HCG Diet Phases Explained for Users of HCG Drops

The HCG drops diet consists of several phases. Dr. Simeons, author of Pounds and Inches and creator of the original HCG diet, didn't explain it in terms of phases, but in the years since then some brilliant individuals have found that it's much easier to understand when broken down into phases. The HCG diet phases that are most commonly used today were outlined by Kevin Trudeau, author of the book The Diet "They" Don't Want You to Know About, which is widely credited with popularizing the HCG diet and HCG drops.

Most people stick with Trudeau's phases, but not everyone. Because of this, we have seen a lot of confusion coming from people interested in HCG drops and the HCG diet, and even companies selling the product. Here at HealthyHCG, we wanted to come up with a straightforward, easily-understood way of explaining the HCG diet phases and how HCG drops fit into the plan. We use Trudeau's system as a framework because of its popularity, but Dr. Simeons is our ultimate authority.

HCG Phase 1

HCG Phase 1 is a preparatory and cleansing phase that was invented by Kevin Trudeau. Some of his recommendations can be helpful and may help speed your weight loss. However, it is not a part of the original protocol by Dr. Simeons, and it's also time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. You are free to try it if you wish, but it is not built into the HealthyHCG plan.

HCG Phase 2

At HealthyHCG, we divide HCG Phase 2 into three distinct parts to make it easier for you to know what you're doing. Dr. Simeons designed this phase to last either 26 or 43 days.

Loading Phase. During this phase you begin taking HCG drops and "load" by gorging on high-fat foods to replenish your healthy reserve fat. This phase takes up the first two days of Phase 2.

Core Phase. These are the 500-calorie diet days where you'll lose most of your weight. Continue taking HCG drops every day. This phase can last anywhere from 21 to 38 days depending on how much weight you want to lose.

Taper Phase. Continue the 500-calorie diet, but stop taking HCG drops to allow the HCG to work its way out of your system. This phase takes up the last 3 days of Phase 2.

HCG Phase 3

We call HCG Phase 3 the Stabilization Phase, because you take these 21 days (3 weeks) to stabilize your new weight so you won't regain. You can eat whatever you want except sugars and starches. No more HCG drops necessary—you're done with them unless you want to start the diet again at a later time to lose even more weight.

HCG Phase 4

We call HCG Phase 4 the Maintenance Phase. During this time you return to a normal diet and maintain your new weight indefinitely. No HCG drops, and no dieting restrictions. Just try to eat healthy and stay active, so you don't slide back into unhealthy habits. After a minimum of 21 days (3 weeks) you can start another round of the HCG drops diet.

Rounds

People with more than 30 pounds to lose often need to go through the HCG diet multiple times. Each time doing the diet is usually called a "round" or "course." This has resulted in an interesting code that people in the HCG dieting community use to indicate which round and phase they are currently on. They shorten round, phase, and day to the first letter followed by a number, like this:

R1P2D3 = Round 1, Phase 2, Day 3 (the first day of the Core Phase above)
R2P3D12 = Round 2, Phase 3, Day 12 (the twelfth day of the Stabilization Phase)

We hope this has helped you gain a better understanding of the HCG diet and its phases and how HCG drops fit into the overall plan.