Cravings often come when it is your first time trying the HCG diet. This is because of the existing food chemicals and calories in your body. However, cravings will just be gone when the HCG is totally in your system. Hunger happens during the first 3 days of the VLCD. However, a hunger that lasts for weeks is not normal. Do not just go on the duration of the diet without killing the cravings. The more you feel hungry, the more you get stressed.
There are effective strategies that will lower the possible occurrence of cravings and hunger during the HCG diet. You have to stay on your diet track for greater weight loss. You have to follow the guidelines and protocol of the HCG diet. This will lead you to a new lifestyle and habits that are related to reaching your weight loss goal. It is important to know that a craving is not healthy especially when you are doing the VLCD. Cravings are an unhealthy signal of your body that causes you to eat certain unhealthy food. There are effective ways that counter cravings and may help you lose weight.
What is the cause of cravings?
One cause of cravings is simply old habits. Some of it is caused by dehydration. It may also be caused by high-stress levels. Controlling it depends on your discipline towards diet. Your unhealthy habits and lifestyle can also lead you to cravings and snack a lot. In short, cravings are caused by both physiological and situational things.
What will happen if you fail to counter cravings during the HCG diet?
Intentional cheating happens when you give in to food cravings during the HCG diet. This does not just cause you to gain weight but also it affects the work of HCG in your body. Cravings are mostly because of emotions. It does not have something to do with your body. Cravings have nothing to do with the supplication of nutrients in your body. Giving in to cravings is not nutritious at all.
The effective ways to deal cravings during the HCG diet
- Deal with thirst right away
There are cravings that are caused by thirst. That is why you have to be effective in dealing with cravings. The first thing you would do when you crave is to drink water right away and wait for 20 minutes. Why do you have to wait for 20 minutes? It is because it only takes 20 minutes for cravings to be gone. Even if you are not thirsty, you still have to stay hydrated. Water is important in the body for refreshment. Drinking plenty of water has a lot of health benefits.
- Load more on protein
Protein can suppress your appetite and the possibility of getting hunger and cravings. This will help the dieter from eating too much. Protein can reduce cravings and gives longer satisfaction. It will also reduce the possibility of having a snack during nighttime. Protein intake can reduce your cravings. A high level of protein is usually found in lean meat.
- Do not prolong your hunger
A prolonged hunger can cause cravings and make you eat too much on your next meal. Extreme hunger will push us to load more on unhealthy foods. Prepare a meal that is allowed and stay in the 500 calorie limitations of the HCG diet. Being prepared to counter hunger can stop cravings from showing up. Have yourself a healthy snack wherever you go.
- Be mindful in eating
Being mindful will help you determine the difference between hunger and cravings. It can help you think and decide properly on how you respond to cravings. A 500 calorie meal plan is enough for each HCG dieter. See to eat that you have the proper meal portion. Be aware of the food labels. Stay away from carbs and sugar in the duration of the HCG diet.
- Have enough sleep and be more physically active
Proper sleep takes off high levels of stress hormones that can cause constant cravings. Avoiding stress will boost your brain, renew your strength and increases your focus. Physical activities, on the other hand, will keep off your hunger and cravings. It can help in digestion and metabolism.
- You can also distract yourself
Keep yourself away from the foods that you crave or in the surrounding f unhealthy foods. If cravings strike, do something that makes you busy. Do not entertain cravings in your mind. You can do something that makes you forget about craving. Make yourself busy by arranging your shelf or cleaning your bed.
- Identify the cause and manage your emotions
Know the cause of cravings for you to be able to do something about it. Cravings are sometimes caused by intense emotion. Control your emotions towards food. Diverse yourself if you tend to eat a lot. Dealing with emotional eating can prevent you from gaining weight. Manage your feelings before you manage cravings.
- Choose healthy meals
Stay away from the causes of cravings and choose HCG healthy meals. Stay on track as you indulge in healthy food choices. You can find any delicious meals on the HCG food list. Having discipline in eating is an effective way to keep weight loss for so long. Healthy meals are foods that contain single-ingredient such as freshly picked products.
How to counter weight loss stall that is caused by cravings?
The recommended aid to stop the weight loss stall is the steak and apple day. It is a known correction that promotes weight loss during the HCG diet. You have to eat nothing all day and have a big steak at dinner. You can also have an apple or tomato along with the steak. Apple day, on the other hand, is a way of eating an apple during lunch and for the rest of your day. You can have it on lunch on the first day and end it at night on the next day. This is to end cravings and balancing your calories.
