Exercise and the hCG Diet: How Exercise May Actually Hinder Progress

If you’re like most people reading this book, you’ve tried every diet known to man.  You’ve counted calories, fat grams, and carbs.  You’ve given up entire food groups and you’ve focused your entire diet on one food group.

In addition to all of these changes, you’ve also been required to add exercise into your diet.  You’ve joined gyms, purchased videos, and hired personal trainers to help you carve the physique you’ve always wanted.

Why Traditional Diet and Exercise Programs Fail

When many people begin diet programs, they are already feeling overweight and fatigued.  The absolute last thing they want to do is start exercising.  But after reading a book or watching a program on health they decide that this is the only way to drop the pounds.

So they go all in.  They buy the gym membership and sign up for the personal training package.  They work out 7 days a week while their trainer Barbie tells them to just do a few more reps.  Feeling the burn means you’re doing the work, so you end up so sore you can’t move.

After a while, the real world gets in the way and you miss an appointment or two at the gym.  Or you even get so burnt out from overdoing it the first few weeks that you give up completely – or even worse, get hurt. 

Over time, you find that you’re paying for a membership to a club you never go to anymore.  Barbie is just a distant memory.  And now you feel more like a failure than you ever have before.  Cue eating too much and gaining more weight.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  If so, it’s time to break that cycle and try a whole new approach.  With the hCG diet, you won’t be asked to jump onto the exercise roller coaster that some diets ask of you.

hCG is Different

There’s nothing wrong with getting exercise – and it is good for you.  What’s not good is trying to overdo the exercise while you’re restricting your calorie intake.  This will actually slow down your weight loss while you’re supplementing with hCG.

The only exercises that are recommended for those following the hCG protocol are walking, stretching, and yoga type exercises.  And while adding these to your routine is acceptable, you shouldn’t add more than 15 minutes daily.

During the hCG diet, you’ll want to avoid any strenuous exercise such as heavy aerobics, weight training, or any other high intensity program.  While your body is safely burning fat, you’re still only consuming 500 additional calories each day.

This low calorie intake can’t support you if you choose to exercise too vigorously.  So while you’re in the active Phase Two of the program, you need to back off of exercise and keep things light.

In fact, if you do exercise your body may switch from fat-burning to starvation mode.  In this mode it will hold on to every bit of caloric intake it can to save for later.  This is the opposite of what you need and want for your weight loss.

For many people, seeing a halt on weight loss causes a lack of motivation to continue the plan.  Instead of trying to force something to happen, allow your weight loss to continue naturally and follow the advice to avoid strenuous exercise.

While this may seem difficult for some people, other people find it a welcome relief.  The good news is that when you’re in the maintenance phase, you’ll be able to gradually add more exercise into your routine if you want to.

More Motivated During Maintenance

Once you’ve completed Phase Two and are on to the maintenance plan, you may return to the gym if you choose.  Many people actually feel more motivated than ever because they’ve lost weight and exercise has become easier.

Instead of feeling heavy on their feet, people who have lost anywhere from 5-40 pounds feel lighter and have more energy than before.  Going to exercise won’t feel like as much of a chore as it once did.

Suggestions for Getting Started

If you do decide to get started with an exercise program, there are many options.  Make sure to start out slowly.  You’ve been unable to exercise for several weeks and your body has undergone a great change – for the better.

Don’t try to go from zero to 60 with your exercise program. Start out slowly and you can work your way to more strenuous exercise as you become stronger and leaner.  Exercise is also a great way to help maintain your weight loss when you’re in the maintenance phase.

Here are a few ideas for getting started with exercise – especially if you’ve never been a big fan:

·           Grab a buddy – people often have more success if they have an exercise partner

·           Start with walking – it’s cheap, flexible, easy, and you already know how to do it

·           Focus on flexibility – try yoga or other stretching exercises to lengthen your muscles and relax your mind

·           Add resistance – adding resistance to your muscles can help you to maintain strong bones and keep your metabolism revved up

·           Use light weights – there’s no need to look and feel like a bodybuilder, strive for toned and lean

·           Go on an adventure – find something you really love to do like hiking, canoeing, or rollerblading.  It will make exercise so much fun you wont’ know you’re doing it.

·           Seek professional help – a trainer can help you to discover an exercise program you both enjoy and that helps you meet your goals

·           Dress appropriately – make sure you have shoes in good condition, wear breathable clothes, and wear the proper support

If you’ve tried exercise before without success, the hCG diet will help you to have the energy you need to give it another shot.  Having already lost weight, exercise will be easier and more fun.

Not to mention that exercise has some great health benefits – both related and unrelated to your weight – including:

·           Maintaining a healthy weight

·           More flexibility

·           Fewer aches and pains

·           A stronger heart and decreased risk of heart disease and heart attack

·           Decreased risk of cancer

·           Decreased risk of osteoporosis

·           Ability to lift objects more easily in daily life

·           Better posture

·           Muscle tone

·           More energy

·           Improved sleep

·           Improved mental health

·           Stress reduction

·           Anxiety reduction

·           Improved skin tone

·           Better digestion

·           Ability to run and play with your kids

·           And the list could go on and on and on….

While you may have had negative experiences with exercise in the past, the hCG diet offers you a chance to set things straight and start fresh.  During phase two, remember that you shouldn’t exercise strenuously.

As you’re taking the hormone and eating only 500 calories each day, you should keep exercise limited to walking, stretching, and low impact activities.  Fight the urge to go to the gym and exercise vigorously – it will only cause you to slow your weight loss.

Once you’ve completed the second phase and have moved to maintenance, start slowly.  You’ll have more energy than you did before and exercise will put less stress on your joints.  This will motivate you to want to move more.

You may enjoy joining a gym or trying strenuous exercise, but if you don’t that’s okay, too.  Stick to moderate activities such as walking and stretching and make those a part of your daily routine.

Living a Balanced Life

Most people who complete the hCG diet find that they naturally eat less and have more energy to go through their daily lives.  Whether or not you choose to make exercise a central focus in your life, you’ll experience these benefits.

With the hCG diet, you don’t have to be afraid of exercise.  Forget about your past experiences with exercise that caused you to feel miserable, in pain, and even made you feel like a failure.  With the hCG diet you can have success while adding minimal exercise.

But when you do add exercise to your life, you’ll also add many health benefits that can’t be attributed to weight loss alone.  For the best life possible, you’ll want to live a healthful, balanced life.