG diet plateau. This makes sense. You must be able to eliminate properly at least daily during the protocol. Two or three bowel movements every day would be even better.
The easiest and most effective way to increase bowel movements is simply to drink more water. However, if this doesn't work, you can help things along by simply drinking a glass of water containing soluble fiber mixed into it. The best soluble fiber is psyllium powder, and it is easy to find in supermarkets and health food stores. It is the active ingredient of Metamucil, although that product contains too many unnecessary additives (e.g., aspartame or sugar, artificial colors, etc.) to be good for you. Just get pure, unadulterated psyllium powder. Besides, the pure powder, without additives, costs less than any other product.
3) Adhere More Closely to the Original Diet Protocol
Many people succeed by substituting lean ground beef as one of the sources of protein, or by mixing vegetables at a single meal instead of one vegetable at a time. These modern modifications of the original protocol may or may not work for you. If you are stuck on a plateau and the first two steps above are insufficient for getting you back on track, then make sure you are sticking closely to the original protocol, without any of the newer modifications of it. If anything, you can change things up by cutting out one piece of Melba toast, just to reduce the carbohydrate impact of your meals.
4) Eat Different Foods Within the Same Day
If you prefer eating chicken breast at every meal and reach a plateau that isn't stopped by any of the above strategies, then vary your meals more. Substitute a different protein from lunch to dinner. Do not just eat the same foods twice every day. This goes for the fruits and vegetables, too. Vary them a bit and see how this might help you break through your plateau.
5) Eat Enough!
Reducing calories is almost never a good strategy for losing weight, especially on the hCG diet. If you cut back on your food intake, going below 500 calories, you will slow down your metabolism. When that happens, the rate that your body burns abnormal fat, which is the underlying cause of weight loss on the hCG diet, will slow to a stop. So make sure you eat everything, in the right quantities that the protocol calls for!
About the Author:
Get Dr. Dennis Clark's experienced advice on the hCG diet at BestHCGWeightLoss.com, including where to order hCG.
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