HCG Diet + Exercise

One of the most common questions that dieters ask is whether they can incorporate exercise on the HCG Diet. Is it a good idea to combine exercise while doing the HCG Diet? Before you hit the gym while your body is in calorie deficit its best to understand first the pros and cons of doing an exercise while on the diet.

What to consider when you try to incorporate HCG Diet with exercise?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you feel crappy after doing an exercise?
• Do you get food cravings?
• Do you feel exhausted after exercise?

If your answer is yes, then it’s an indicator that you are not fit to do an exercise on the HCG Diet.

ü Do you feel fine after exercising? Or good even?

Well, that indicates that adding exercise on your protocol can be beneficial. If you are overweight yet your body is healthy, exercise while using the HCG injection is much better than just simply using the HCG injections at all. Just do not overdo it or you could potentially loss excess muscle. If you’re considering doing an intense one, you need to increase your protein intake like adding a protein intake like protein shakes.

Dr. Simeons protocol

On his “Pounds and Inches”, Dr. Simeon prohibits exercise on the HCG Diet. He clearly recommends only good cardio activities like walking, playing golf and jogging to no more than 30 minutes per day which can be very frustrating for those who want to live an active lifestyle or for those who want to tone their body as they lose weight.

The good news is, you can actually exercise a bit more while still reaping the benefits of the HCG Diet by making some adjustments to your caloric intake- add another 250 calories a day to your meal. Here are the guidelines that you should follow:

1.     Eat only the approved HCG Diet foods and drink the required amount of water throughout the day. This can be extremely important for you not to give priority.

2.     Count your calorie intake. Calculate the number of calories you add on each meal to replenish your body after each workout.

3.     Add a reasonable portion of food to your diet after exercise. When you burn 300 calories after an hour of walk or jog, then you need to add an extra protein, vegetable or fruit serving to your daily intake. However, do not burn more than 400 calories on a single workout even when you have increased your calorie intake.

What to expect from combining exercise and HCG injection?

1.     You may need to eat a little more

Running on a low-calorie deficit might cause your body to burn muscles instead of fats. A decrease in muscle mass can slow down your metabolism so you should increase your calorie intake a bit. Add some extra protein in the morning or before or after a workout.  You can add whey protein powder or some egg whites over the 500 calories a day.

2.     Expect a slower weight loss

You may experience a slower weight loss but is because of water retention. Your actual fat loss is not affected.

3.     Replace your lose electrolytes

Keep your electrolytes balanced while sticking to the hcg diet protocol by replacing your lost electrolytes during the workout. You can actually drink water- plenty of it, in fact, but screwing up your electrolytes. A simple way to keep your electrolytes balanced is to add a little squeezed of lemon on your glass of water with a dash of salt in it.

Sample Menu (750 calories)

Breakfast

1 omelet (one whole egg with 3 egg whites)-80 calories

1 whole grapefruit -104 calories

1.4 cup tomatoes with pepper- 20 calories or ¼ cup mushroom- 20 calories

A cup of coffee with milk- 5 calories

Lunch

½ cup cottage cheese- 81 calories

1 cup approved HCG Diet fruits- 110 calories

1 cup sliced cucumber with seasoning- 16 calories

1 Grissini stick or Melba toast- 60 calories

Dinner

1 apple -65 calories

4 oz. grilled chicken- 116 calories

1 medium sliced zucchini with onion and seasoning- 33 calories

Melba toast or Grissini stick- 60 calories

Acceptable exercise

·        Phase 2

The HCG requires you to do light exercises only such as easy biking, yoga and walking without increasing your caloric intake. However, if you wish to do more than just walking, yoga or biking, you can as long as you will need to up your intake of calories between 100 and 250 calories a day.  Light exercise like walking, yoga or biking will help keep your muscle tone and fit without compromising your weight loss. However, if your body is accustomed to intense exercises like swimming or running, at least cut down on the duration and increase your caloric intake.

The minimum requirement is that you need to walk an hour a day for at least five to six days a week. Although some of you might not consider walking as exercise, for those who have not gotten off the couch for too long might find walking to be an exercise.

To get those fat cells working, you need to be mobile and get your blood pumping. The only way for the loose fat is to let it excrete out of your body through your urinary tract or your sweat but do not overdo it. You should schedule at least 45 to 60 minutes-walk plus another 10 to 30 minutes high-intensity training workout.  

·        Phase 3

During the stabilization phase, you can increase the amount of intensity of your exercise. You can start with a balanced exercise routine line visiting training classes at the gym or run outside but then again, do not overdo your exercise. Focus on the ones that will not raise your heart rate above 100 bpm. Remember that you have just gone through major stress so you have to give your body some time to adjust.

Exercise to avoid

Avoid doing vigorous exercises which can lead to muscle fatigue and exhaustion like weight lifting. You may resume doing the intense workout once you have completed your diet.