Phase 2 is the jumpstart in reaping the benefits of the HCG diet. This is also the time that your body will learn to live on lower calorie intake. It is needed to take some steps and strategies to lower the possibility of hunger during the low-calorie intake. Hunger or cravings are mostly psychological. You are mentally cravings for a certain food. This is very disturbing especially if you are trying to lose weight on the HCG diet. However, you do not have to worry when it strikes because you can deal with it without gaining weight.

Emotional hunger has a severe effect on your weight loss. This is a product of your emotions that causes you to eat unhealthy foods. This is very dangerous especially if you are doing a very low-calorie diet. Emotional hunger may overpower you especially if you don’t know how to handle it. Emotional hunger is the hunger where the feeling of hunger pain is not in your stomach. The feeling of hunger pain during emotional hunger is usually in your head or chest.

How the HCG does help in dealing with your hunger?

The very low-calorie diet is the part where you cut down your intake of calories into 500 each day. You are only allowed to do the VLCD along with HCG. The low-calorie diet is not safe if the HCG is absent in your system. This is because the HCG will deal with hunger and cravings. The diet hormones will target in resetting your metabolism. It sets your brain to boost metabolism and use fats as the source of energy. The source of energy during the HCG diet is taken from the burned fats instead of getting energy from the foods you eat.

What is the cause of hunger?

Hunger is caused mostly by constant stress and pressure. Stress will push you to find comfort in eating. You can get over this by dealing with stress. The high level of stress will trigger your emotions. There are also cases that emotional hunger is caused by unhealthy food indulgences such as sweet foods. Deal with stress and other cause of hunger by eating healthy and relaxation.

The effective ways to deal with hunger during the HCG diet

• Planning ahead- Plan ahead during the first week of the HCG diet. Planning is mostly needed during the loading phase because you are still allowed to eat anything you want. When you go grocery shopping, it is not uncommon to suffer extreme cravings. You have to avoid any temptation caused by food cravings. Advance planning reduces temptation during the first days of the VLCD.
• Space your meals out- Another way to control hunger is by controlling the food portion. Instead of eating two meals per day, you can eat five small meals per day. This is done by spacing out the 500 calories into 100 calorie meals. This is a good way to transition to the low-calorie diet. It is helpful in curbing hunger.
• Choose the healthy food choices- These are the common choices in your food list. Healthy food choices are fresh products such as fruits and vegetables. The healthy food choices will supply all the nutrient needs of your body even after the HCG diet. The fresh and organic products are more nutritious than the usual food that you indulge.
• Load more on protein- This is usually from lean meat choices. The lean meats are rich in vitamins, and properties that promote fullness. It can also deal with hunger and cravings. Protein will keep you full longer and maintains bone and muscle health.
• Prepare yourself fully to succeed the diet- This is the moment where you will prepare yourself fully. Being fully prepared will help you focus on your weight loss and keep off from slipping. Part of your preparation is having a realistic weight loss goal. The weight loss goal will be your driving force and will serve as your motivation to do more on your weight loss process.
• Stop the intake of unhealthy foods – Do not eat foods such as sausages, hotdog, flavored drinks, pizza, and fatty meat. These are loaded with various chemicals and other industrial ingredients that will stop you from losing weight. It can also trigger diseases that will affect your health. Introduce healthy foods such as whole fruits, fiber-rich vegetables, and lean meats. 

What are the common triggers of hunger during the HCG diet?

• Not following the protocol

 Having a routine has various benefits in keeping off hunger and cravings. The protocol of the HCG diet will guide you to have a proper routine during the HCG diet.  It will also keep you out of stress. Stress has a negative effect on your body, especially in your eating style. HCG diet routine will help you plan in your meal and helps you deal with hunger right away.

• Loading too many unhealthy foods

Unhealthy food takes off your hunger but it does not curb hunger for a long time. These are the cause of weight loss delay. The ingredients of the unhealthy food choices are the cause of cravings and hunger pains. It is better to eat more vegetables and fruits than having unhealthy food choices. Make sure to eat one kind of vegetable or fruit in each serving. There are various choices of vegetables and fruits that can help you stay in the 500 calorie diet.

• You eat too many calories

Weight gain happens when you fail to count the calorie of each food serving. Too many calories can also cause hunger and cravings. If you exceed the limit of the intake of calories you will surely gain weight. High intake of calories can affect the ability of the HCG hormones in curbing your hunger and it burning your body fats.

• Failure to track your food

Make sure to track your intake of calories especially if you are on the VLCD. Make sure that you are tracking each food portion to avoid constant hunger. Bring a meal with you if you go somewhere. This will keep you off from buying foods in restaurants and food chains.