The HCG Diet is a great way to kick start your way into eating a more natural and healthier diet. There are restrictions of course- eating 500 calories a day, no oils allowed even on cosmetics, fewer carbs, no sugar, and many others. However, if you do follow the protocols you will definitely lose weight. So, what happens when you do not follow the protocol? It happens all the time!
Protocol on drinks
What’s allowed?
From the book “Pounds and Inches”, the only drinks allowed on the 500-calorie phase, which begins on day three, are tea, coffee, plain water, or mineral water, but they may be taken in any quantity and at all times.
- Tea
Tea is more than just a popular cold-weather beverage. No matter what the variety is, green tea, basic black tea, chamomile tea, organic tea, are associated with many benefits including reducing the risk of having heart diseases and in protecting the cells. Teas like green tea, oolong tea, black tea, Puerh tea, and white tea are found to enhance weight loss by increasing metabolism and improving fat burning. Green tea in particular has the highest standard for weight loss.
Teas contain a flavonoid called catechins that helps the body break down fats more quickly by boosting metabolism. Teas also contain caffeine, a compound that allows the body to burn more calories. These two compounds work together for faster weight loss. Tea is free from saturated fat and cholesterol. A cup of tea has only 2 calories. No wonder it’s one of the beverages that you can take in an unlimited number.
- Coffee
Coffee can help you lose additional weight on top of the daily HCG injections you receive each day during phase 2. No wonder, again, it’s included on the “allowed” beverages on the HCG Diet. The caffeine in your coffee is the compound responsible for additional weight loss. It helps you control your appetite but what makes it good during the diet is that it increases your metabolic rate. It mobilizes the fat in the adipose tissue and speeds up your metabolism by stimulating your nervous system. Your nervous system then will send a message directly to your fat cells to break down fat for a faster weight loss. A cup of coffee has very little calories so you can have as much as you want. Take it plain with some stevia or you can have a tablespoon of milk on it but once only.
- Water
You know that water is important, right? This substance makes up the majority of your body weight. It is involved in many vital functions including helping your brain function, regulating your body’s temperature, and flushing out waste from your body. Water can also help you lose weight no matter what diet programs you follow. Below are some ways water may help with weight loss.
- It’s a natural appetite suppressant that takes up space in the stomach leading to a feeling of fullness and reduced hunger.
- It increases calorie burning
- It’s necessary for the body to metabolize stored fats and carbs properly.
- It reduces overall liquid calorie intake.
- It hydrates the body so your body can remove waste more efficiently.
Other drinks allowed on the HCG Diet
- Lemon juice
Lemon juice is a staple for a lot of HCG dieters. It’s a good source of many health-boosting nutrients including vitamin C. Lemon helps boosts the immune system and helps fight hunger and cravings. During all phases of the HCG diet, you are allowed to have one full lemon juice. You can make lemonade sweetened with stevia or add the lemon juice over your salad as an alternative to high-calorie dressing.
What’s NOT allowed?
Be aware of the following unhealthy drinks while on the HCG Diet:
- Diet soda
Low in calories and sugar, diet soda may seem to be a good alternative for your sugary drink but hold on…there is something that you need to know about diet soda.
- Diet soda has zero nutrition which is really not good when you’re on the diet.
- Not only that, but diet soda is also associated with weight gain too. Several studies have found that the artificial sweetener in diet soda called aspartame can increase your risk of obesity.
- Diet soda can increase your appetite by stimulating the hunger hormones, triggering the dopamine responses in your brain, and altering the sweet taste receptors.
- Diet soda can disrupt the metabolic process in your body causing metabolic syndrome. The artificial sweetener causes your brain to send signals to your pancreas to produce more insulin. Since there is no actual sugar present, it confuses your body and disrupts the metabolic process.
- Hard liquor
Hard liquor can cause weight gain in four ways:
- It is high in calories.
- It stops your body from burning fats. Alcohol is burned first as fuel before anything else.
- It increases body fat percentage and are mostly deposited in the abdominal area of the body.
- It increases appetite while decreases satiety. It triggers impulsive snacking.
- It contributes to poor food choices by lowering your inhibitions.
- Sports drink
Sports drink contains artificial sweetener-at at least 50 grams of sugar per bottle. Because of the sugar content, sports drinks are not HCG Diet-friendly. Although the electrolyte content can be good for your body, the preservatives aren’t that helpful. Using them incorrectly can definitely lead to weight gain.
- Fruit juices/ Juice drinks
Fruits are healthy foods but not all fruits are HCG Diet-friendly. For example, a glass of orange juice, whether fresh-squeezed or not, has about 1 teaspoon of sugar per ounce. So, be careful when turning to fruit juices as a healthy beverage. Juice drinks, on the other hand, have added sugars to make it sweeter.
- Flavored water
Flavored water seems appealing and healthy but ingredients vary from brand to brand. Some are fortified with vitamins and minerals but most flavored water contains artificial sweeteners that can stall your weight loss goal.
