Do’s and Don’ts During the 500-Calorie Diet Phase of the HCG Protocol
While the HCG Protocol isn't very complicated, it can seem so due to the many restrictions and caveats. But really, it's pretty straightforward, and if you familiarize yourself with the ins and outs and do's and don'ts before you begin, it will make adhering to the protocol much easier. Here, then, are the most important do's and don'ts to keep in mind during the VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) phase of the protocol.
Don't use any cosmetics with an oil base, including foundation, moisturizing lipstick, and eye shadow.
Do remember that if it's not on the allowable list of food, you can't have it without compromising your success.
Do weigh your meat when it's raw and after cutting off all visible fat. Use a high quality scale that's accurate to a gram or to a tenth of an ounce.
Don't worry if you're not hungry enough to eat all of your daily food. If you are cutting food out, cut your breadstick first, then fruit. Make an effort to eat your vegetable and, even more so, your protein. Do feel free to consume your fruit or breadstick spread out over the day. For example, if you decide you really need to eat something in the morning besides tea or coffee, have your breadstick and/or one of your 2 daily allotted fruits, but be sure to omit them from either your lunch or dinner menu. Also, don't eat any two of the same items at the same time, such as both breadsticks or two apples.
Do keep a list of permissible foods handy in the kitchen and one in your purse or wallet and check the list before each meal to ensure you haven't included anything forbidden or mixed anything that shouldn't be mixed. Especially in the beginning, relying on memory can have consequences if you get it wrong.
Don't forget the most important thing — the HCG. Trying to subsist on 500 calories a day without HCG for multiple days in a row will be uncomfortable and less successful in the short run and unhealthy and very unsuccessful in the long run. If there's no HCG to release abnormal fat into the bloodstream to serve as your nutrients for the day, you will be starving yourself and that is a miserable existence.
Do set a regular schedule for dosing with HCG to ensure you don't forget or take your HCG doses too close together or too far apart. Try to spread out your doses equally throughout the day.
Don't replace two small apples for one large apple — the same for other fruit.
Do note that a chicken breast means only a chicken breast — not a turkey breast or a duck breast or a chicken thigh or a chicken drumstick. I know…picky, picky.
Don't use any lotions, creams, or other body care products that have moisturizing lotions in them. Choose only oil-free products, because the oil can get into your body from your skin and interfere with the protocol, leading to a slowing down of weight loss or a plateau. Make note of any products that go into your mouth and/or come into contact with your skin. You want to be able to refer to this information for possible culprits if your weight loss suddenly slows.
Don't forget to record your weight on your progress chart every day, and make notes of anything questionable in case your weight loss slows or stops.