Once you wrap up phase 2 of the HCG Diet, hopefully you are feeling proud and accomplished with your weight loss, but along with those feelings of excitement might also come some nerves. Once you finished Phase 2 of the diet, it’s time transition into maintaining your weight loss, also known as Phase 3 of the HCG Diet. Clients get nervous for this part of their weight loss journey. Losing is typically easy, while maintaining is a new and exciting process to figure out. The first week is the hardest, but we’re here to help you through it!
What to Expect During Your First Week on Phase 3 of the HCG Diet
We want you to be able to keep the weight off, and so here’s everything you need to know about your first week on Phase 3 of the HCG Diet.
The goal of Phase 3 of the HCG Diet is to maintain your weight loss and to slowly increase your calories from the 500 you were eating in Phase 2 up to 1200-1500. Since you will be eating more food, you will also be able to add more variety into your diet. Adding variety also takes time. So here’s a break down of how we recommend going about this process.
On your first day in maintenance you will double the amount of meat you ate during one day in Phase 2. Your goal is to reach about 700 calories or so. Keep in mind that day one of maintenance starts AFTER you do three days on Phase 2 WITHOUT drops. Do not begin the maintenance phase before you do your three days on phase 2 without drops. Once you finish these three days without drops, you’re ready to do your day of maintenance on 700 calories.
Your second day of maintenance you should aim for 700 calories again. This time, try adding in some new vegetables like Brussels sprouts or zucchini. You can also try adding in different types of meat like turkey. Continue to count your calories and weigh each day. While you may be tempted to add foods faster and in greater quantity, resist that temptation. Your weight loss depends on slow and gradual increases.
Your third day will mirror your second and first days as far as calories go. You can try adding in new fruits like raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
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Your fourth day, you should bump up to 500 calories or so. You can try adding in a serving of dairy (white cheese or plain greek yogurt that you sweeten with stevia or fruit). Just add in one type of dairy at a time so you can see whether or not it affects your weight.
On the fifth day, if you didn’t gain from the day before, you can go ahead and try adding in a different kind of meat or dairy in addition to what you tried the day before. At this point, you should be adding in some exercise to help your metabolism adjust to your new weight.
The sixth day will be very similar to the fifth. You’re still experimenting with different types of fruits, veggies, meats and dairy. You should still be adding new foods in one at a time.
On the seventh day re-evaluate all the foods you tried and be sure that you mark anything that made you gain, and try to avoid that next week until your body adjusts a little more. As you can see, it will be a tremendous benefit for you to keep a food journal and evaluate it on a weekly basis during maintenance. Your calories should be around 900 by the seventh day, and you should be maintaining within two pounds of your ending weight.
Remember, maintenance is critical to your success. DO NOT SKIP IT! The process is explained in Pounds and Inches. Here is an excerpt from the Pounds & Inches book by Dr. Simeons:
“When the three days of dieting after the last injection are over, the patients are told that they may now eat anything they please, except sugar and starch, provided they faithfully observe one simple rule. This rule is that they must have their own portable bathroom-scale always at hand, particularly while traveling. They must without fail weigh themselves every morning as they get out of bed, having first emptied their bladder. If they are in the habit of having breakfast in bed, they must weigh before breakfast.
It takes about 3 weeks before the weight reached at the end of the treatment becomes stable. During this period patients must realize that the so-called carbohydrates, that is sugar, rice, bread, potatoes, pastries etc, are by far the most dangerous. If no carbohydrates whatsoever are eaten, fats can be indulged in somewhat more liberally and even small quantities of alcohol, such as a glass of wine with meals, does no harm, but as soon as fats and starch are combined things are very liable to get out of hand. This has to be observed very carefully during the first 3 weeks after the treatment is ended otherwise disappointments are almost sure to occur.”
Keeping the weight off is the key. We want you to feel comfortable and be able to remain where you want to be with your weight. The first couple of days of maintenance you might have a hard time eating 700 calories. Do your best to eat your approved foods. For some though, the extra freedom of maintenance can be overwhelming. Be careful and do not gorge yourself. If your weight increases more than 2 pounds during the maintenance phase you must do a steak day ( you can read about this in the guide book on page 7). The following weeks, you will continue to increase your caloric intake, and you’ll continue to gradually add in more variety until you reach 1200-1500 calories. If you are still nervous and feel like you need a more detailed breakdown, check out this blog. Most people stay in maintenace for at least three weeks. Our general recommendation is that you stay in maintenance for at least as many days as you were on Phase 2. This will allow your body a good adjustment period and you’ll have an easier time maintaining your weight loss long term.
