Many vegetarians use Tofu while on the Liquid HCG Diet as a protein substitute. Tofu is simple yet adaptable; it has the ability to absorb marinades and deliver that great taste you desire in addition to being low in fat and high in protein. The popularity of tofu is ever growing; it’s a solid base for cream cheese, ice cream, and many other things which can make it a great tool while on the HCG Diet.

There are two main types of tofu: firm and soft. Firm tofu is great for a main entrée, and is the more feasible choice when cooking meals as it can be diced, marinated, and scrambled. Soft or silken tofu is commonly used for desserts, soups, sauces, smoothies, as it can give a creamy texture. Here are some tips for those of you new to tofu:

• When you take the tofu out of the box, wrap the block in a paper towel and press firmly to remove excess water before cooking.
• Tofu can be marinated in soy sauce, lemon juice, or most any of the dressing found in our dressing recipe section.
• Tofu can be preserved for up to 5 months in the freezer.
• Storing tofu in the refrigerator the shelf life is 5 days. When refrigerating, you should change the water daily and it has a shelf life of about 5 days.

For vegetarians on the HCG Diet we have some vegetarian recipes but we are always looking for more. If you find a yummy tofu, HCG friendly recipe please submit your recipe here. Health Coaches are available at 800-980-7208 to answer questions.

Traveling while on the Liquid HCG Diet protocol can be challenging. A lot of times when we travel we eat out and have to depend on others to do the cooking, we are more active, we drink less water, don’t track calories and don’t have access to a lot of on protocol foods. Here are some tips for staying on track while traveling during phase 2 of the Liquid HCG Diet:

•  When eating out, try and find out where you are going before hand, and make your plan before leaving. Pick foods that are on protocol and be careful with proteins ordered at restaurants. A lot of the time they are way too big for 1 serving, so it is wise to take ½ of it off and save it for lunch the following day. Order your meats cooked “naked” meaning they will leave off the sauces and oils when cooking.
• If you are going to be more active you can either follow the active plan, for extra calories and protein (you will still need to do the work-out, but a lot of hotels have a facility for that) or you can do what we recommend to our users with highly active jobs, increase your HCG to .6 ml and your protein to 4 ounces.
•  Water is still just as important, if not more when traveling. So make sure you take a water bottle with you everywhere you can and keep that water intake up to the recommended minimum of 64 ounces and ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily.
• There are some applications out there for your phone to help you track calories. If you can’t do that, try and still track them daily online or keep a journal.
• If possible, go to a grocery store when you arrive and pick up some fruits/vegetables that you can have on hand for times when you need them. Canned tuna packed in water is a great traveling protein.

There are ways to stay on track. Remember, the bottle of HCG we sell is a 2 ounce bottle and should be fine to go through the scanners at the airport and is small enough to take in your carry-on, so don’t stress about that. We are here to help at 800-980-7208, so keep us posted, even while on vacation, and let us help to hold you accountable for your choices.

Protein is a crucial part to succeeding while on the HCG Diet. A question we hear often is, “Can you do this if you don’t eat meat?” We do have a number of vegetarian recipes on our website; in addition to those, we have put together a few more ideas to take the mystery out of it.

• Vegan Boca patties have 13 grams of protein and only 70 calories.
• 1 cup of firm or extra firm tofu is about 20 grams of protein and 176 calories.
• 1 cup of cottage cheese is about 221 calories and 25 grams of protein.

Of course these can be a little different depending on brands. Another option can be protein shakes. You want to look for protein shakes that have less than 4 grams of carbohydrates per scoop and about 20 grams of protein. These will usually be about 120-130 calories per scoop.

Choosing a meat free diet can have positive life altering effects. Natural energy, lower cholesterol, and overall mental clarity are a few immediate rewards. It is possible to achieve success on this program; you just need to get creative and realize that there will be a small “learning curve” to figuring out which vegetarian options will work to give you the best results while on the program. Health coaches are available to help at 800-980-7208.

While on the Liquid HCG Diet it can be hard to avoid food that we used to eat before the diet, like cake, candy, ice cream and fast food. You may feel that you “deserve” to have a cheating day because you stuck to the diet all week. Or maybe you “deserve it” because you had a bad day but cake is not the answer!

Let’s face it; we are often our own worst enemy. It’s easy to sabotage yourself by storing the wrong food in the house or forgetting to plan your meals and end up eating bad food in desperation. Before you start the diet, clean out your house of all the sugary, processed foods, it will help get rid of any temptation. Also, plan ahead. Keep healthy food around you at all times, stay committed and keep the end goal in mind. 　If you start to feel hungry than grab some celery, broccoli, peppers, etc and eat until you feel satisfied.　 Also, be sure to drink water throughout the day and when snacking on vegetables.

The amino acids in our formulation can help control your appetite, though sometimes while on the diet you will crave some type of treat, and there are options! No you can’t go eat a piece of cake but when you want something sweet, try making a baked apple or other P2　dessert　from our website

http://www.liquidhcgdiet.com/liquid-hcg-diet-recipes/desserts-and-treats/view/Focus on your goals and remember that food is not in　control　of you. This diet is only for a short time, you can have cake, desserts and treats again in moderation, just not right now. The small wait will surely be worth the results! Our motto here at Liquid HCG diet is, “NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING SKINNY!!”

Think of how you’ll feel when you achieve your final goal. Plan a way to reward yourself (something that is non-food related). Remember, that health coaches are also here to help you achieve your weight loss goals! Give us a call at 800-980-7208.

As a child, we are told to chew our food, and there was good reason for it.  Thouroughly chewing food well help for better digestion.  Your saliva carries different enzymes, one of which is called salivary amylase, which breaks down the chemical bond in the food.  There is also an enzyme that helps for digesting the fat we eat, called lingual lipase.   Another important part of saliva is epidermal growth factor (EGF) which actually helps to grow and heal any injuries or inflammation in your intestinal tissue.

Chewing your food thouroughly and slowly helps eases the digestion process in the stomach and can also help to make sure you don’t inhale too much air which can lead to discomfort, such as burping.  Chewing slowly is a good habit to cultivate while on the HCG diet because it gives your stomach more time to signal when it is full.

Health coaches are available to answer questions or help you get started on your weight loss journey at 800-980-7208.

Stress can do bad things to our body. When stress continues without relief it can lead to a condition called distress. Sometimes when under distress you can experience physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research also suggests that stress can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.

And oftentimes when under stress, we turn to food as a comfort. This will not help you take the weight off, nor will it allow you to keep it off. So, if you want to break the yo-yo dieting cycle, it is good to learn different ways to handle stress.

Stress can come from a variety of places, but most are permanent in our life so we can’t just get rid of it.  Because of that we have to learn healthy ways to process stress so it doesn’t affect your body.  Here are a few things to consider:

• Exercise – With our Liquid HCG Active protocol you can even do this in phase 2.  Exercise is a productive way to handle stress as it helps get frustration out, increases our endorphins (which  in turn causes us to feel a sense of well being and even happiness), and  it can also help us sleep better.  So find something active that you enjoy doing and take some time  out from life to do it.
• Find a  good book to read.  Sometimes just  by taking your mind off of what is causing you stress gives you a new outlook.
• Spend some time with a good friend.  They  can offer advice, understanding and just someone to laugh with.  Laughing is not only good for you, but  it does help you feel better too, so make sure and get some good laughing in with a friend.
• Deep breathing can increase your energy level and helps turn off racing  thoughts.  Deep breathing also  releases endorphins into the system. Try to make deep breathing a habit.  You can do it while driving to work, sitting at your desk working, waiting  in line, while watching television, just about anytime. It can help deal  with the stress of daily life.
• Sleep!  Ideally you should be getting around 8 hours off sleep a night, but do what you can and get your sleep.  It is amazing what a good nights rest  can do to help your perspective in the morning.

By doing what you can to minimize stress, you are giving your body a chance to live.  So take some time for yourself today; take a walk, visit with a friend, or even just a quiet moment in the car to take some deep breaths, and remember you CAN do this!

Health coaches are available at 800-980-7208 to answer any questions that you have or to take orders.

Whether you have already recieved your Liquid HCG diet kit, or you are waiting for it to arrive, there are a few things you can do to get ready to begin your weight loss journey! The first and most important thing you need to do is read your book, Succeeding With HCG. It will walk you step by step through the entire diet and answer many of the questions that you may have. Knowing the protocol will help you to not slip up and will help you maximize your success! (more…)

Over the past few months we’ve had a lot of people ask about Bragg’s Amino acids as a soy sauce replacement.   Many have asked if it’s the same thing and if it’s okay to use while on the Phase 2 of the HCG diet, here are a few things about Braggs.

Initially we thought Braggs was a good soy sauce replacement, due to the added amino acids, it was said to be a healthier alternative to soy sauce with less sodium and less carbs.  Upon further investigation, all soy sauce has amino acids and sodium chloride.  Braggs also has more sodium and does contain glutamic acid, which is the same as MSG.

According to Dave Klein, of Living Nutrition, “MSG is only one type of free glutamate, so foods stating no MSG or no added MSG can be misleading, as hydrolyzed protein is a form of free glutamate. Monosodium glutamate goes under the name of glutamate, monosodium glutamate, glutamic acid, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, gelatin, textured protein, hydrolyzed protein, yeast extract. Most of the time,  ontaining MSG are malt, barley malt, boullion, stock, carrageenan, maltodextrin, whey protein, pectin (anything enzyme modified). NATURAL FLAVORS, protein fortified, soy protein.”

There are a few other soy sauce options that are naturally fermented with no MSG. A few of them are:

• Ohsawa Organic Nama Shoyu (raw, unpasteurized)
• South River Miso
• Eden Organics Shoyu Sauce
• San J Tamari & Shoyu Sauce
• Trader Joe’s Soy Sauce

All of these products are naturally fermented, raw and unpasteurized. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the health coaches 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.

Melons have been left off of the approved food list for various reasons, but after doing some research and testing we have found that using cantaloupe as a plateau breaker has been very effective. Originally developed by Sonia E. Russel, a licensed nurse that has written multiple books on the HCG diet, the Cantaloupe Correction Day is successful because, eating the cantaloupe can assist your body in pulling water out of fat cells.

This is how the Cantaloupe Day works:

Eat your normal 500 calorie diet saving 1 fruit serving for the cantaloupe. At bedtime eat ½ a medium sized cantaloupe (make sure it is fresh and you cut it up yourself) with a full glass of water. Do this right before lying down to sleep.

We recommend doing this plateau breaker if you have stalled for 4 days or more. It is an alternative to the apple day. If you don’t see results with it and you have stalled for 6-7 days, then we would recommend a mini-steak day. This just gives you another option. Health coaches are available to help at 800-980-7208.