From HCG to Low Carb?

brandythixton
brandythixton Posts: 12
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    I am not for "diets" but FOR eating healthy everyday food that is yummy and that I can live with forever! Good Luck - whatever you choose to do!
  • lae1
    lae1 Posts: 2
    I used HCG to kick start my healthy living. It does work if you do not cheat and stick with it. Lots and Lots of water!!!!! I used so many different herbs and spices on my chicken. I found that using stevia worked when I needed to "sweeten" something up. It does take a lot of self control. But seeing that scale go down is really worth it. Do what is right for you. Just make it a plan to live a healthy lifestyle forever!!!!
  • ephay
    ephay Posts: 74
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Hi brandythixton! I believe that you could bounce over to Low-Carb any time you please when using the HCG protocol. I agree with the others, you have to do what's right for you!

    Have you thought about mixing in eggs and cottage cheese occasionally to break up the hum-drum of just eating the chicken? What about fish, shrimp, or beef? About once per week I have boiled eggs (1 whole & 3 whites) instead of my lunch protein. And then a couple times per week I eat cottage cheese in place of a protein.

    I know a few girls (myself included) have also woven broccoli in upon occasion (the theory is that it belongs to the spinach family!) and that makes for a very nice taste & texture change.

    Myself I would be hesitant to switch from the HCG to the Low-Carb only on the reset factor. The point of the HCG is to burn excess ABNORMAL fat and reset your hypothalamus so that you will have a weight your body remembers and tries to maintain. I don't know (lack of education on my part) if Low-Carb would work the same way.

    I had a trainer once who told me that "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". And for me, she was right. It has been tough watching my family eat pizza or having to make them pasta for dinner. But...I keep a running mantra in my head of 'it's only temporary, it's only temporary". I figure if I could be miserably pregnant with twins for nearly a year...my 40-day protocol is NOTHING! :laugh:

    I wish you success in whatever you choose!!! Good luck!
  • rob1976
    rob1976 Posts: 1,328 Member
    I know a few girls (myself included) have also woven broccoli in upon occasion (the theory is that it belongs to the spinach family!) and that makes for a very nice taste & texture change.
    It's the cabbage family actually.

    From Wikipedia:

    Broccoli

    Broccoli (from the Italian plural of broccolo, referring to "the flowering top of a cabbage")[3] is a plant of the mustard/cabbage family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae).
  • ephay
    ephay Posts: 74
    I know a few girls (myself included) have also woven broccoli in upon occasion (the theory is that it belongs to the spinach family!) and that makes for a very nice taste & texture change.
    It's the cabbage family actually.

    From Wikipedia:

    Broccoli

    Broccoli (from the Italian plural of broccolo, referring to "the flowering top of a cabbage")[3] is a plant of the mustard/cabbage family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae).

    Thanks! :smile:
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Actually that is what Phase 3 is, low carb..............hence the no sugar, no starch theme.

    I wasn't aware we could have green beans on Phase 2 of HCG????
  • I've also been wondering about doing less than the recommended length.

    I have about a stone, maybe just over, to lose. I've bought some drops but I wouldnt like to go the 21 days or whatever it is incase it took me TOO low. Wondering if I could do it for 10 days or so to give myself a bit of a boost in the weight loss department.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    I've also been wondering about doing less than the recommended length.

    I have about a stone, maybe just over, to lose. I've bought some drops but I wouldnt like to go the 21 days or whatever it is incase it took me TOO low. Wondering if I could do it for 10 days or so to give myself a bit of a boost in the weight loss department.

    If you read the Simeons Protocol, the correct way to do it is the full 23 day course. No less, even if you have just a couple of pounds to lose................

    If you can not commit to the full length of the Protocol as the manuscript states, then there is no reason to embark on this endeavor.

    Sorry to be blunt about it, I am just being honest. You do want the results to stick, right?
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Hi brandythixton! I believe that you could bounce over to Low-Carb any time you please when using the HCG protocol. I agree with the others, you have to do what's right for you!

    Have you thought about mixing in eggs and cottage cheese occasionally to break up the hum-drum of just eating the chicken? What about fish, shrimp, or beef? About once per week I have boiled eggs (1 whole & 3 whites) instead of my lunch protein. And then a couple times per week I eat cottage cheese in place of a protein.

    I know a few girls (myself included) have also woven broccoli in upon occasion (the theory is that it belongs to the spinach family!) and that makes for a very nice taste & texture change.

    Myself I would be hesitant to switch from the HCG to the Low-Carb only on the reset factor. The point of the HCG is to burn excess ABNORMAL fat and reset your hypothalamus so that you will have a weight your body remembers and tries to maintain. I don't know (lack of education on my part) if Low-Carb would work the same way.

    I had a trainer once who told me that "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". And for me, she was right. It has been tough watching my family eat pizza or having to make them pasta for dinner. But...I keep a running mantra in my head of 'it's only temporary, it's only temporary". I figure if I could be miserably pregnant with twins for nearly a year...my 40-day protocol is NOTHING! :laugh:

    I wish you success in whatever you choose!!! Good luck!

    Phase 3 is low carb, like Atkins induction style, truthfully..............No sugar, no starch is low carb (the starting phase of low carb) and then Phase 4 transitions in limited added sugars and starches.
  • rob1976
    rob1976 Posts: 1,328 Member
    I wasn't aware we could have green beans on Phase 2 of HCG????
    According to Pounds & Inches, you're not supposed to, but there's always a caveat to that:

    Dr. Simeon tested every vegetable to see what works and what doesn't. What he found was that only the vegetables on the list didn't have a negative chemical reaction to the hcg and therefore didn't have a negative reaction to weight loss. Why then can you lose with other non-protocol vegetables? Maybe you still can lose but could lose better if you didn't eat them. Maybe later on it will slow your losses. Everyone's body is different and therefore, everyone's experience on the protocol is different. You can try green beans if you wish, but if your weight loss slows, remember that the green beans may be the culprit.

    Brittany and I have found things that work that aren't on the protocol, but we HAVE TO HAVE THEM to continue on the protocol. If I eat one more lettuce-wrapped chicken breast, I may shoot someone. Neither one of us eat fish or seafood, so the "beef, veal, or chicken" options are getting old. We've incorporated cottage cheese for lunch several days a week, plus we also added the "1 whole egg + 3 egg whites" option on Saturdays. We also found out that Hidden Valley Ranch dip (the one in the packet that you mix with fat free sour cream) has a fraction of the calories/fat that their salad dressings have so we've started to add that every few days to make spinach salads edible. We've added Coke Zero back into the mix. Some of this stuff wasn't around when Dr. Simeons did his clinicals (like Splenda), so we have decided to try what we need to to make this work. It's all about finding out what works for your body.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    I wasn't aware we could have green beans on Phase 2 of HCG????
    According to Pounds & Inches, you're not supposed to, but there's always a caveat to that:

    Dr. Simeon tested every vegetable to see what works and what doesn't. What he found was that only the vegetables on the list didn't have a negative chemical reaction to the hcg and therefore didn't have a negative reaction to weight loss. Why then can you lose with other non-protocol vegetables? Maybe you still can lose but could lose better if you didn't eat them. Maybe later on it will slow your losses. Everyone's body is different and therefore, everyone's experience on the protocol is different. You can try green beans if you wish, but if your weight loss slows, remember that the green beans may be the culprit.

    Brittany and I have found things that work that aren't on the protocol, but we HAVE TO HAVE THEM to continue on the protocol. If I eat one more lettuce-wrapped chicken breast, I may shoot someone. Neither one of us eat fish or seafood, so the "beef, veal, or chicken" options are getting old. We've incorporated cottage cheese for lunch several days a week, plus we also added the "1 whole egg + 3 egg whites" option on Saturdays. We also found out that Hidden Valley Ranch dip (the one in the packet that you mix with fat free sour cream) has a fraction of the calories/fat that their salad dressings have so we've started to add that every few days to make spinach salads edible. We've added Coke Zero back into the mix. Some of this stuff wasn't around when Dr. Simeons did his clinicals (like Splenda), so we have decided to try what we need to to make this work. It's all about finding out what works for your body.

    I am going to stick to protocol for the 23 days and then go into Phase 3 for the 3 weeks and stabilize..............then do round 2, etc.

    My body is so sensitive that if I stray, I will probably gain or stall. I don't want that, so sticking with the written word.

    Thanks for the info, I am just learning about this stuff.
  • fivefatcats
    fivefatcats Posts: 368
    One of my co-workers is doing a week on - week off thing - I think she's nuts but to each his own. She is on her 2nd VLCD week - I won't see her until next week so I don't know how its going. Personally I would not choose this route, but everyone has different motivation and goals.

    I would call that the "julie" diet more than the HCG diet :tongue:
  • Slim115
    Slim115 Posts: 20
    i guess we can take this journey together. i'll be buying some atkins diet stuff, but i will also add those extra vegetable and fruit that we are allowed to have in P3. they say if you stick with what we are allowed to eat, we should do fine. so i'm going that route, this program has worked so far, so i see no reason to continue exactly as they say:)
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    D
    i guess we can take this journey together. i'll be buying some atkins diet stuff, but i will also add those extra vegetable and fruit that we are allowed to have in P3. they say if you stick with what we are allowed to eat, we should do fine. so i'm going that route, this program has worked so far, so i see no reason to continue exactly as they say:)

    If your going to go the atkins route, then just do the meat, fruit and veggies......

    There is no reason to include the bars and shakes.

    With the HCG part we are already eating very clean, why not just continue down that same path?

    Just my 2 cents. I am aggravated and disappointed in how Atkins Nutritionals changed the focus of Dr Atkins original plan, which was a whole foods based plan.
  • I just recently found out about Dr.Simeons. I've been eating the approved list my doctor gave me, and green beans are on the list. I have 7 days left in the "program," and I'd really like to transition into a more sustainable way of eating. I'm thinking I will just count calories and resume my high-intensity workouts (that I stopped for the hcg diet).

    We'll see what happens...
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    I just recently found out about Dr.Simeons. I've been eating the approved list my doctor gave me, and green beans are on the list. I have 7 days left in the "program," and I'd really like to transition into a more sustainable way of eating. I'm thinking I will just count calories and resume my high-intensity workouts (that I stopped for the hcg diet).

    We'll see what happens...

    That is not part of the Original Protocol that Dr. Simeons wrote.

    Also, in order to stabilize your weight loss, you need to adhere to the no sugar, no starch phase for 3 weeks or you will not have success.
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
    i started hcg diet and tomorrow i go to t he 500 cal phase 3 i was thinking about dr atkins and just makinig it lower fat
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    i started hcg diet and tomorrow i go to t he 500 cal phase 3 i was thinking about dr atkins and just makinig it lower fat

    You don't mention having been in loading phase for two days. If so, have you been taking your HCG during that time? If not, review your instructions and start over. If you jump straight into VLCD and start HCG at the same time you are going to be miserable with hunger, and have a much harder time staying on the plan because your body isn't going to have any fat reserves to call on because you didn't load.

    If you are going to do HCG, it makes more sense to follow the plan as it was conceived rather than making it up as you go along. If you are going to do Atkins, why spend the money on HCG?

    Good luck with whatever course you pursue.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    i started hcg diet and tomorrow i go to t he 500 cal phase 3 i was thinking about dr atkins and just makinig it lower fat

    Atkins induction is just like Phase 3 of the HCG diet where you eat no sugar and no starch for 3 weeks............

    However phase 2 where you are dosing with the HCG, you need to adhere to the plan as it is written.

    I suggest reading pounds and inches by Dr Simeon's several times.
  • Mrsmac0613
    Mrsmac0613 Posts: 1
    The 500 calories that come from the good Drs list are generally known today as Negitive Calorie Foods. If you take a look at what's on your HCG foods list & then do a search for Negitive Calorie Foods, you'll find not only a surprising resembelance, but some things that you can add to your HCG foods list. The basis of the Dr's reseach was to find a hormone that helped control hunger naturally, & combine it with foods that took more energy to burn then they possesed. Thus the rapid weight lose! :) Due your homework before starting any diet! I've tried them all with little to no sucess because I just tried to do what everyone else was doing. Find what works for you & always remember, you didn't gain this weight overnight... it's going to take more the a day to take it back off!
  • Hi there,
    I have finished my 43 days on vlcd and on week 2 of maintenance. I lost 30 pounds and going strong, I know it is very hard and you need really strong will power. Just hang in there and know perseverance will bring you success!!! And you will be glad you did it.....
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Well...you asked for any thoughts....

    I am seriously GOBSMACKED that anyone would inject pregnancy hormones as a way to lose weight. The HCG diet is unknown here in Australia so I was shocked when I first heard about it. Although, I must admit, I vomited pretty much everything I ate in the first trimester of both my pregnancies, so I lost weight initially. I wouldn't recommend it though.

    Why not eat healthy, exercise regularly, and give yourself a sustainable calorie deficit?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Well...you asked for any thoughts....

    I am seriously GOBSMACKED that anyone would inject pregnancy hormones as a way to lose weight. The HCG diet is unknown here in Australia so I was shocked when I first heard about it. Although, I must admit, I vomited pretty much everything I ate in the first trimester of both my pregnancies, so I lost weight initially. I wouldn't recommend it though.

    Why not eat healthy, exercise regularly, and give yourself a sustainable calorie deficit?

    This thread is really old and most of these posters are no longer active on the forums.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Well...you asked for any thoughts....

    I am seriously GOBSMACKED that anyone would inject pregnancy hormones as a way to lose weight. The HCG diet is unknown here in Australia so I was shocked when I first heard about it. Although, I must admit, I vomited pretty much everything I ate in the first trimester of both my pregnancies, so I lost weight initially. I wouldn't recommend it though.

    Why not eat healthy, exercise regularly, and give yourself a sustainable calorie deficit?

    This thread is really old and most of these posters are no longer active on the forums.

    Oops - I didn't even see that...<back in my box>
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I'm about halfway through my 25 days on the HCG very low-calorie diet. I'm thinking of going straight into a low-carb diet because I just can't take any more chicken and green beans. Any thoughts?

    Well...you asked for any thoughts....

    I am seriously GOBSMACKED that anyone would inject pregnancy hormones as a way to lose weight. The HCG diet is unknown here in Australia so I was shocked when I first heard about it. Although, I must admit, I vomited pretty much everything I ate in the first trimester of both my pregnancies, so I lost weight initially. I wouldn't recommend it though.

    Why not eat healthy, exercise regularly, and give yourself a sustainable calorie deficit?

    This thread is really old and most of these posters are no longer active on the forums.

    Oops - I didn't even see that...<back in my box>

    Lol I had the same reaction. Had to check myself.
  • Health_Gal
    Health_Gal Posts: 715 Member
    To anyone that might currently be doing the HCG diet :

    PLEASE get off the HCG diet NOW before you become ill from malnutrition.

    Yes, you will lose weight by eating only 500 calories a day, but it's very dangerous to deprive your body of what is needs for weeks on that diet. The HCG is doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for you.

    This article from WebMD has lots of good information on why the HCG diet is so hazardous to your health.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-hcg-for-weight-loss
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