Concerned About Sticking to Your HCG Diet Plan? Here’s How to Make It Easier
As powerfully effective as the HCG weight loss protocol might be for you, there’s no denying that you have to make some significant changes and employ a certain amount of self-discipline to make it work. The diet plan that accompanies HCG injections follows distinct phases, from the initial eat-all-you-can periods to the extended 500-calories-per-day regimen that restricts a great many foods, concluding with the final period in which you can restore many (but not all) of your former menu items. So how can you make that HCG diet plan work for you more easily and efficiently? Take a look at some hacks that can help you do exactly that.
Hack #1: Add Flavor, Not Calories
Some HCG dieters worry that the exclusion of many of their favorite foods will leave them with an extraordinarily bland daily menu. In reality, you can add plenty of excitement to your HCG diet plan without also adding unhealthy fats, carbs, or other substances that might derail your weight loss efforts. All you have to do is make creative use of your kitchen spice rack.
You might be surprised at just how flavorful those tried-and-true herbs and spices really are — and best of all, they’re good for you! Feel free to pour on the garlic, fennel, oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, mint, and other dynamic flavorings.
Another smart, delicious way to enhance your HCG menu is by adding flavor through grilling. Plug in a basic fat-reducing grill, throw your favorite HCG-friendly veggies and meats onto it, and in just a few minutes you’ll be enjoying a surprisingly luxurious meal.
Hack #2: Plan and Prepare a Week Ahead
Meal prep is hard enough for the average busy working adult even when the menu doesn’t make the precise demands of the HCG diet. You don’t need to be scrambling to put together healthy HCG-friendly meals on a moment’s notice. Instead, buy and prepare a week’s worth of meals at a time so you can rest assured that you’re eating right — even when you’re eating in a hurry.
Hack #3: Know About How to Swap Ingredients
You may find that you don’t necessarily have the luxury of planning your entire week’s meals in advance. It’s not uncommon to realize that you’re shy of a necessary component for this or that meal. That’s okay, though, as long as you know how to substitute another equally-healthy ingredient. In the case of those essential 3.5-ounce protein portions, you can safely substitute eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, and certain other items for the beef, lamb, or chicken you’d originally planned to consume. This isn’t cheating; it’s improvising.
Hack #4: Make Healthy Eating a Family Affair
Sticking to a calorie-restrictive, food-restrictive diet is never easy, especially when you’re keeping the pantry stocked with sugary, fatty, and otherwise-unhealthy food choices. The most effective workaround for this is to get your whole family on board the nutritious eating train. This strategy eliminates the temptation factor while also greatly streamlining your grocery shopping process, since you can buy the same basic foods for every member of your family.
Any food that suits your HCG diet should also prove healthy and delicious for your loved ones. In fact, this shift in direction could serve as an ideal opportunity to get your kids interested in health and nutrition. You can teach them about the negative effects of too much sugar, fat, salt, and additives, using your new healthy menu as an example of foods that support health instead of degrading it. This understanding can help your loved ones cultivate a lifelong conscientiousness about their own eating habits.
As you can see, a few smart hacks can help you follow your HCG diet plan more faithfully while also enjoying that journey more thoroughly. Give these ideas a try — you have nothing to lose except unwanted weight!