Phase 3 of the HCG Diet is a 3-weeks maintenance phase following the 500 calorie diet. Whether you are following the 26-days or the 46-days protocol, Phase 3 is the same. It immediately starts right after you transition. That’s when the HCG Shot is fully put of your system- 3 days after your last shot. When the hormone is no longer in your system, you may gradually add more calories into your diet but in a way that doesn’t shock your system or lead you to gain weight. Phase 3 is a crucial phase yet the most exciting and rewarding phase of the HCG Diet plan. Below are helpful tips to ensure your success on the HCG Diet.
Before Phase will start:
- Real all phase 3 information: There are plenty of HCG Diet websites to get information about phase 3. You can even download them.
- Phase 3 food lists: Make a list of all the phase 3 foods that you would like to eat before you go on grocery shopping. Make a list also of the foods that you have to avoid.
During phase 3:
- Start slowly: Whether you are following the shorter or the longer round, do not devour all those tasty dishes you have been depriving yourself. Take it slowly. You can do this by:
- Start by leaning heavily on the HCG Diet approved phase 3 food list particularly on proteins until your capacity comes back to normal.
- Adding one new food at a time and see what effect each food has on you.
- Have 6 smaller snack meals throughout the day rather than eating during breakfast, lunch or dinner to help your metabolism reeve up.
- Include healthy fats into your diet: Whole foods and foods high in omega fatty acids like fish, avocado and eggs are perfect during phase 3. Other healthy fats include butter, olive oil, coconut oil and many more.
- Limit your dairy products: Dairy products can make you gain weight and they contain sugar. Instead of using low-fat use high fat dairy foods. Choose heavy whipping creams for your milk and full fat cottage cheese than the low fat counterpart.
- Get enough fiber: Make sure you are getting enough fiber. Aim for 30 grams of fiber each day during this phase.
- Keep your journal: Make sure you keep your HCG Diet food journal so you know what foods you are eating and what foods you should avoid. Track everything you eat. Distinguish foods that can make you gain weight. Track also your calories and write them down on your journal. This can be a big pain but it’s not forever. Studies have shown that dieters who keep track of the foods they eat, the calories and their weight are much more likely to keep their weight off.
- Keep yourself hydrated: Make it a habit to drink at least 2 lifters of water a day to keep you hydrated.
- Weight yourself every day: Phase 3 requires early morning weigh-ins just as when you’re in the second phase. It’s just as important as weighing your foods. The purpose of weighing yourself is for you to see whether there is a rapid fluctuation in your weight so you can immediately correct them. The key here is to stay within +2/-2 pounds of your last day weight at the end of Phase 2. If you see weight gain of more than 2 pounds, take actions that day. Take on a Steak day.
- When eating out, ask good questions: When you order for steak ask them what they have brushed their steak with. Often times, they use sugar and butter to brush the steak. There are also hidden starches and sugars in many foods. Chicken is often breaded. Be careful about avoiding all starches and sugars.
- Stick to the diet for the full 3 weeks: Dr. Simeons is very clear with his instructions that phase 3 should last for 3 weeks. According to Dr. Simeons, “it takes around 21 days for the weight to not only become stable but for the hypothalamus in the brain to reset. Not following this protocol will prevent your metabolism from regulating correctly thus, making it hard for you to keep your weight off.
What to avoid during Phase 3 of the HCG Diet
- Avoid trigger foods: If certain foods trigger temptations, its best to avoid them.
- Avoid sweeteners and processed sugar: Embracing foods with lots of sugar isn’t the best way to go for now. If you don’t know what’s in it, then don’t eat it. Avoid them whenever possible as they can cause a significant fluctuation in your insulin level. The insulin fluctuation can affect your blood sugar level which in turn affects your fat storage. Besides, your body is more sensitive to sugar because you’re just weaning off from the diet.
- Avoid starchy food: Just like sugar, the glucose in the starch can also cause significant fluctuation in your insulin level. Wait until your body becomes stable. So, for now, don’t eat starchy foods like grains, potatoes, beans, yam, cookies, cakes and everything sugary and starchy. Stay away from foods listed as low-fat or fat-free because they have more sugars and carb.
- Do not try to lose more weight: Trying to lose more weight during this phase is not a good idea because this is not a weight loss phase. Do not try to lose more weight by continuing eating only 500 calories a day or by exercising too much. If you want to lose more weight, you should make another round. The real goal of this phase is to help you stabilize your weight.
- Avoid processed, pre-packaged foods: Avoid consuming processed and prepackaged foods as much as possible. It will help you with your long-term weight loss.
- Don’t be afraid to eat. Remember that you can increase your calories up to 1500 a day but do it slowly and feed on the right foods.