Written by Lisa Marie Wark*

Lisa Marie Wark, MBA

It has been two months since I’ve lost 21 pounds on the HCG Diet plan and I’ve managed to maintain my weight loss on the Maintenance Phase, Part III of the Diet.

 When you get to a plateau, think of it as a landing on the stairway to your goal. And maintenance is a lifelong plateau, so a bit of “rehearsal” for maintenance isn’t the worst thing in the world.

 After many inquiries about the Maintenance part of the program, I’ve decided to share my Maintenance journey in the hopes that it puts you at ease of what types of food to eat and what to avoid during Phase III of the HCG Diet Plan.

 A lot of patients have asked me about the Maintenance Phase because they are anxious about putting the weight back on… And rightfully so… Believe me, I know what you are going through… I was nervous about eating 1,500 – 2,000 calories of food a day after abiding by Phase II ‘s strict daily 500 caloric intake.  So now you think, what can I eat? What if I put weight on?

 One amazing side-effect that I experienced during and after Phase II which helped me maintain my weight loss in Phase III was a dramatic change in my cravings. I no longer craved sugary foods like cookies, chocolate, frosting, brownies, etc… And I lost my hunger for starches. I use to be a French Fries hound. I loved salty and crispy fries or chips especially with a hamburger and then of course I complimented it with a hypocritical diet coke. Today, I hunger for nonfat cottage cheese with sliced fresh strawberries. I love chicken breasts with sliced tomatoes and asparagus. I crave the nutrients in each meal and not filler foods like starches and sweets. For me Phase II acted as a detox for my body and skin and changed the way I approach food.

Success is achieved and maintained by those who try-and keep trying.

Lose the 20 lbs. in 30 days!

So first thing first… Make sure to increase your calories to at least 1500 a day, three days after your final HCG injection. Don’t try to continue the daily 500 caloric diet after the HCG is out of your system. Bear in mind, your weight will fluctuate the first week or two; this is normal. I put on two pounds during the Maintenance program but after I enjoyed a steak day, my weight dropped the two pounds that I gained. So, do a steak day if you need to. The weight will eventually stabilize. So here are the rules in a nutshell to help stabilize and maintain the weight loss:

• Watch the starch and sugar religiously during the 3 weeks. Read labels. (Continue) eating organic food if possible.
  • Stay away from sugar, rice, bread, potatoes, and pastries as they are by far the most dangerous.
• Eat whatever you want, without starch or sugar, during the maintenance phase.
• Make sure you are eating enough. Use healthy fats and dairy products to up your calorie intake if necessary.
• Drink enough water
• Weight yourself daily so you can correct any weight gain during the initial three weeks of Maintenance

It takes about 3 weeks before the weight reached at the end of the treatment becomes stable, i.e. does not show violent fluctuations after an occasional excess. If no carbohydrates whatsoever are eaten, fats can be indulged in somewhat more liberally and even small quantities of alcohol, such as a glass of wine with meals, does no harm, but as soon as fats and starch are combined things are very liable to get out of hand. This has to be observed very carefully during the first 3 weeks after the treatment is ended otherwise disappointments are almost sure to occur.

So what does that mean? It seems so vague. Avoid Starches and Sugars simply means avoid cookies, cake, pie, candy, cupcakes, frosting, soft drinks, corn syrup, kool-aid, processed food, energy drinks, fruit juice, honey, yogurt, donuts, cookies, pudding, maple syrup, brownies, canned fruit in heavy syrup,  ice cream, cool whip, boxed breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, granola – nothing with sugar.

Be sure to read food labels, check to see if sugar is added into a product before you buy it.  Nearly every product in a can or box contains sugar in one of its many names.  The first five ingredients listed on an item is the majority of the product, so be sure that sugar is not in the top five.

Avoiding starch means avoid cornstarch, white flour, wheat flour, any flour, pasta, any bread or bread product, breadsticks, bagels, hamburger and hotdog buns, crackers, tortillas, oatmeal, rice, polenta, peas, corn, lentils, pita bread, pretzels, corn chips, potato chips, yams, potatoes, pancakes, muffins, nearly all root vegetables, any breading on fish, chicken, or other protein., beans, grains, acorn squash, butternut squash, cereals, granola, cereal bars, popcorn, biscuits, corn bread, taco shells, croutons, rice cakes, Cream of Wheat, corn meal, and some nuts.

Most restaurants and fast food places add sugar to nearly every product, so be wary of eating out all the time.  Other meats to watch out include deli meats, bacon, ham, prosciutto, sausage, and hotdogs. Do not eat processed cheese (i.e. Velveeta), it contains unnecessary sugars and starches.  Try not to eat processed anything for that matter.

Stay away from the following vegetables as they tend to be high in starches: Beets; Carrots (depends on diet); Corn; Parsnips; Peas; Plantains; Potatoes in all forms; and Winter Squashes (particularly acorn and butternut).

Stay away from the following fruits because of their high sugar levels: Grapes; Tangerine; Oranges; Pineapple; Kiwi; Bananas; Dried Fruit; and Mango.

For more information on Dr. Simeons’ HCG diet protocol, please click here.

*Lisa Marie Wark is currently owner and managing member of Revage Medical Spa. She is a free lance writer and is a business development consultant with a concentration in medical spas and alternative clinics. Also, Wark is President of MedSpas, a business development firm that provides physicians the necessary business tools to help them build or expand their practices into medical spa facilities. Wark was formerly an anchor and financial reporter for ON24 Financial News in San Francisco. In 2001, she was promoted to the main female anchor of three financial news broadcasts, covering a broad range of financial sectors and industries.

Wark’s hard work and persistence helped her land interviews with top executives from Fortune 500 companies that included the likes of Steve Forbes, former Republican Presidential candidate and Publisher of Forbes Magazine, Robert L. Crandall former American Airlines CEO who pioneered the first frequent flier mileage program AAdvantage, and Marc Andreesen, an Internet pioneer and creator of the Netscape browser.