Phase 2/P2: Weight Loss Stalls or Plateaus – What to do

Phase 2/P2: Weight Loss Stalls or Plateaus – What to do

Tips On Managing Weight Loss Stalls on hCG

Periodically some people may find that their weight loss stalls during the hCG Diet, this is not an atypical phenomenon. It is normal. Here are some helpful general suggestions/strategies that have been effective for many of people over the years to understand stalls (or plateaus) and to break through them.

Weight loss on the hCG Weight Loss Plan is usually pretty fast… until you hit a stall or plateau. A stall on the hCG Diet is considered 4-6 days of no weight loss. A stall can last up to 10 days, but are typically 4-6 days. You can nip a stall in the bud by completing one of the two allowed hCG Diet stall breaker days (below). BUT, you should try one of these only after you have analyzed WHY you may be experiencing a stall.

subheadding

There are two common strategies that people perform if they have determined that they are experiencing a true weight loss stall. One is an “Apple Day” and the other is a “Mini Steak Day”.

APPLE DAY

• Do not drink much water. Only drink water if you are thirsty. Only minimal amounts of water are allowed, such as to take medication or to quench extreme thirst.
• Starting at lunch time, you may eat up to 6 apples from lunch time until midnight.
• Any color or type of apple is allowed, organic is preferred.
• No other food or liquid is allowed on an hCG Diet apple day.

The whole idea of an hCG Apple Day is to rid your body of un-needed water. The apples act as a natural diuretic, please remember to avoid drinking any water, tea, or coffee. Only drink water if needed for medication or to satisfy thirst.

MINI STEAK DAY

• Drink ample amounts of allowable hCG Diet drinks all day (plain coffee, tea, and water).
• Drink at least 2-3 liters of water on a HCG Diet mini steak day, to help flush your system.
• No food for breakfast or lunch.
• For dinner have a 3.5 oz. lean steak with 1 raw apple or 1 medium size raw tomato (not both).
  (Do not eat more than 3.5 ounces of steak. Some people confuse a Phase 2/P2 hCG Diet “Mini Steak Day” with a hCG Phase 3/P3 Maintenance “Steak Day”. They are not the same.)

Keep in mind that people are different, what works best for one person does NOT necessarily work best for another person. Try to determine why your weight loss has stalled by reviewing the other items in this article. When ready, you can make the choice to do an Apple Day or Mini-Steak Day.

Here are some other ideas and strategies to consider when a hCG Weight Loss stall is encountered:

1. 1. Just be patient. Each time you stall, take your measurements; you have probably lost inches (remember the original diet from the 1950’s is called “Pounds and INCHES”). Your body is reshaping daily on this weight loss plan. So, again, just be patient, you will begin losing weight again on the scale. Dr. Simeons says that if you stall, don’t be impatient, you are probably losing inches. You will ultimately begin losing weight again.
   2. Some people lose a large amount of weight early on the plan. When this happens we tend to get spoiled with the rapid weight loss and then expect it to continue at the same rate. Plateaus are normal on this weight loss protocol. Don’t be discouraged. When the body loses a large amount of weight it will try to stabilize on it’s own. It will try to go back to it’s comfortable weight. Plateauing is OK and it’s normal. Celebrate that you have lost the weight and are keeping it down! You will usually begin losing again after 4-5 days. Celebrate your great weight loss daily, even if you are on a plateau!
   3. As a strategy, do a “FOOD PLAN MODIFICATION”. Here are some options: a) Remove the fruit from the diet and double up on the veggies. Some people are very sensitive to fruit (or some fruits).b) Just remove oranges, they have the most sugar.
      c) Just remove the melba/breadsticks.d) Do a combination of the above and see what works for you. Everyone is different.
   4. Make sure you are using no oils in your cooking and no oils on your body. Use only oil-free soaps and lotions on your body during Phase 2/P2.
   5. Make sure you are eating ONLY the allowed foods on the plan and the stevia only for sweetener.
   6. Make sure you are taking no oily vitamins (such as fish oil).
   7. Do not exercise much in Phase 2/P2. Too much exercise can cause weight loss stalls. You can walk, do yoga (not hot yoga), swim, light weights. You CANNOT do any exercise that works up a sweat during Phase 2/P2. No exercise during Phase 2/P2 works best sometimes. During Phase 3/P3 you can exercise as much as you want. Go crazy!
   8. Watch what you’re eating. You should have a food journal and you might find patterns of foods that cause you not to lose, or to lose fantastically.A lot of people have had problems losing with tomatoes and oranges (but some people have no problem at all). Everybody is different and you need to monitor your own body and see what works (and doesn’t work) for you. Don’t eat the foods that might make you stall.
   9. Make sure you are drinking enough water (at least 2 liters/64 oz per day).
   10. After the stall, those that have held true to the diet and not cheated, have been rewarded with a large weight reduction when it finally drops (goes beyond plateau). You will usually resume a similar loss as before the stall.
   11. For women: You could gain some weight and not have cheated, depending on your menses, ovulation, and hormones. Almost all of us have seen the scale go up due to water retention, etc.
   12. If you eat more salt in the food you prepare, and your body isn’t used to that sodium level, your blood volume will increase to handle the extra salt, which will translate into a gain because you’re retaining water to boost that blood volume. In other words, watch your salt intake.
   13. Remember what Dr. Simeons said about losing. You lose fat from the body cells but the cells do not disappear at the same time. The cell structure is still present for two to three days while the body breaks down the cellulose and fills the cell with water in order to release it (through urine). Once the fat cell is removed, the scale will drop.
   14. Sensitivity/allergies to foods (like lemons) may cause weight stalls. Listen to your body. You know YOUR body best.
   15. Pay attention to weight gains, they usually signify a mishap in the protocol, like not drinking enough water, eating too many/too few calories, too much salt, or (inadvertently) eating foods not allowed on the protocol.
   16. Be careful, spices have calories. As long as the serving size listed has less than 5 calories, the company can list zero calories (even though it may actually have 4). Usually spices and seasonings use 1/4 of a teaspoon as their serving size, so BE CAREFUL. 4 calories in 1/4 teaspoon = 16 calories in 1 teaspoon. Account for every calorie, no matter how miniscule it may seem. Here is an exact calorie count per TABLESPOON of various spices:
       • 1TB Garlic Powder = 27.91 calories,
       • 1TB Chili Powder = 23.55 calories
       • 1TB Paprika = 19.94 calories
       • 1TB Poultry Season = 11.36 calories
       • 1TB Oregano = 13.77 calories
       • 1TB Onion Powder = 24 calories
   17. Weight gains/stalls may take a few days to kick in. For example, you could mix your veggies for a few days and assume there is no problem based on what the scale reads, but then a stall or gain can suddenly reflect the breaking of the rules. Many people believe a stall comes out of nowhere, but it is usually instigated by something (if not a previous weight set point). It is important to know that what works for one person does NOT mean it will work for everyone; to prevent stalls/gains simply do not make changes to Dr. Simeons protocol just because someone else is losing with that modification.
   18. In women, menstrual periods increase water retention, and water weight shows on the scale. If you know you are following the plan and are not cheating, you just need to accept that the stall/gain is temporary and continue to follow the protocol. The drop will happen once the menstrual cycle is normalized in the body.
   19. If you are following Dr. Simeons to a “T” and have no other explanations for a stall/gain, look at your life and the levels of stress. Stress causes cortisol which hinders weight loss and/or causes you to gain weight. Try to remain calm and stress-free.
   20. Make sure you are getting at least 7.5 hour of sleep per night. Lack of sleep affects your metabolism. When your sleep cycle is interrupted or irregular, your metabolism doesn’t function properly. If you are only getting 5 hours of sleep, your metabolism has less time to get to work, and your body doesn’t have time to regulate hormones that are essential for regulating your appetite.
       The two hormones we are referring to are Ghrelin and Leptin.Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.It’s recommended that if you are trying to stay healthy and avoid ghrelin and leptin imbalances, that you sleep for at least 7.5 hours each night. This gives your body the time it needs to regulate your hormone levels. When you don’t sleep enough, your ghrelin levels will elevate causing you to have a bigger appetite, and your leptin levels will lower causing you to overeat.
   21. A plateau or stall can also occur when you reach a former level of weight you were at for some time. Your body is always trying to stabilize itself, so when it gets to a comfortable weight (that you have held for a long time in the past), it will want to hold your weight there. This stall can last a little longer but just keep following the Weight Loss Plan rules and it will always correct itself.
   22. Lack of Bowel movements can cause a stall. Many people have less bowel movements during the hCG Weight Loss Plan. This happens because we are eating less calories, hence not as much movement going on. This is normal and nature will take its course and your weight loss stall will break naturally.
   23. Also, some people experience constipation as well on the diet. Try eating cabbage more often as it has good laxative effects. Or you can take laxative pills or natural laxative remedies.
   24. Contact your hCG coach if you still are not losing weight for personalized assistance.