Having a healthy body weight is the first step towards a longer and healthier life. With healthy body weight, you are less likely to be at risk from chronic diseases associated with weight gains such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer.

What causes weight gain? What can you do to prevent it from happening? If your weight’s been creeping up for some time, then it’s time to change your bad habits that go on for years. Many people actually gain weight. Weight gain is very common especially as you age or during the menopausal period of women, but it’s not inevitable. You can definitely do something to reverse the course by leading an active lifestyle, healthy eating habits, and choosing the right weight loss plan like the HCG Diet.

Reasons you are gaining weight

1. Sugary foods

A high-sugar diet is linked to excess body fat and weight gain. Not to mention- they contribute to prolonged elevated blood sugar level, leptin, and insulin resistance.

Sugars nowadays are found in almost all types of foods and drinks. The sugar in these foods gives them a sweet taste. Added sugars, unlike foods and drinks that naturally contain sugar, have no nutritional value. Foods with sugar content are NOT allowed on the HCG Diet. Consuming too much of them will not only cause weight gain, but you are putting yourself at serious risk from diabetes and heart diseases.

2. A large portion of foods

If you eat more than the total amount of calories you need, you will end up gaining weight even if you’re eating healthy foods. Controlling your food intake can help manage your weight. How much should you eat then? It depends on your metabolism, age, how active you are, and many other factors.

3. Fast foods at any meal

Most fast foods contain unhealthy ingredients with a large amount of sugar, fats, and fewer nutrients. This means, if you eat fast foods at any meal, you are taking in a large number of unhealthy calories, which leads to weight gain.

4. It’s all in your genes

Weight gain and obesity are strongly influenced by your genes. If your parents are obese, you are more likely to become obese. Despite this, obesity and weight gain are not completely predetermined. What you eat can have a big difference in which genes actually come into play.

5. Certain medications

Many medications can cause weight gain as a side effect. For example, diabetes medication, antidepressants, and antipsychotic drugs can cause modest weight gain. A contraceptive pill, although rare, can cause weight gain. The effects are often temporary, and it’s all because of fluid retention and not fat.

6. Alcoholic beverages

Alcoholic beverages can cause weight gain in many ways. They are high in calories that stop your body from burning fats. Not only does it contain many calories but its additive and mixers are packed with sugar.

Alcoholic beverages are appetite stimulant can make you feel hungry as well as lead you to poor food choices.

The HCG diet is perhaps the most effective weight loss plan that will allow you to lose weight quickly while improving your overall health. It can aid in reversing diet-related issues and prevent other health issues from occurring. Additionally, the HCG diet has tons of other health benefits too, including lowering the cholesterol level, reducing your risk from diabetes, reducing unwanted fats, and helping you lose weight.

Health Benefits of the HCG diet

Below are 8 reasons why many people turn to the HCG diet for their weight loss journey:

1. Energy boost and improved metabolism:

The HCG diet triggers the metabolism of fat for energy. It stimulates your brain to tap into adipose fats for a valuable energy source. This significantly increases your energy levels within the day and reeve your metabolic rate to lose more weight.

2. Improved heart health:

The HCG diet is a heart-friendly diet. It helps improve your heart health by lowering LDL levels and triglycerides, which are both risk factors for heart disease. The HCG diet can help you lose 5-10% of body fats, which reduces your risk of stroke and heart attack. Since the diet plan instills good eating habits, this reduces the risk of cholesterol buildup in the nerves, thus reduces the blood pressure and your chances of having blood clots.

3. Preserve muscle mass:

One common side effect of restricted calorie intake is decreased muscle mass. The HCG diet is a fat cutter. It only works directly on the adipose tissue and not your muscle. The HCG diet will preserve your muscle tissue as you lose weight. So, there is no need to worry because the HCG Diet only works against your adipose fat.

4. Lower belly fats:

The hormone targets the stubborn fat buildup in your belly. The fat buildup in your belly area is associated with a higher risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases.

5. Improved endurance

The preservation of muscle mass will improve your overall endurance. You can work harder and longer and this can help you use the extra energy reserve from the stored fats. You will also experience improved mobility. As you lose weight, your joint won’t have to be stressed all the time. You will become lighter and better able to do your routine exercise without aches and pain.

6. Boost self-confidence

With weight loss comes improved self-confidence, especially if it is super-fast. Many HCG dieters report improved self-confidence while on the HCG diet and after the diet. Once on the path of wellness, dieters are able to maintain their healthy eating and physical activities to avoid weight gain and to maintain their weight.

7. Quick whole-body weight loss result

This diet can help you lose pounds and inches quickly in all the right places including your arms, waist, neck, buttocks, and thigh. It will reshape your body’s fat deposits and put your fat storage to good use daily.

8. Overall health boost

With the HCG diet, you’ll be able to breathe better, sleep better, and are more active. You’ll also have better digestion. All these play a crucial role in your overall health.

I’m sure that you’ve heard about the HCG Diet program before. Either you came across it during one of your morning reading routines or from your co-workers. Or perhaps from your old friends or distant relatives whom you haven’t heard from a long time.

With 20 years of studying and working with actual patients, Dr. Simeon, the original creator of the HCG Diet, probably figured out exactly what works and what doesn’t work. The protocol requires every dieter to follow a very strict calorie intake of at least 500 calories a day, but some modern HCG diet protocol allows for 700 or 800 calories per day. What allows dieters to survive this calorie restriction and still able to lose not just pound but inches is the daily shot of the HCG hormone. Dr. Simeon’s theory behind this is that the HCG Diet works with the brain’s hypothalamus to change the way the body handles the very low-calorie restriction and the chosen foods during the different phases.

Green beans and peas on HCG Diet

In the HCG diet, you are not allowed to add sugar especially during the second phase. The carb option is restricted to Melba toast or Grissini stick only. The same goes for some protein choices. Not all fruits and vegetables are allowed. Green beans and peas are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, fiber, and folic acid. However, they are not on the list of approved vegetables, meaning they are prohibited.

WHY? Even though with the same caloric value as those listed as permissible, green beans and peas can INTERFERE with the regular weight loss. Dr. Simeon left no explanations, but you’ll notice that all the allowed vegetables have high water content and fiber. So, it’s fair to assume that green beans are excluded because of their low water content, while peas have high starch content.

Allowed vegetables during Phase 2:

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Beet greens
• Chard
• Chicory
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Fennel
• Red radish
• Onions
• Tomatoes

There is no restriction on the amount of vegetables you can have during each meal. The starting point is two cups, but you can have as much as you want, except for tomato, fennel and tomatoes because they have high carb content. For example, you can have as much lettuce or cucumber as long as you eat it all for that meal, and you are not adding other vegetables for that meal.

Several alternative protocols on the HCG diet have arisen to make the diet more comfortable and doable for some dieters. As mentioned above, many include additional calories and a less restricted menu. Many of this alternative protocol allows the use of peas and green beans.

For the best result, stick to the original protocol to lose the maximum amount of weight. If you will follow the 500 calories a day, you may reap as well the biggest benefits. If you truly want to eat peas or green beans, wait until you reach the maintenance phase or when you have stabilized your weight.