Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Preparing to Start Strong

When you’re starting any new lifestyle change, it’s important that you prepare ahead of time.  Not being prepared and organized is the number one reason why people fail at a diet program.  If you’re rushing around and don’t have what you need, you won’t have success.

For this diet, there are some particular supplies you’ll need to get started and to maintain your loss.  In this chapter we’ll go over what you need to have success and provide you with an easy checklist for getting started.

There are also actions that you need to take not directly related to supplies.  But these are just as important as having the right items available to you.  We’ll also take a look at what action steps you need to take.

Check with Your Healthcare Provider

The very first thing you need to do before beginning the hCG diet is to check with your healthcare provider and get the okay.  You need to make sure you don’t have any underlying issues such as diabetes or heart disease before getting started.

For women, you also need to make sure that you are not pregnant or trying to become pregnant before beginning the hCG diet.  It’s also a bad idea to begin the hCG diet if you’re being treated for infertility.

Before beginning any weight loss program, it’s a good idea to get the all clear from your doctor.  With the hCG diet, you may also want to go to your doctor for monitoring and to get prescriptions for the injections.

Make an appointment to discuss the options with your healthcare provider before beginning.  This way you can make sure you follow the diet safely and successfully.  Your doctor can be your partner in your weight loss program.

hCG Supply

When you begin the hCG diet, you’ll need to follow it to the absolute letter.  That means you can’t miss even a single dose of the hormone.  It’s critical that you have an adequate supply before you get started.

If you’re taking injections, you’ll have to have a prescription for the hormone.  If you’re choosing to use homeopathic drops, you can buy them without a prescription.  Many companies make starter kits that have a complete course of the hCG drops.

This is a good idea before you get started.  You’ll insure that you won’t run out of hormone before you finish the cycle.  If you don’t want to purchase a starter kit, calculate how much you’ll need and purchase a complete cycle.

This is the most expensive part of the program, so be prepared to invest in your dieting success.  If you’re going the homeopathic route, you’ll spend less than you will on injections.  It’s a good idea to find out the differences in cost and plan accordingly.

If you’re using injections, you’ll also need sterile alcohol wipes, syringes, and a sharps container for disposal. You may also want to get a few extra syringes for practicing injections.  Many people practice on an orange to get the hang of it.  Your doctor will help you to know what to do.

Filling Your Fridge

You’ll also need to have a supply of fresh foods to eat while you’re following this diet plan.  While you’re restricted to 500 calories each day, you also need to make sure you’re eating the right foods with those calories.

Because most of the foods you eat will need to be fresh fruits and vegetables, you’ll find that you have to make more trips to the supermarket than you may have made in the past.  Schedule a day that you will shop each week. 

Create a grocery list that you can use each week.  One of the easiest things to do is to plan a weekly menu and then just repeat it each week until the hCG cycle is over.  This will make it convenient to shop each week.

Your list will need to include:

·           fresh fruit

·           lemons

·           fresh vegetables

·           lean meat such as chicken and fish

·           melba toast

·           grissino bread stick

·           coffee or tea

·           fat free yogurt

·           fat free cottage cheese

Spice It Up

With only 500 calories each day, you may find yourself getting pretty bored of your food.  This is a good time to experiment with fresh herbs and spices.  If you haven’t been much of a cook before, you’ll probably need to stock up on spices.

Some good spices to add to your pantry include:

·           salt

·           pepper

·           cinnamon

·           paprika

·           lemon pepper

·           season salt

·           parsley

·           Italian seasoning

·           Poultry seasoning

·           Steak seasoning

You’ll also want to have fresh lemons on hand.  With the hCG diet it’s recommended that you consume the juice of one lemon each day.  Bottled lemon juice often contains added preservatives or sugars – so make sure to use real lemons.

Finally, you’ll also need to avoid sugar as a sweetener.  Instead, you’ll want to use stevia.  This is a natural sugar that comes from a plant.  It doesn’t have any added chemicals and it doesn’t have any calories.

Free Foods

With the hCG diet, you may want to take advantage of foods that are free and can be eaten at any time.  These are foods that have no calories and won’t add to your 500 calorie a day limitation.  Having a few of these items in your pantry will help you when you’re feeling like you need something extra.

Free foods include:

·           Miracle Noodles – these are noodles that have no calories or fat and come in many varieties

·           Chicken broth

·           Beef broth

·           Vegetable broth

·           Sugar free jello

·           Herbal tea

·           Coffee – black

·           Black tea

·           Green tea

Eating Organic

While you’re following the hCG diet, you need to stick to foods that are produced in the most natural way possible.  As often as you can, purchase organic produce and meats.  These will have fewer antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones.

You’ll also want to take a look at the products you put on your skin as these become absorbed by the body.  For example, while following the hCG diet you should avoid any lotion that’s not produced naturally.

The basic rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t put anything on your skin or hair that you wouldn’t eat.  While it’s best to avoid lotions altogether, many people choose to continue using them.  If you do, choose lotions and creams that are produced organically.

Purge Temptation

Chances are, your pantry is full of processed foods that include high amounts of sodium and sugar.  If this is the case, you need to make sure that you aren’t tempted to go off of the hCG diet with these items around. 

The best thing to do is to empty your pantry of any foods that may cause you to stray from the hCG plan.  If you only have the items that are sanctioned by the diet plan, it will be harder to go off of the diet.

If you don’t want to get rid of these items permanently, box them up and send them to someone else’s house for a time.  Remember, though, that the once you’ve completed the hCG protocol, you’ll probably have different tastes.

You’ll want to begin to eat healthier foods that aren’t processed as part of maintaining your weight loss and good health.  You may find that these items never get an invitation to come back to your home.

Odds and Ends

You’ll also need to have some basic supplies to help you with your diet efforts.  These don’t all fit into one category.  Rather they’re miscellaneous things that you need.  They include:

·           Scale

·           Journal

·           Food scale

·           Large water cup/bottle

·           Binder to organize supply lists and menus (you may also use this as a place to keep track of your weight and your food consumption)

·           Tape measure for taking inch measurements

·           Containers for taking food to work

Preparation Equals Success

Because you’re only eating a small amount of food, you don’t have a lot to purchase.  But making sure you have the proper things will help you to have success you desire.  Getting them before you even start will make it an easier transition to the new lifestyle.

When you’re disorganized, it’s difficult to stick to any type of routine.  With the hCG diet, you’ll need to be very self-disciplined.  Rather than find yourself feeling chaotic and stressed out, it’s best to plan ahead, get organized, and be prepared.

On the next three pages you’ll find some very helpful resources to help you get organized.  You’ll find that keeping all of your information in one place is critical to your success.  If you’re seeking the assistance of a physician, a binder will be easy to transport to appointments.

You can keep your menus, grocery lists, track your weight, and keep any lab reports from the doctor in this binder.  It makes it convenient to track your success when you keep everything in one place.

hCG Diet Preparation Checklist

            Make appointment with healthcare provider.  Get the okay to get started with a new diet program, discuss options of hCG injections vs. homeopathic drops.  Also verify that you are not pregnant, have basic blood work done to rule out diabetes or thyroid problems.

            Purchase hCG supplies.  Either homeopathic drops or vials of hCG with prescription at pharmacy.

            If using injectable hCG, purchase syringes, alcohol prep wipes, and sharps container for disposing of syringes.

            Make weekly menu following 500 calorie plan

            Make grocery list containing all foods included in menu.

            Purchase scale if necessary

            Purchase food scale if necessary

            Inventory spices and add necessary spices to grocery list

            Determine what system you will use to track your weight, food intake, and goals

            Purchase necessary journaling supplies – book, pencils, software, etc.

            Empty refrigerator and cabinets of all foods that are not allowed on hCG diet

            Purchase containers for taking food to work – disposable containers or reusable containers, lunch sac, etc.

            Purchase large container for water – either a bottle or large cup.  Remember you need 100 ounces each day!

            Set date to begin.  For women, make sure you begin right after your menstrual period ends.

            Put together a binder that contains all the important information for your diet.  You can also use this to store your favorite food lists and recipes.

            Make sure to stock up on free foods so that you always have them available when the 500 calories are not satisfying your hunger.

Weekly Menu Worksheet

Daily Guidelines:

            Vegetables – 1 serving, 2X a day

            Fruits – 1 serving, 2X a day

            3 oz. lean meat, 2X a day

            2 melba toasts or 2 grissino breadsticks – daily

            The juice of one lemon each day

            Fresh herbs and seasonings - unlimited

                      Sunday   Monday   Tuesday   Wednesday   Thursday   Friday    Saturday

Breakfast                                                                              

Lunch                                                                        

Dinner                                                                       

Snack                                                                        

TOTAL CALORIES EACH DAY SHOULD NOT EXCEED 500

hCG Diet Daily Journal

Day:___________  Date:___________

Daily Food Consumption

Breakfast      

Lunch

Dinner           

Snacks          

Location         Measurements (inches)

Upper Arm  

Thigh 

Waist 

Bust/Chest   

Hips   

            hCG taken

            100 ounces water

Weight:________________

Pounds lost/gained:______

Total lost to date:________