Are HCG Diet Success Stories Real?

My answer is yes because I am a living proof of that!

I bet you have seen several before and after pictures or read lots of amazing weight loss breakthrough and then fall short of expectation. Now, it happened to almost all kinds of weight loss programs which is why seeing an HCG diet before and after pictures makes you skeptical to plunge into the diet.

Starting a new diet can be scary especially if you have tried many other diets before. It’s hard to set a goal weight then only finding out that you’ve only lost a few pounds, even worse gained a pound or two.

How I begin the diet

My goal weight is to lose at least 30 pounds and nothing more. I don’t want to set a goal weight that I can’t achieve. I have decided to do the shorter round and see how much weight I will lose. Now, I am so happy to tell the world that I’ve just completed the second phase of the HCG Diet. I have lost a total of 12 pounds off my body. On average I lost half a pound each day.

Struggles encountered on Phase 2

There are definitely bumps along the way whatever diet plans we choose. Just like other HCG dieters out there, I have also struggled during phase 2. Phase 2 is quite challenging. Good thing I was determined to lose weight or else I would have quit. Since I am following the original protocol by Dr. Simeons I am only allowed to eat 500 calories a day using very specific food choices and cooked in a very specific way.  No kidding! None the less I have survived. Cooking without any traces of oils or butter was kind of hard!

My first round with HCG Diet wasn’t that bad at all. I have experienced a weight-loss stall for 2 days because I cheated and gained a pound the next day. It makes me feel really bad after cheating. I could have lost more had I not cheated. Overall, I did well and I am so proud of myself. Lesson learned? Be mindful with what we eat, acknowledge all our hard work when doing any diet.

Here’s what I eat (except for the day I cheated)

My typical day looks like this:

• Breakfast: Coffee sweetened with stevia
• Fruit options: Handful of strawberries, apples, and grapefruits. I found that strawberries and apples are my way to go.
• Veggies options: I eat non-starchy veggies like lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and onions for a salad. Cauliflower rice, zucchini, asparagus, cabbage and broccoli
• Protein options: Lean beef, chicken breast, eggs, cottage cheese white fish
• Carb options: Melba toast or Grissini stick that I have usually during my snack along with coffee. (I need a few sticks throughout my diet so I won’t feel hungry).
• Tea: My favorites are the Yerba and chamomile Mate tea and I would have them throughout the day. I also love the Trader Joes Harvest Blend.

My typical meal plans:

• Breakfast: Tea or coffee with Stevia with 1 tablespoon of milk
• Morning snack: 1 serving of fruit such as orange, apple or blueberries, blended coffee
• Lunch: Roasted steak and onion, white fish taco wraps, 1 veggie serving such as roast tomato slices, oven-roasted asparagus,  strawberries
• Snack: Grissini stick, tea, frozen strawberry slushy
• Dinner: Chicken apple wrap, 1 serving of fruit such as blueberries, grapefruit spritzer or baked toffee apples and 1 veggie serving
• Evening snack: Tea with grissini stick

My 3 favorite recipes:

Garlic crusted sirloin

What you need:

100 grams of sirloin steak

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. whole black peppercorn

½ tsp. salt

4 cups celery

½ cup beef stock

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

What to do:

1. Crush the black peppercorn and combined it with garlic powder, salt and dried parsley in a small bowl.
2. Coat each sirloin steak with the peppercorn evenly.
3. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Sear the meat and deglaze it periodically with a beef broth or water to prevent it from burning.
4. Add the celery to the pan. Season it with salt and pepper then sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly tender.
5. Add the beef broth and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
6. Remove the cover and continue simmering for another 5 minutes until the beef stock evaporated.
7. Heat another pan over medium heat while the celery simmers. Sear the steak for about 4 to minutes on each side. Remove it on the pan and cover it with an aluminum foil and let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve it with fresh minced garlic.

Chicken Apple Wrap

What you need:

• 100 grams of diced chicken
• Smoked paprika
• 1 small apple, diced
• Pepper
• Salt
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom
• Stevia
• Greek Yogurt
• Iceberg lettuce

What to do:

1. Cook diced chicken meat with a dash of pepper, smoked paprika and salt.
2. Mix the cooked diced chicken meat in with the diced apple. Season it with cinnamon, lemon juice, cardamom, Greek yogurt. Sweetened it with Stevia.
3. Spoon the mixture into an open lettuce leaf, roll up and serve.

White Fish Taco Wraps

What you need:

• 100 grams whitefish
• ½ cup of water
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• Apple cider vinegar
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Romaine lettuce
• Cilantro
• HCG Diet friendly salsa
• Lemon wedges

What to do:

1. Combine minced garlic, lemon juice salt and pepper and coat the whitefish evenly. You may opt to use a zip lock bag or use your hands to coat the mixture. Let it stand for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Bake the fish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
3. Evenly divide the fish and place it in lettuce leave then roll.
4. Add an HCG Diet-friendly salsa. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and cilantro.