HCG Diet and Exercise: HCG Injections and Drops with Exercise Boosts Fat-Burning and Weight Loss
HCG Diet and Exercise Controversial: As with most things, there are multiple views on whether exercise should be incorporated as part of the HCG diet. Some web sites say exercise is not important, others say it is. Even among those who do recommend exercise, there is no consensus on the intensity, duration, frequency, and types of exercise that should be included.
Losing Weight Without Exercise
HCG diet without exercise: it is completely possible to lose a significant amount of weight with very little exercise, or even without exercising at all. In fact, some clinics and practitioners recommend absolutely no exercise. For many dieters, especially those who detest physical activity, this is one of their favorite features of the HCG diet. Many dieters have been told that told repeatedly that their weight problems are mostly caused by laziness or lack of exercise. It can certainly feel relieving to be “allowed” or advised to avoid exercise.
The extra fat deposits you are trying to rid yourself of through the HCG diet are great deposits of energy. While on the HCG diet, your body with the help of HCG Drops or injections. will be breaking down these deposits. The presence of HCG allows this breakdown to occur more easily. Vigorous exercise demands quickly available energy. Even though your body will have a lot of potential energy from fat deposits more readily available, the energy from it cannot be metabolized quickly enough to supply heavily utilized muscles.
Most HCG dieters will track their weight closely. Weighing in daily, or sometimes multiple times per day. Increases in weight during phase 2 of the HCG diet can be alarming. How can you gain weight when only consuming 500 calories in a day?! The breakdown of muscles that occurs from intense workouts can and usually will cause inflammation in the affected muscles. Your body will absorb additional water to aid in the repair of these muscles and this extra water can easily show up in increased weight from one day to the next. The weight will almost always level out over time and establish a weight loss plateau but the psychological effect of the temporary weight increase can be difficult for dieters. Exercise on HCG diet prevents plateaus.
Dr Simeons Recommended Light Exercise
Dr. Simeons recommended only light exercise such as walking and light biking. This exercise should only be done at low intensity and for fairly short periods of time. He noted the weight gain caused by vigorous exercise in this way:
“…the weight can temporarily increase — paradoxical though this may sound — after an exceptional physical exertion of long duration leading to a feeling of exhaustion. A game of tennis, a vigorous swim, a run, a ride on horseback or a round of golf do not have this effect; but a long trek, a day of skiing, rowing or cycling or dancing into the small hours usually results in a gain of weight on the following day, unless the patient is in perfect training. In patients coming from abroad, where they always use their cars, we often see this effect after a strenuous day of shopping on foot, sightseeing, and visits to galleries and museums. Though the extra muscular effort involved does consume some additional Calories, this appears to be offset by the retention of water which the tired circulation cannot at once eliminate.”
Dr. Simeons also noted that patients who insisted on exercising vigorously while on the program often overate because of exercise-induced hunger, stalling weight loss or even leading to weight gain. Many practitioners and dieters take this statement to mean that all exercise is forbidden during phase 2.
Exercise Should Be Done on the HCG Diet: Carefully
Exercise is not forbidden but must be undertaken with care during the strict diet (Phase 2). Deliberate workouts during the HCG diet should be tailored to each individual’s capabilities. Each person will have a different level of fitness, different strengths, different preferences, and different abilities due to the reduction in Glycogen and glucose/sugar stores on the hCG diet.
A dieter with a body that is already accustomed to intense exercise will be able to handle exercise much more easily than one who is very out of shape.
In general, it is good to take a very cautious approach to exercise while on the HCG diet. You will be taking in very little food, very little fuel for your body to use to power your muscles during exercise. Fat will be released and metabolized for energy, but carbohydrates are a much more easily and quickly metabolized fuel. They are the body’s main source of energy, especially during very intense and very long duration exercise. Without them, exhaustion and fatigue occur much more quickly, often along with dizziness and shortness of breath. Another side effect of lack of carbohydrates during vigorous exercise is an extremely strong feeling of hunger, usually with cravings for carbohydrate-laden foods. All of this can work together synergistically against the dieter. An exhausted, light-headed person has a much harder time resisting the body’s increased demands for carbohydrate-rich foods!
If You Already Do Intense Exercise:
If you are used to intense exercise already, you can try to continue with what you are doing, but most likely you will lack the necessary energy and/or will not recover as quickly as usual while you are on phase 2 of the HCG diet. If you are not used to intense exercise, do not attempt it during the HCG diet!
If You Already Do Light Exercise
If you are used to light or moderate exercise, you may continue as before, possibly shortening the duration or intensity of your workouts as necessary. As with intense exercisers, watch for over-training and energy levels. Dial down your training if you see any signs of it.
If You Are Not Exercising Now:
If you are not used to exercising, now is probably not the best time to start. Wait a few weeks and get the food and drops working properly.
Some Sample Exercises During Phase 2
Low Intensity (OK for everyone, but always monitor for signs of overtraining)
Walking
Bicycling
Yoga
Gentle swimming
Lawn mowing
Medium Intensity (Only for those already accustomed to medium intensity workouts monitor for overtraining)
Jogging
Snow shoveling
Lap swimming
Moving furniture
High intensity (Not Generally Recommended for Phase 2 of HCG Diet)
Heavyweight training
Running
Triathlons
Sprinting
HCG drops and exercise--Are you a busy man who spends most of his time at work, with little time left for other activities? Are you tired, overweight and motivated to change, but can’t find the time to do it? You aren’t alone. Let’s take Tom, for example. He’s a busy New York lawyer who works on Wall Street from 7 am to 8 pm weekdays and even works on Saturdays. He’s 5’8, 275 pounds and is embarrassed to go to the gym because he is out of shape.
Finding Time to Exercise: How can people like Tom who have such a hectic schedule find time to exercise? They have to make time. Mark workout times down in your appointment book and stick to it just as you would an important client or business meeting. You wouldn’t blow them off, so stop treating yourself any different. If your schedule sounds anything like Tom’s, you will likely need to set your alarm a little earlier and get your workout in before heading to work.
Once you get used to the new schedule you will find that the early morning exercise gives you more energy throughout the day. It also relieves stress and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Sunday as a Prep Day: As far as food, one idea is to make Sunday your prep day. Make your list, do your shopping and prepare your food for the week. Chop vegetables, make soup and other recipes and grill chicken breasts. Having these foods cooked and prepped ahead of time gives you an easy way to have a quick, healthy meal throughout the week. Having healthy foods readily available is half the battle because it takes away the problem of choosing what is for lunch or dinner. Once you are already hungry, you are likely to overeat or make poor food choices.
Selecting a Gym: Although it’s natural to feel embarrassed about going to the gym when you are out of shape, it’s important to keep your focus on yourself. Start by choosing a gym where you feel comfortable. Many gyms offer daily passes or guest passes so you can try them out before committing. Take advantage of this and find the best fit for you. If you don’t fit in at a bodybuilding-style gym, there are plenty of other options including family-friendly gyms. Most of the “beautiful” people in the gym are looking at themselves and could care less about you.
Personal Trainer? Hire a personal trainer to get you started if you aren’t familiar with the equipment. It makes a big difference when you can confidently use the equipment. At first, you might also try using the gym during off-peak hours, which are generally early morning or after 8 pm.
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others: Lastly, don’t be intimidated by how others look or their abilities. Don’t compare your beginning stage to the advanced fitness stage of someone who has taken years to accomplish. Only compare your progress to your own. Can you do more than you could yesterday or last week? Then you are making progress towards your goals and can be proud of that, regardless of the number on the scale or your lack of six-pack abs.
Richard Lipman MD is a endocrinologist and board certified internist who has treated more than 10,000 overweight patients in his Miami office with his new 800 calorie HCG diet for the past 10 years in Miami, Fl
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