So this is the first part of the 40 day phase. Phase 1 – Loading Phase. For 2 days I’m supposed to practically gorge myself on high fatty foods. You do this to make sure your normal fat stores are restored, which is important for anyone who may have been dieting before starting the HCG diet. It’s also important because it may take up to three days for the HCG to get into your system, and you do not want to start your low calorie intake until that has happened.
Before we go any farther I need to state that I have decided to first do the homeopathic version of the HCG hormone. If you call a weight loss clinic, because most insurance companies are not going to support this diet, they will tell you that the HCG program is going to cost you between $400 and $525. OUCH!!!! I love food. I know I do. I love to bake, and taste, and late night snack. I know these are my faults or weaknesses. I know I need to correct them during my weight loss journey. However, before I fork out that kind of dough I’m going to make sure I have the willpower to go through with this. If I am a big fat failure, pun slightly intended, I’d rather do it off a $20 bottle of homeopathic drops, than $500 worth of injections.
Ok… moving on.
So, I was actually looking forward to this. I get to eat In ‘N Out burgers with no regrets!! I mean, seriously? This should be a treat for any food lover. Right? Yes and no. The first night I made stuffed shells with hamburger and sausage, cheese, the works. It was delicious. This was the day before my actual loading phase started so that was the only real fatty thing I ate. Normally meals like that happen only once a week, and as a rule we don’t keep a whole lot of fatty foods in the house. Which made the next two days in the loading phase a little hard. For breakfast I had a bagel with butter AND cream cheese. I figured that was pretty fatty and felt accomplished with it. And? It was yummy. Keep in mind, though, that I love food. Despite not eating largely fatty meals on a regular basis, I always use real butter in my cooking. I’m a firm believer that you can eat all the normal foods that come in their natural form, if you portion them out properly. Lunch I ate the same thing. For dinner I grabbed an In ‘N Out burger, double double animal style. Friday, which was day 2 of the loading phase, looked about the same as the day before. I made a dip to snack on with chips made with sour cream and mayo. I had some chicken nuggets for lunch with the kids. That night my husband and I had a date night, went to a Barefoot Wine tasting and snacked on nuts, cheese, and crackers. After that we headed over to Johnny Rockets and I had a coffee milkshake. I was shocked to see that this thing had 30g of fat in it!! Really??? Well, if that’s not ‘loading’ then I don’t know what is.
By the end of it all I felt really ill. Not sick, but full beyond full. Heavy; my stomach felt lined with clay bricks. Sure the food tasted yummy but I’ve never eaten so many fatty foods in such a short period of time. I’m glad to be done with the loading phase. To look forward, the thought of no deliciousness at all for 40 days is a little scary to me, but I know in the end it’s going to be worth it. I’m ready for this sacrifice. I’m ready for the reset to happen in my body. I’m ready to lose this fat.
**originally written 3/9/2012
Great questions! During the loading phase you want to eat as many high fat foods as you possibly can. Gorge yourself on donuts, cookies, cheese, and fried foods. I’ll talk about this more later in another post, but try eating 3000 to 4000 calories.
It has gone well. It is definitely hard to eat the limited amount of foods that you are able to eat, but after the first week you get used to it. You will miss some of the things you love, however once you see the pounds coming off you won’t be tempted to eat them.
After the first week I didn’t really feel hungry at all. If I did, usually late at night, I would have a glass of water and be fine.
Hey I am about to start hcg too, just as soon as it arrives in the post! Does it give you a guide as to how many calories you should consume during the loading phase? A
So how it is going? Is it super hard to only eat a limited variety of foods? Do you get hungry at all, especially at night? I am so excited to do it but also nervous!
Hope it’s working well for you
x