Fats have gotten a bad reputation in the past for being unhealthy, but did you know that there are actually fats out there that are good for you?  Healthy fats are monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and fats that are high in Omega-3s.  When it comes to these healthy fats, they should make up about 30% of your daily calories once you have completed the Liquid HCG Diet. The following foods are rich in these fats:

• Olive oil
•  Almonds and other nuts
• Avocados
• Fatty fish like salmon, herring, trout, tuna, mackerel and sardines 
• Seeds such as flaxseed, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds
• Coconut oil is a saturated fat but carries great health benefits as well, just be sure to eat the organic non-hydrogenated type. 

Now the bad fats that you want to always avoid are trans-fats.  These are what you will find in commercially baked products such as muffins, cookies, cakes and packaged snack foods.  They are also found in fried foods as well.   The biggest thing you have probably already learned while being on LHCG is to READ YOUR LABELS!  This will be one of the healthiest habits you can get into doing!  Continue this for the rest of your life.  It is so important to be knowledgeable about what you are putting into your body as well as your families.  Health Coaches are available to answer any questions that you may have at 800-980-7208.

We often get asked if it’s okay to drink alcohol while on the Liquid HCG Diet. We do not recommend alcohol in phase 2 or 3, due to the sugar and starch content as well as the calories. The safest alcohol cheat is vodka and that still contains about 70 calories per ounce. Do not be tempted to swap these calories out from your allotted 530 daily calories. Doing this would throw you into starvation mode and is not safe.

We have noticed that people who do consume alcohol often gain weight or stall, if you drink in phase 2, you may gain, as your hypothalamus gland has not been reset yet. Though, since the hypothalamus gland controls the emotional eating and drinking part of the brain, most people find that they do not crave the desire to drink any more.

Remember that this diet is only for a short time and the results are worth staying strict to the protocol. If you have any further questions, call the health coaches at 800-980-7208.

Vitamins and minerals are essential to your health. Most people are not getting enough of these nutrients through food. For example, Vitamin C is not produced naturally in the body. That means that unless you are supplementing or eating foods high in the vitamin, you will often be deficient and it is a critical nutrient for your body.

While on the Liquid HCG Diet Plan you will be following a very low calorie diet comprised of only clean foods. These foods will help supply the body with necessary nutrients but even with that you may need more.

For this reason we recommend the following supplements while on the HCG Diet Plan:
1. Multi-vitamin for all around good health care. There has been some concern about sugars being added to these vitamins. The minimal amount of sugar in them is acceptable and outweighed by the benefits of taking the vitamin.
2. B-12 to help with energy. Preferably in liquid form.
3. Potassium can help ease and prevent any muscle cramping.
4. Magnesium/Calcium combination can be added if needed.

Most HCG diet companies will tell you to stop taking fish oils while on the low calorie portion of the diet. Fish oil is very important for the body and helps it to function at a higher level. If you have already been taking fish oil you can continue taking them throughout the program. Because these can help your body function properly, it can even help speed up the weight loss process a bit.

If you choose to follow the Liquid HCG ACTIVE program, we have put together a list of additional supplements that are targeted directly to someone who is working out. These will help protect lean muscle while you are exercising and losing weight on the program. These will be listed in our booklet that you get when you purchase but you can also read more about that at http://www.liquidhcgdiet.com/liquid-hcg-active-recommended-supplements/.

As always, we have Health Coaches standing by to answer your questions. Just call: 1-800-980-7208.

The first thing that jumps out at people when they hear about the HCG Diet is that you follow a very low calorie diet (VLCD), which is off putting for many dieters as they fear they will be too hungry to stick to such restrictions. And in most cases they are correct. Doing such a VLCD without following the Liquid HCG Diet program and using the Amino Diet Plus+ drops would lead to hunger which makes it difficult to stick to any diet program. So how does the Liquid HCG Diet help with appetite suppressant?

When used for dieting, HCG’s primary function is to pull energy (calories) from stored fat cells which can help a bit with appetite suppressant, but most find that HCG alone is not enough to help them stick to the VLCD. For this reason, we have added the following amino acids to our formulation:

• Arginine:  aids in weight loss and promotes lean muscle mass.
• L-Carnitine: reduces hunger, burns fat, and increases energy.
• Ornithine: supplies energy to every cell in the body.
• Tyrosine: balances fat regulating hormones, acts as an appetite suppressant.

Once you have finished phases 1-3 of the Liquid HCG Diet, you have a pretty good understanding of clean eating and how your body processes food. Now you are ready to begin phase 4 and begin to incorporate what you have learned into a healthier lifestyle. Because you have worked hard to lose the weight you want to keep it off, right? Here are a few guidelines of things to eat after the diet:

1. ADD SLOWLY: As with phase 3 of the HCG Diet, a key to keeping the weight off will be adding in new foods slowly and learning how your body processes each food. Some foods will make you gain and others will not. Take the time to learn which foods nourish your body and allow you to maintain your weight loss.
2. EXERCISE: You have lost weight and exercising will help you keep it off but will also improve your cardiovascular health and many other health benefits. This is a key to improving your quality of life.
3. MODERATION: Yes, you can eat anything you want now, but in moderation. Keep serving sizes small and don’t indulge often. Keep in mind that when you eat out, your body really only needs a quarter or half of a typical restaurant portion. You have locked in your weight set point, but you can still gain the weight back by reverting to old habits.
4. WATER: Continue to keep water as your main source of fluids. Water keeps you away from unhealthy artificial sweeteners and also keeps you from getting dehydrated. You should have a minimum of 64 ounces of water per day, but half your body weight in ounces is still a good guideline.
5. BROWN NOT WHITE: Stay away from simple carbohydrates, such as white breads, rice, pasta, etc. Eat whole grain instead. White carbohydrates have had all the good nutrition value taken out of them and are a quick way to gain weight.
6. BALANCED DIET: We recommend a 40, 30, 30 split in your diet. That means that 40% of your daily intake should come from protein such as chicken, turkey, or fish; 30% from healthy fats such as olive oil and almonds; and 30% from carbohydrates, including healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables. There is no set calorie amount for phase 4 as it will vary for each person depending on lifestyle, body mass index, age, and sex. A basic guide, however, is to take your desired weight and multiply it by 11. For example, if your goal weight is 140 then your target daily caloric intake would be 1540 (140 x 11 = 1540).

The bottom line for phase 4 is to keep your diet well balanced and use things like sugar and starches in moderation. Following these tips will allow you to continue to keep the weight off and live a healthy lifestyle without missing out on the yummy things in life!

Bob Moawad said, "The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses; no one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins." From now and forever may we all learn the power of self-control.

The diet encourages you to eat lean meat, veggies and fruit; it eliminates all refined carbohydrates and processed sugars. If you stick with theses habits, they’ll serve you the rest of your life. Here is what one of our Team L-HCG members has to say about this, “This diet has taught me so much about life and living, but the biggest lesson I have learned is that I have the power to control what goes into my mouth. I have learned that I can not only tell my kids no, but I can tell myself no and that is ok.” This is the time when you can learn how to keep your healthier body and the health coaches are available at 800-980-7208 to answer questions.

We are often asked about the actual eating plan that you follow while on the HCG Diet. This is a different plan from most diets that you see, starting with breakfast. On a normal eating plan breakfast should be your biggest meal, but for the short time you are on phase 2 you don’t eat a breakfast at all. In fact, while on the very low calorie diet (VLCD) you only eat 2 meals daily. Each meal consists of a protein, fruit, 2 veggies, and one carbohydrate serving. This balance along with the Liquid HCG drops will allow you to lose weight rapidly.

A few things to remember about a VLCD day:

• Drink your water! Getting half your body weight in ounces is not only good for you and the diet by flushing out toxins, but also helps with (more…)

Follow @liquidhcgdiet on twitter this weekend to be entered to win a FREE Liquid HCG Diet kit! We will randomly pick one name and announce it Monday evening on twitter! Make sure you check back to see if you win!

We will be offering daily tips, motivation, recipes, product release information, and promo codes on our twitter account. This is a great tool to keep you focused on reaching your weight loss goals!

While following phase 2 of the Liquid HCG Diet it is important to measure your food and keep track of your calories. In our book, Succeeding With HCG, that you receive when you order we give you the approximate calorie count in each of the approved foods, but we are often asked how to measure each food. So here is a basic rundown:

• Protein -  There are 2 servings of protein, each weighing 3.5 ounces or 100 grams and should be measured raw.
• Fruits - One serving is one whole fruit with the exception of cherries, which are measured by the cup and 2 plums count as one serving.
• Vegetables – The following are measured in whole sizes: 1 medium cucumber, 1 medium green or red pepper, tomato, and one medium zucchini; the rest of the veggies are measured by cup.

If you find it difficult to measure your vegetables in cups, then you can look up the grams online and use a weight instead. For example, 1 cup of broccoli weighs approximately 71 grams.

One of the things that we have often heard has maximized weight loss in HCG dieters is keeping a food journal. Simply writing down what you eat throughout the day can help you stay on track and help you avoid cheating. There are also websites that offer calorie counting and tracking, such as myfitnesspal.com. You will see variances from each source so remember that the most important thing is to pick one source and use it for all foods while on the program.

Ready to get started on the HCG diet or have more questions? Health coaches are available at 800-980-7208 to assist you.

Hello team LHCG! Need a little extra encouragement throughout the day? Or want to stay up to date with whats going on at Liquid HCG Diet? We have added another way for you to get tips, recipes, encouragement and even promo’s! You can simply follow our twitter page!!

If you have a smart phone you can add the twitter application, so the tweets go directly to your phone, or sign up for twitter on your computer . That way, you can get encouragement throughout the day sent directly to you! Follow us at http://twitter.com/liquidhcgdiet

We look forward to seeing you there!

We are often asked, “Is there a guide for how many calories I should eat in phase 4?”  Here is the answer, because phase 4 is the life phase, there is no set guidelines for you as every “body” is different and everyone will burn calories differently.  A good guide for you with regards to where you stand with your weight is by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI) as talked about in this article, http://www.liquidhcgdiet.com/how-to-calculate-your-bmi/.  A good thing to do in phase 4 is calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).  You can do this by following these equations:

• Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
• Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

SAMPLE: 42 year old woman, weighing 188 pounds and is 5’4″ (64 inches)

• BMR = 655 + (4.35 x 188) + (4.7 x 64) – (4.7 x 42)
• BMR = 655 + 817.8 + 300.8 – 197.4
• BMR = 1576.2

An easy rule of thumb for calorie count is to take your desired weight and multiply it by 11.  So if I want to weigh 140, then I would need around 1540 calories daily.  So you can do the technical equation or the simple one.  The bottom line – With phase 4 remember to keep your diet well balanced and use things like sugar and starches in moderation.  Happy maintaining!