Hunger Issues with the HCG Diet for Weight Loss

There are many things you can do to help with hunger on the HCG Diet program!

Fortunately, for most HCG Diet patients hunger and cravings are surprisingly not an issue.  At least a few times a day in my private practice I hear patients tell me that  it is actually hard for them to consume the daily food intake on the diet.  There are surely patients who get hungry right around the time they are due to eat.  Then, there are the occasional patients who deal with hunger on the program.  I always tell my patients that if they are truly physiologically hungry then they are ‘struggling.’  I do not want my patients to feel a sense of struggle on the program.  I ask my patients who are truly hungry to eat!  If this means eating additional calories that is okay.  I encourage them to make a list of 3 HCG Diet Phase II approved vegetables and 1 protein source that is the go to for hunger.

Step one for hunger is to determine if this is the ‘psychological stomach’ or the physiological stomach that needs to be fed. If it is the psychological stomach then take some time for distraction … go for a walk, get into a project, etc.  If it is the physiological stomach drink 16 ounces of water and eat some celelry and then see how you feel in 5 minutes.  If you are still hungry go for 2 ounces of protein and 1 cup of vegetables and see what happens.  It is important to feed your body if you feel your blood sugar is getting low.

Some Tips for Helping with Hunger on the HCG Diet

If you are having hunger and cravings on the HCG Diet Protocol here are a list of things you can try to pacify those pangs.  Stay on track if you can.  In our office, we see such amazing results with this program.

1.) Drink Sparkling Mineral Water — if you are feeling hungry the first line of defense is to drink a big glass of sparkling mineral water. I love the Pellegrino or Gerolsteiner.  Sometimes, the signal for hunger and thirst are similar and the body perceives the signal for thirst as hunger.  I know this is true for me.

2.) PICKLES — Essentially, a pickle is just a cucumber in vinegar.  Read labels to be sure there are no sugars or carbs and then enjoy a medium sized pickle.

3.) 2 oz of HCG Diet approved Protein or 1 cup HCG Diet P2 approved vegetable — if you are still hungry after drinking 16 ounces of mineral water and some celery — feel free to have a bit of extra protein and some vegetables.  Keep some food handy in the fridge or a cooler just for this purpose.  Hunger that goes on can lead to eating the wrong foods in the wrong amounts and derail you from your program.

4.) Spread the food out during the day — some patients need to eat more frequently during the day.  In this scenario, you can break up your lunch and dinner into 2 meals each and have 4 smaller meals during the day.  You can also graze on the food options and eat your fruit, vegetable and protein separately at different times of the day.

5.) Go heavy on the Salad – for the most part, greens such as lettuce, spinach & chard are very low in calorie.  Eat these to meet your bodies desire!

6.) Add some Spice — go for some chili pepper or hot sauce if this makes eating more fulfilling for you.  You can also put salt, pepper and vinegar on cucumbers or tomato.  Cinnamon is great on salads. Clean stone ground mustard also makes a wonderful dipping sauce for proteins.  Spices can really jazz up the HCG Diet and there are so many out there. Get creative!

Getting Rid of Hunger

We are also here for our patients!  If you need us … please send an email, a text or a phone call and we can help you deal with any issues as they arise.

Categories: hCG Diet, HCG Diet Weight Loss, HCG Weight Loss, Weight Loss