Thanksgiving is the Perfect Time to Start the Diet…Say What?
It sounds crazy, but Thanksgiving IS the perfect time to start the HCG Diet Protocol! Why would that be? Well, the first 2 days on the protocol are the “gorge” or “load” days when you take HCG and stock up your normal fat reserves by eating foods that have lots of fat in them. That’s right, you get to enjoy Thanksgiving (load day #1) with family and friends to the fullest, as well as the leftovers the day after (load day #2). So go ahead and have a piece of pumpkin pie, guilt free, because “it’s on your diet”.
After your gorge or load days, you’re ready to move on to the very low-calorie phase of the diet (VLCD). This year, 2017, if you load on Nov. 23rd and 24th, you’ll have 27 days to follow the VLCD while taking HCG, then 3 days to follow the VLCD without taking HCG so that the HCG can totally exit your system by Christmas Day. This is enough time for a short round of the protocol for a loss of about 15-20 pounds. During the holiday season when the average American gains 5 pounds, you’ll actually have lost 3 or 4 times that much!
After the HCG is out of your system, you have 2 options. You can go ahead and end the round by moving on to Maintenance or you can do a “Planned Break” for up to a week. Using the dates above, you could take a Planned Break from Christmas to New Year’s and then start up the round again for up to 11 more VLCD/HCG days. See below for a quick summary of a Planned Break.
If you decide to go to Maintenance, you avoid starches and processed sugars, but you can enjoy any type of meat, fats, fruits, vegetables, and even certain types of alcohol. On Christmas Day, you’ll dazzle all those people who saw you 4 short weeks ago, and you’ll be feeling great both physically and mentally! What a Christmas gift you’ll have given yourself, but, best of all, you get to start the New Year off looking and feeling good. You might even have to come up with a different New Year’s resolution this year:)
If you decide to do a Planned Break…
Dr. Simeons addressed the subject in his manuscript under “Interruptions of Treatment” but we refer to it as a “Planned Break.”
- Complete 20 effective (VLCD/HCG) days in a row either before or after the break.
- Stop taking HCG, but continue to follow the VLCD for 3 days prior to the first day you wish to eat more freely, i.e., Christmas Day.
- During the break, eat healthy and avoid processed or added sugars and starches to minimize the effect on your weight. Do NOT gorge or you will have a significant detrimental effect on recent weight loss success. Moderation is the key.
- If you decide to drink alcohol, choose one glass of wine, a low carbohydrate beer, or hard liquor with low carbohydrate mixing options, and avoid sugary drinks.
- At the end of the break (which should not exceed one week), resume taking HCG in conjunction with following the low-calorie diet but do NOT repeat the gorge/load days!
- You may gain a few pounds during the Planned Break, but you should lose them relatively quickly after resuming the protocol.
NOTE: A Planned Break is not recommended if you only have one meal (a wedding) or one day (Thanksgiving Day) that you are going to eat “off protocol”. For these situations, it is better to just take the “hit” of gaining a couple pounds and resuming the diet the next day.
