In the Beginning…The Load or HCG Diet Gorge Days
It may feel counter-intuitive to let yourself have free reign of high-calorie, fat and sugar-laden foods just when you're on the brink of starting a new diet. It's important to remember, though, that the HCG Protocol isn't a diet, but rather a collection of processes that strive to push a physiological re-set button to normalize your body's functions and reach a normal weight.
Why Gorging is Essential
Gorging for the first 2-3 days of taking HCG is paramount to the success of the protocol. This is because doing so restocks the body's normal – but possibly depleted – fat reserves, which will help prevent hunger once the 500-daily calorie intake commences. Additionally, this is a good time to get all of your food and drink cravings out of the way. If you gorge properly, the thought of food might actually make you feel a bit sick, which is a good psychological place to be as you move into the restrictive phase.
Rest assured that if you follow the protocol to the letter, you'll lose any weight you gain within the first 48 hours of beginning the low calorie diet phase.
When to Gorge
Generally, you should start taking HCG and start gorging on high-calorie, fattening foods 2-3 days before moving to the low calorie diet.
What You Should Eat During Your Gorge Days
There's no set recommended diet to follow on your “gorge” or “load” days, and you shouldn’t make yourself sick, but a successful gorge does leave you feeling stuffed. A schedule might look like breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and a late-night snack. Remember that the goal is to re-stock your fat stores, and get physically and psychologically prepared for the next 30 or so days of the low calorie diet. While all food is allowed during the gorge, high-fat foods are ideal for this purpose. Try to avoid huge amounts of sugar and instead focus on fat-based calories.
A sample gorge might look something like this:
Breakfast: Bacon, eggs, biscuit with gravy
Mid-morning snack: Guacamole and chips
Lunch: A fast-food big hamburger, French fries dipped in ranch dressing, and a milkshake
Mid-afternoon snack: Peanut butter with an apple
Dinner: Steak, baked potato with butter and sour cream, French bread with butter and/or melted cheese, a salad with a generous helping of full-fat dressing, and cheesecake
Late-night snack: Cheese and crackers with a glass of wine
At the end of the gorging days, it's a good idea to either finish the high-fat foods you have on hand or get them out of the house just to avoid any temptation in the first days of the restrictive, very low calorie diet.