I get so many questions about the HCG plan itself. I think we all just get so excited about the prospect of losing about a pound a day that we make it more difficult than it is. I know because I did the same thing. ;) It's no problem, though; just normal. So ask away and don't be shy. In the meantime, here are some clarifications that might help.
The plan calls for about 100 grams of food portions. That's also about 3.5/4.0 ounces of food by weight.
Also, remember that your meats are 100 grams before cooking. Since we live in a rural area where there is no Kroger, I have a hard time finding USA/'clean' fish products. One nearby Wal-Mart carries bags of USA shrimp, but they are pre-cooked. However, Kroger carries USA raw frozen shrimp of about the same size. So I thawed the raw shrimp, drained and weighed 100 grams of it, then I cooked it and compared it to the pre-cooked shrimp. I found that 100 grams of raw shrimp (medium size) is about equal to 12 pre-cooked shrimp (of the medium size).
I found individually frozen chicken breasts to be too big for our purposes, so I buy the All Natural Tyson frozen chicken tenderloins, which are much smaller. In most cases, two small-sized tenderloins weigh in at about 100 grams (uncooked, of course). I grab a plastic storage container or resealable bag, dump in some seasoned salt, italian herb blend, garlic salt, Mrs. Dash, and add my chicken, then throw it in the fridge to marinate for at least a day. The plan calls for rotating meat choices each day (not eating the same protein twice in one day), so If I put 4 tenderloins in to marinate, then I have two or three days' worth. Three days in the fridge is just right. When I take out the last two to cook, I immediately fix up another batch and place in the fridge (fresh container). It takes literally about 3 or 4 minutes in a covered skillet to brown them and voila! Lunch (or dinner) is served. And these things are deLISH! mmmmmmmm
Try your hand at this and see how easy it becomes to judge portions. Soon you will not even have to weigh them...but be sure to weigh yourself every day because you will be seeing those pounds melt away!! Yippeee!
Keep at it. You are doing great! You are so much closer than you think. ;)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Breaking Plateaus and Regaining Losses
During my first 43 days in Phase Two of the HCG plan, I hit two plateaus and experienced one gain. Still, with all the ups and downs, I managed to lose 41 pounds in those 43 days. The highest one day loss I had was 4 pounds; most days I had a 1/2 pound loss.
When I hit a plateau (where my weight stayed the same for two or more days), the recommendation was to have an 'apple day'. An apple day consists of lots of water and 5 apples, but nothing else all day. This is usually the way to resolve a plateau of 5 days or more at the same weight. Since I had not gone 5 days on my plateaus, I opted for adding exercise and reducing salt intake instead. This worked for me both times. I also always added Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar to my raw tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced apples on those days. Obviously one or more of these tactics, which had been suggested to me with my plan, did the trick.
I use only seasoned sea salt, but be careful to use one that has no sugar added---I know--crazy, isn't it? Just check your labels to be sure. Seasoned salt typically has less sodium (as does sea salt) than regular table salt, so I regularly use it to keep my sodium intake in check.
Also, be cautious about overexertion as it can cause a stall in losses. I simply added a daily mile-long power walk. Sometimes I pile up the cushions on my sofa so that my legs are high off the floor, and do sit ups--actually, a more accurate description is a 'sit-back'. ;) From an upright sitting position, I cross my arms over my chest and lean waaaayyy back, until I feel the pull in my lower abs and sides. Then I sit back up. This really works those lower abs with no back strain and no special equipment. I can rack up 200 of these during commercials or a television show in no time.
What are your exercise strategies? Which salt do you use? How close are you to your goal/how many pounds have you lost so far? I'd love for you to share your thoughts here by replying to this post (below).
Have a great week! You are closer than you think!
When I hit a plateau (where my weight stayed the same for two or more days), the recommendation was to have an 'apple day'. An apple day consists of lots of water and 5 apples, but nothing else all day. This is usually the way to resolve a plateau of 5 days or more at the same weight. Since I had not gone 5 days on my plateaus, I opted for adding exercise and reducing salt intake instead. This worked for me both times. I also always added Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar to my raw tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced apples on those days. Obviously one or more of these tactics, which had been suggested to me with my plan, did the trick.
I use only seasoned sea salt, but be careful to use one that has no sugar added---I know--crazy, isn't it? Just check your labels to be sure. Seasoned salt typically has less sodium (as does sea salt) than regular table salt, so I regularly use it to keep my sodium intake in check.
Also, be cautious about overexertion as it can cause a stall in losses. I simply added a daily mile-long power walk. Sometimes I pile up the cushions on my sofa so that my legs are high off the floor, and do sit ups--actually, a more accurate description is a 'sit-back'. ;) From an upright sitting position, I cross my arms over my chest and lean waaaayyy back, until I feel the pull in my lower abs and sides. Then I sit back up. This really works those lower abs with no back strain and no special equipment. I can rack up 200 of these during commercials or a television show in no time.
What are your exercise strategies? Which salt do you use? How close are you to your goal/how many pounds have you lost so far? I'd love for you to share your thoughts here by replying to this post (below).
Have a great week! You are closer than you think!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
How to make the most of your HCG journey
There are several key tips to making the most of the HCG plan, which I have learned in the process of keeping my food journal. The first is keep a food journal! ;) If you need a template, let me know. Really, a good old-fashioned Word or Notepad document will do. Just be sure to include the date, weight, details of foods you ate and how they were prepared, as well as exercise/activity notes. This will be helpful when trying to determine what caused a stall/plateau or accelerated loss.
Secondly, I've found several factors (some quite surprising) that cause a stall in my progress: sunburn, aerobic exercise, lotions with oils in them, and too much salt. This is my experience, but yours might be different. If you have stalled for a day with no weight loss at all, look back on the day's activities (which you have noted in your journal) to see if any of my progress stalls apply to you. Take note of your actions to find the clues.
Another crucial part is drinking enough water to flush out the fat! Be sure to halve your weight, then count that as ounces of water you need. For example: If you weigh 200 pounds, you'll need 100 ounces of water a day. That's 12 and a half eight-ounce cups or 5 twenty-ounce bottles of water like those commonly found at Sam's Club or WalMart. I use glass bottles and fill my own in order to avoid that nasty plastic leaching issue. ;) Distilled water seems to be best. Maybe you haven't thought about it, but a cup of water is literally the size of a normal coffee cup--simple to gulp down. And if you can gulp one an hour throughout your waking hours, those 100 ounces a day are do-able. I've found that many people really don't like drinking water, so that may be helpful; just gulp and go.
One last tip for today: LOAD UP appropriately on the two load days prior to dosing. I'm a healthy eater, used to all organics and no white sugar, flour, etc., but the advice I got was to pig out on those days, so I took it. I ate pizza, creme horns, cheeseburgers and fries on those two days and gained two pounds! The good news is that I have never been hungry on the HCG protocol and I lost those two pounds PLUS on my first day of dosing. Can't beat that! ;)
More tips next week!
Secondly, I've found several factors (some quite surprising) that cause a stall in my progress: sunburn, aerobic exercise, lotions with oils in them, and too much salt. This is my experience, but yours might be different. If you have stalled for a day with no weight loss at all, look back on the day's activities (which you have noted in your journal) to see if any of my progress stalls apply to you. Take note of your actions to find the clues.
Another crucial part is drinking enough water to flush out the fat! Be sure to halve your weight, then count that as ounces of water you need. For example: If you weigh 200 pounds, you'll need 100 ounces of water a day. That's 12 and a half eight-ounce cups or 5 twenty-ounce bottles of water like those commonly found at Sam's Club or WalMart. I use glass bottles and fill my own in order to avoid that nasty plastic leaching issue. ;) Distilled water seems to be best. Maybe you haven't thought about it, but a cup of water is literally the size of a normal coffee cup--simple to gulp down. And if you can gulp one an hour throughout your waking hours, those 100 ounces a day are do-able. I've found that many people really don't like drinking water, so that may be helpful; just gulp and go.
One last tip for today: LOAD UP appropriately on the two load days prior to dosing. I'm a healthy eater, used to all organics and no white sugar, flour, etc., but the advice I got was to pig out on those days, so I took it. I ate pizza, creme horns, cheeseburgers and fries on those two days and gained two pounds! The good news is that I have never been hungry on the HCG protocol and I lost those two pounds PLUS on my first day of dosing. Can't beat that! ;)
More tips next week!
Welcome!
Thanks for landing here to see what we're all about. We're all about weight loss success! Whether you are really into food or really into losing the weight, we have tips and encouragement for you. We are a community of HCGers, some newbies and some veterans of the HCG plan. Feel free to share your ideas, questions, tips, and support to others--especially your weight loss successes!
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