HCG P3 Allowed Foods

The HCG weight loss plan involves eating an extremely low-calorie diet in combination with the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin, or HCG. The HCG weight loss protocol was originally developed by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons. Natural remedies proponent Kevin Trudeau's 4-phase HCG diet includes a phase 3 that allows you to eat all you want as long as you stick to certain dietary guidelines. Consult your doctor before beginning an HCG diet.

Effects

Specific foods used in the HCG diet cause chemical reactions in the body that combine with the HCG hormone -- produced by pregnant women -- to activate the hypothalamus to release secure abdominal fat reserves and cause a dramatic loss of structural fat, according to Trudeau. The HCG diet combines the effects of a restricted calorie diet and HCG hormone injections that reportedly help you lose 1 to 3 lbs. per day. If you correctly follow the phases of this diet, you will never suffer from cravings to overeat again and will not be depressed or stressed, reports Trudeau. Insufficient scientific evidence exists to prove the safety or effectiveness of any HCG diet.

Phases

Trudeau's HCG diet begins with phase 1, which lasts for 30 days, and is designed to prepare your body for the weight loss experienced in phase 2. Phase 2 requires daily injections of 125 IU to 200 IU of the HCG hormone and following a specific low-calorie diet not to exceed 500 calories a day for 21 to 45 days, according to the HCG Weight Loss website. After phases 1 and 2, phase 3 continues for roughly 21 days, reportedly to restore your metabolism to a normal state and help maintain your weight. The final phase, phase 4, is life-long and is intended to promote the maintenance of healthy weight and well-being. Before beginning an HCG diet, consult your doctor.

Phase 3 Foods

Phase 3 of the HCG diet allows you to eat as much of any type of food you want, with some additions and modifications, such as no sugar -- except stevia -- or starch, as in bread and pasta. Trudeau recommends eating a large breakfast and a big salad with your lunch and dinner every day. You also can have two organic apples and one organic grapefruit each day. Trudeau's daily recommendations include drinking a minimum of ½ gallon of pure spring water, taking 1 to 3 tsp. of raw organic apple cider vinegar, adding dietary fiber and drinking organic teas, such as wu long. Occasionally, you can eat 100 g of organic meat such as chicken or beef before bedtime. In addition, Trudeau suggests eating fish not raised on a fish farm and not eating at fast food restaurants.

Phase 3 Foods for Reducing Weight Gain

It may take 3 weeks for your weight to stabilize after completing phase 2 of the HCG diet. During Phase 3, you need to weigh yourself every morning after emptying your bladder to ensure that your weight stays within 2 lbs. of the weight you achieved at the time of your last injection -- in phase 2, according to Trudeau. If your weight rises above 2 lbs. -- even by a few ounces -- you reportedly must avoid all solid foods on that day until 6:00 pm, but you can drink as much water as you like -- up to a gallon -- and tea. The evening of that same day you may eat the largest organic grass-fed steak you can find, which can be grilled or fried with oil and seasoned with pepper and herbs -- but no salt -- along with a large organic apple or tomato.

Scientific Evidence

The HCG diet might help you lose weight, according to a study led by W. L. Asher, published in a 1973 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Researchers observed that women participants on a diet of 500 to 550 calories per day and receiving daily HCG injections lost significantly more weight, experienced less hunger and a greater sense of well-being, when compared to a group on the same low-calorie diet with placebo injections. However, additional scientific evidence is needed to support the safety and effectiveness of an HCG diet as a treatment for weight-loss.