Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking on the HCG Diet

The HCG Diet is an amazing weight loss program that allows substantial, rapid weight loss results when followed explicitly. However, the pitfalls lie in the hands of every dieter who lack information and who were not aware of the intricacies of this potentially complex diet program. If you are not careful enough you can fall into some traps. Keep in mind that it’s not only with what you eat that matters. The way you prepare your foods, how you cook them, and how you select your menu item also counts.

Below are some cooking mistakes nearly every HCG dieter makes on the HCG Diet:

Cooking mistake# 1: Not weighing the meat before cooking. This is a very common mistake most newbies make on the HCG Diet. All protein serving must be 100 grams and you should weigh it raw and not cooked. The 100-gram portion size is based on raw meat. Do not weigh the meat after it was cooked already. Trim all the visible fats before cooking them so you can get all lean proteins which are good for weight loss.

Cooking mistake# 2: The use of oil. It’s a BIG NO on the HCG Diet. It’s actually forbidden to use one when you cook. Cooking without oil might sound kind of hard but you need to follow the rules.  Instead, you can use a non-stick pan or grill to cook your meat without using any cooking spray. And if you feel you must use cooking spray to avoid ruining the pan, spray the smallest amount possible and do it very quickly. You might as well spray on a paper towel and just grease the pan with the paper towel. Be careful with the zero calories on the cooking spray because the main ingredient is still oil. If you want, you can also use broth as a substitute for oil.

Cooking mistakes#3: Using of aspartame, sucralose, and other sweeteners. Low-calorie sweeteners are a good way to get rid of all the sweet taste without any guilt.However, when consumed in larger dosage, artificial sweeteners can make you fat. The more you consume them the more fats your body stores.

Cooking mistakes#4: You’re over-salting: Too much salt on your food is not only bad for your health but as well as to your waistline.

• Salt increases your thirst. That would be fine if you will quench it with water but the thing is, you oftentimes turn to high-calorie drinks like diet soda and fruit juices which can contribute to weight gain.
• Too much salt intake can cause your body to retain more water than usual and this can show up as extra pound on the scale. You can temporarily gain about two to three pounds within the day or two of consumption.
• Salt may make your fat cell larger- in particular, the fat that accumulates around your waistline. No one needs that.

Cooking mistakes#5: Not checking the ingredients on the seasonings and spices when cooking. Spices and seasonings are the best way to add flavor to your foods without the extra calories. However, you have to check the labels first before cooking for ingredients not allowed on the HCG Diet like sugar, starch, and oil. Start with the most prevalent ingredients such as sucrose, glucose, corn syrup, and honey. Hidden starches like maltodextrin and hydrolyzed starch.

Cooking mistakes#6: Nibbling and tasting while you cook. Taking even a small bite of what you are cooking with can really add up if you’re not careful enough. When you mindlessly nibble just two small cubes of cheese while you prepare your meal can add 200 calories. It can be quite difficult but avoiding temptations in the kitchen will prevent additional pound built-up on your waist. So better keep some crunchy veggies with low-fat dip to nibble in case you can’t resist.

Cooking mistakes#7: Not being careful when choosing seafood for protein options. Not all types of fish and seafood are allowed on the HCG Diet so better be careful. For instance, salmon, tuna packed in oil, or imitation crabs are not HCG diet-friendly seafood. Pickled fish, dried fish, herring and eel are also not allowed on the HCG Diet.

Cooking mistakes#8: Mixing of veggies. Per Dr. Simeons’ protocol, only one veggie from the list of allowable vegetables is allowed per meal. He restricted the mixing of veggies while on phase 2 of the HCG diet although he didn’t specifically explain why. It is believed that this was to avoid consuming too many calories mindlessly but modern-day variations of the said protocol do mix their veggie options and still manage to lose weight.

Cooking mistakes#9: You’re using the wrong cut of meat. You are allowed to eat 100 grams of meat for lunch and dinner. Beef is just one type of protein you can have on the HCG Diet but not every type of cut is HCG approved. When choosing the right cut, choose the extra-lean such as sirloin, filet mignon, bottom round, and sirloin tip roast. T-bone steak, on the other hand, has a higher fat percentage. You need to remove the bones too to get a proper weight.

Cooking mistakes#10: You’re using canned veggies when cooking. Canned veggies and fruits are not allowed on any phases of the HCG Diet.

• They have lower nutrients.
• Added sodium as preservative and sugar to enhance the flavor and in some cases to maintain texture. Too much sodium can cause weight gain while sugar is forbidden in the HCG Diet.
• Exposure to BPA, a chemical compound in the aluminum and tin cans. Even at a low dose, BPA is toxic and is linked with health problems including obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases.

Steer clear of canned veggies when cooking so you do not experience weight gain. Choose fresh or frozen veggies in preparing your meal.