Constipation While on the HCG Diet
We occasionally get calls from customers asking what they can do for constipation while on the HCG Diet. First, know that just because you don’t have a bowel movement every day, doesn’t mean that you are constipated. Dr. Simeons, the doctor who formulated the HCG Diet, said, “Owing to the restricted diet, it is perfectly satisfactory and normal to have an evacuation of the bowel only once every three to four days and that, provided plenty of fluids are taken, this never leads to any disturbance.” In layman’s terms, not much in…not much out. Don’t worry about it unless you become uncomfortable or the number of days in between BMs gets to be 7 or so.
Preventing Constipation
If you are a person who struggles with constipation on a regular basis, no matter if you are dieting or not, there are a couple of things you can do to prevent constipation from the “get go” when you begin the HCG Diet.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Walk 20-30 minutes per day.
- Don’t skip the vegetable or fruit that you get at each of the 2 meals per day.
- Eat the vegetable and fruit raw rather than cooking them.
Relieving Constipation
If it is too late for prevention and you find yourself already constipated while on the HCG Diet, below are some things that you can do.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Walk 20-30 minutes per day.
- When deciding which vegetables/fruit to eat, choose the ones from the list of 13 allowable vegetables and 4 allowable fruits that naturally help to relieve constipation. They are:
- cabbage
- chicory
- cucumber
- fennel
- red radishes
- tomatoes
- grapefruit
- oranges
- strawberries
- Eat the vegetables and fruit raw rather than cooked.
- Make lemon water by mixing the juice of half a lemon into a glass of warm water. (Remember, the juice of one whole lemon is allowed per day.) Drink this mixture at night and first thing in the morning.
- If #5 above doesn’t help the situation, drink a cup of Organic Smooth Move Tea (0 Calories) before bedtime. We’ve been recommending Smooth Move Tea to our customers for years in order to relieve occasional constipation without negatively affecting their rate of weight loss.
- If none of the natural options specified above are productive, we suggest you purchase MiraLAX Laxative Powder (plain, not flavored) from your local supermarket and take per the instructions on the bottle.