Cheating on the HCG diet is forbidden and it’s not something that any HCG Diet guru can promote. Cheating actually is forbidden as to any other diet. There are several dos and don’ts that you must follow and any deviation from the rules equals cheating.
The HCG diet stresses dieters not to cheat. Unlike other diets, the HCG Diet has lots and lots of restrictions and it becomes unavoidable for almost all HCG dieters not to cheat. Cheating happens from time to time regardless of the rules. Since cheating is forbidden, then most dieters feel an incredible sense of guilt or failure associated with cheating. Those who have cheated felt like they have ruined everything. Well, it’s not the end of everything. If you did cheat, the most important thing for you to do is to get up and correct the cheating. After that, you may resume with your normal diet. Cheating on one meal will not cause a major setback on your diet. If you have cheated, then stop cheating again and don’t let it spiral out of control.
Ways to reduce your chances of cheating
Here are ways for you to follow to reduce your chances of cheating while on the HCG Diet:
- Make a mental note of what causes you to cheat. Adjustment and try to avoid it for the whole duration of your diet. Anyway, you’ll only be on the diet for a short time. If you choose the long one, then you only have 43 days to prevent yourself from cheating while 23 days for the short one. After that, you can start eating a lot of foods you were eating before.
- Ignore cheating until you’ll finally have your cheat day. Food is not really the enemy but it’s our mindset.
- Plan a reasonable reward at the end of the diet. You’ll deserve a hard-won indulgence after sticking perfectly to the diet 90% most of the time.
- Find an indulgence that isn’t food-based. Train yourself to desire other things aside from foods as a form of reward. If you love good relaxation, then have a yoga retreat or a massage or a good bubble bath soak as your cheat day.
When you crave for something, try these simple tricks:
- Make a cup of chai tea- Put two heaping tbsp. of powdered creamer on an empty cup then add sugar-free chocolate syrup to taste. It’s a delicious sugar-fix that won’t let you gain any weight. You can have it chilled or hot any way you want.
- Another trick is to spread out your meals. Turn your veggie options as your unlimited cheat foods during breakfast or snacks to help keep you tide until your next meal.
Recover from cheating
Recovering from cheating is not just a possibility but a reality for many HCG dieters because cheating doesn’t always equal to diet failure. However, there should be a balance. Too much cheating can sabotage your diet success but a little cheating with a quick fix can spell weight loss success. As much as possible avoid cheating while on the HCG Diet but if you must, plan ahead and create a healthy cheating.
A cheat day
What’s this? Cheat day happens regularly. Although it’s not promoted on the HCG Diet but cheat days are actually common in every diet for reasons like:
- We are just human being
- To reward ourselves from time to time
- For fun and enjoyment
- For the good behavior during the diet
My thoughts on this: Like any other diet, the HCG Diet should not be an exception to the rule. Rewarding ourselves with a cheat day on the HCG Diet doesn’t sound as bad as it is. Just keep in mind the consequences of cheating before having a cheat day. If you plan to reward yourself with a cheat day then plan how to cheat, what to cheat on and when to cheat while still losing weight.
How to cheat while still losing weight?
There’s actually no secret to cheating. Just cheat smartly by:
- Monitor how far you go beyond the 500 calorie limit.
- Monitor as well the foods you are eating so you won’t have to experience a stall or experience a slight increase in your weight.
- If you must cheat, cheat more on phase 2 foods particularly the vegetables and proteins.
Remember that there is always a price to pay when you cheat. It’s just similar to a having a ride on an amusement park, you pay for the ride. You have to pay something too when you cheat whether it’s big or small but it doesn’t have to be guilt filled horror day. Cheating can be fun and enjoyable.
Foods you can cheat on while on the HCG Diet
The following list of foods have been shown to have no negative effects when you cheat on them in small quantities:
- Cottage cheese- Get fat-free cottage cheese and eat it as your protein serving. You can add some extra flavor to it by adding some fruits.
- Green beans- Cheat on green beans but skip the butter. If you can’t get them fresh then have the pre-packed one.
- Watermelon- This fruit makes a perfect cheat. It’s high in water but super low in sugar. Watermelon can be a perfect dessert when you need a little extra something to get you through another day.
- Whole wheat cracker- Whole wheat crackers are rich in fiber. You can cheat on this cracker instead of the HCG Diet carb options like the Melba toast or the Grissini sticks.
- American beef- Most dieters found out that this meat doesn’t really impact the weight loss that much. So, go ahead and have them if you want to cheat.
- Meal stock- Consider using beef broth, chicken broth or bouillon cubes with a fraction of fat, oil, and sugar.