The HCG suppresses your appetite, making it easy for you to stick to a very low-calorie diet. It helps the body burn fat while retaining your muscle mass. Hunger happens in the first few days of starting the VLCD. It is a sign of your body that it is adjusting to the calorie intake. Symptoms of hunger during the VLCD will be gone as soon as the HCG takes place.
The first step you should do when you feel hunger is to determine if it is physical or emotional. If it is psychological, then take some time to avoid foods as much as possible. Look for some distractions to avoid eating foods. If it is physical hunger, you can drink water and wait for twenty minutes. Some causes often mislead thirst into starvation. When it persists for more minutes, then it is the time that you will eat food such as fruit.
Five things you can do when hunger strikes on your HCG diet
- Adjust your HCG dose. With your dietician’s guidance, you can increase or lower your HCG dose. The mechanism of HCG depends on your body type, gender, and weight loss goal. Adjust your dosage to see which level can help you lose weight and curb hunger.
- Take your HCG at the same time. One common reason why you experience hunger is the unusual shots of HCG. Avoid missing a dose of HCG. Ensure that you will not go on 24-hours without the HCG shots. Set a reminder or alarm in your phone to remind you of your daily dose.
- Drink lots of water. During the HCG diet, you need to drink two liters of water per day. It will help you maintain hydration and improve satiety. Water can also boost the flow of nutrients and waste in and out of your body. Take note that you need to avoid drinking two liters of water all at once. Start with a lower amount and increase until the color of your urine becomes normal. Drinking enough water will lessen the burden on your liver and kidney.
- Eat more vegetables- The fiber content of vegetables helps in improving your satiety. During the HCG diet, you can have two portions of vegetables per day as part of your 500 calorie diet. Do not mix different kinds of vegetables in one serving. Opt for fresh products and avoid eating canned vegetables.
- Split your fruit intake. Instead of eating whole fruit in one sitting, you can split it into half. It will give you something to eat when you are hungry in between meals. So, instead of eating a whole apple during lunch, you can eat half of it and leave the remaining for your snack. It is a way of maintaining satiety without adding more calories.
Avoid skipping your HCG meals because it prolongs hunger. Extended starvation will cause you to eat more during your next mealtime. Manage your meal sizes so that you can have something to grab when you are hungry. Avoid eating when you have high stress levels.
