If you're familiar with HCG 2.0 you already know that the most exaggerated weight loss is in the early stages of the diet. If the Loading Phase is done properly it is not uncommon for women to lose 7-10 pounds in the first week to 10 days of the diet. Men can sometimes lose double.
However, when you begin to acclimate to your HCG supplement as you enter the 3rd week of the diet, your weight loss can begin to slow down. This is when you need an additional trick up your sleeve. This is the time to introduce Intermittent Fasting into your HCG 2.0 diet protocol.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
When I wrote HCG 2.0 The Smarter HCG Diet, there was very little research on Intermittent Fasting (IF). Even now there isn't much to speak of, especially regarding double-blind studies, which are the industry standard for measuring weight loss. That said, the chatter is that it works.
With weight loss, what works for some may not work for others. But when you combine two techniques, both that are backed by solid physiology, in addition to positive word of mouth, your chances of success seem pretty good, right?
When I research new diet protocols, I first check the physiology and the biochemistry. If that adds up, I try it myself, while simultaneously discussing with with my private Facebook group. This is the same protocol I followed when I introduced Garcinia Cambogia to my HCG protocol. The active enzyme in Garcinia (hydroxycitric acid) works to inhibit the body's ability to convert excess carbohydrates into stored fat. That makes sense. The physiology adds up. When we experimented with it in my HCG 2.0 Facebook group and it achieved the desired results, which were accelerated weight loss, I added the product to my store. The same can be said for Intermittent Fasting.
An intermittent fast is basically what it sounds like. It is a dietary approach that involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. There are several different methods of intermittent fasting, but let's keep it simple... the common approach involves fasting for 16-18 hours and then eating during a specific window of time, such as a 6-8 hour window late in the day. This can be done on a daily or weekly basis. The idea behind intermittent fasting is that by restricting the time in which you eat, you can reduce overall calorie intake and potentially promote weight loss. Additionally, fasting periods can also lead to changes in hormone levels, such as increased levels of norepinephrine and growth hormone, which can help to increase metabolism and promote fat burning. This is all part of the strategy of incorporating IF with your HCG 2.0 protocol.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Facilitate Healthy Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting can facilitate healthy weight loss by helping to create a calorie deficit, which is necessary for losing weight. By restricting the time in which you eat, you may naturally consume fewer calories, as there is less time to eat throughout the day. Additionally, intermittent fasting can also lead to changes in hormone levels and metabolism that can promote fat-burning and weight loss. Some studies have also suggested that intermittent fasting may have other health benefits, such as improved blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, and improved heart health. When combined strategically with your HCG Diet, as explained below, it can significantly jump-start weight loss when your body begins to acclimate to the HCG supplement.
Like anything, you'll begin to develop a tolerance to HCG about halfway through your 30-40-day protocol. When this happens, your weight loss will begin to slow down. The Intermittent Fasting technique described below will work to re-engage your body to the rapid weight loss you experienced early in the diet.
Basic rules for incorporating Intermittent Fasting into your HCG Diet Protocol:
Intermittent fasting is not something I would recommend right out of the gate with your HCG 2.0 protocol. Keep in mind your body doesn’t want to give up its fat reserves. Intermittent fasting is about outsmarting the biological programming that makes you gain size. This is why I don’t recommend IF until the two-week point at the earliest. Before then you should be experiencing steady and exaggerated weight loss. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
If you do begin to notice your losses slowing down (which you likely will as you approach the 3-week point), begin IF by getting 60-70 MCT calories in your morning coffee or tea. If you’re not using MCT Oil, you can substitute Coconut Oil. Kylene and Dr. Fung (Intermittent Fasting expert) say not to, but hear me out. You don’t want to show all your cards at once. Remember we are outsmarting biology here. The MCT + the afternoon fast is often enough to jump-start ketosis back to its levels when you first began to see results with HCG 2.0. After 5-7 days of this, you can play your last card and eliminate the morning calories (MCT oil or coconut oil in your coffee). This should, once again, give you a boost of weight loss.
NO CARBS – absolutely no carbs in the morning. After 8 hours of sleep, you’ll wake up in optimal ketosis. Any carbs will stop it in its tracks. NO CARBS. Additionally, when you are in an optimal state of ketosis, your body will supply you with ketone calories from stored fat. These calories work to satiate you so you do not feel hungry.
When you eat your first meal in the evening, make sure it’s a good one. Make sure you get enough veggies and clean protein. You don’t need to eat ALL your protein calories in this meal, but get enough to satiate you.
In summary, let the HCG do its thing for the first two weeks of your diet - when your weight loss begins to slow down, then you can introduce IF
Stick to the HCG 2.0 protocol entirely. It works.
When you notice your weight loss begins to slow down over a couple of days, begin the intermittent fasting recommendations mentioned above.
Exchanging 20-25% percent of your protein for fat may also work better for you. You can easily do this by adjusting your Macros. Fat fasting and intermittent fasting can be synergistic. It’s all about keeping your body guessing and staying ahead of normal human physiology.
Again, the more you know of the what, the hows, and whys, the better. You don’t learn something until it becomes part of your vocabulary.
FAQs regarding Intermittent Fasting in Combination with HCG
When you are doing Intermittent Fasting with HCG 2.0 do you eat all your protein in one setting or do you have a time frame( two hour window) to eat? You can, but you don’t have to. Simply put, IF tweaks with your metabolism, specifically in the way your body responds to insulin. You likely won’t be hungry enough to eat all your protein calories in a single meal. One thing you’ve probably noticed is that you’re becoming fuller on less food. Part of this is the adjustments being made to your metabolism by the HCG, but part is because you’re eating better foods. If you give your body the proper nutrition that it desires, your body will reward you by giving you a proper satiety response. The same is true of intermittent fasting. You just feel full faster. For your first meal (I guess we can call it dinner), get an adequate amount of protein, some healthy fats and phytonutrition from vegetables and your body will reward you by telling you when it’s full. Certainly don’t force feed yourself. The most important thing about intermittent fasting is to give yourself the right calories. It’s pointless to do it if you don’t.
Is it total fasting or can you have something in your coffee? Great question. I sort of answered this above, but this allows me to elaborate. Your body doesn’t want to give up its fat reserves. This is a primitive survival technique that has allowed the human species to survive long winters and famine. Only within the past 100 years has the human species been forced to deal with an OVER-abundance of calories. Our physiology is still stuck in the past so we have to outsmart it. The loading days of the HCG diet are a great example of this. We overeat to lose faster. Same with intermittent fasting. For the first week of IF, get some fat calories in your morning coffee as recommended above, but eat nothing else throughout the day. This slight alteration to your HCG routine should be enough to again jump start ketosis. The following week, also eliminate the calories in your coffee. By again making a slight adjustment, this should be enough to jump-start ketosis and keep you burning fat throughout the final stages of the diet.
I’ve heard that this puts you in a “fight or flight” mode or is that just long-term fasting… I wouldn’t want to muscle waste. Another great question. I was skeptical too. When I mentioned that I did this in Bogota, it wasn’t exactly by choice. I was super busy down there and, of course, never made time to eat, especially in the morning. I realized that I was doing an IF all day and it was working for me… as long as I ate the right foods at night. And the phrase “fight or flight” is somewhat accurate. Your body is trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s not getting the quantity of calories, but it’s getting a much better quality of calories. This is why you’re still able to shed pounds. A diet isn’t merely about calorie reduction, it’s about giving your body the right calories so that it will remedy a skewed satiety response. A majority of obese people today are also malnourished because they’re eating all the wrong food. That’s why the Standard American Diet is appropriately accronym’d SAD.
How many days in a row do you do the IF?? Again, this is entirely anecdotal. I can’t exactly give you a right or wrong number of days to do this. It’s based on what I read and the experience of myself and other dieters. It’s also based on the simple fact that the HCG diet is a 30-40 day protocol and we only have so many cards to play to remain in ketosis throughout. That being said, I recommend starting IF on our about the 3-week point (day 21). For week one of IF, get 60-70 calories of MCT oil or coconut oil in your morning coffee. At approximately the 4-week point, continue with IF by eliminating the coffee calories. And please post your results to the FB group so we can all learn from each other.
Can you IF after P3? I really don’t see why not. I know that in my book I preach grazing (smaller meals/snacks throughout the day) which I still think is fine, but IF also works. The secret isn’t WHEN you eat, it’s WHAT you eat. If you’re giving your body the proper quality of calories, the frequency is less relevant. Focus on making the time to prepare good, healthy foods. You know exactly what to eat by now, so the question is do you want to allocate the proper budget for eating healthy and will you make the time for it?
If I have done IF before and had gallbladder issues with having mct/coconut oil in my coffee can I do it without? You might be getting Fat Fasting slightly confused with Intermittent Fasting. Fat Fasting is when you alter your Macros to give you less protein and more calories from fat. The over-consumption of fats can lead to complications with your gallbladder. But to answer your question, yes, you can do without the fat calories in the morning. Or, maybe do a 1/4 serving of your protein shake. I still think it’s good to wake up your metabolism in the morning… until it isn’t. Again, I don’t have all the answers. I’m just going by what I read and what seems to work. As is life, right?
How long should the eating window be and should you do this every day? This is another question for which I don’t have a specific answer. The best advice I can give is to prepare an absolutely perfect HCG 2.0-friendly meal to break your fast and see how you feel. I highly doubt that you’ll get up from the table still feeling hungry. In the same breath, don’t feel like you have to eat it all. And yes, continue with the Intermittent Fasting throughout the remainder of your HCG diet protocol.
What is HCG 2.0?
If you’ve found this blog and have questions regarding the HCG 2.0 protocol, I would suggest that you visit What is HCG 2.0 page here. It should answer all your questions. You also might want to visit the link to my book, HCG 2.0 – A Modern Adaptation of the Traditional HCG Diet on Amazon.com. It has a 4.4-star rating with over 900 reviews.
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