Caffeine is healthy and it can help you lose weight. Yes! You heard it right, caffeine can help you lose weight in addition to the HCG hormone you inject intramuscularly each day. From “Pounds and Inches”, you are only allowed to drink coffee and tea while on the HCG Diet. Why Coffee? It’s because of the caffeine in it!

Caffeine on Coffee During the HCG diet

Coffee is the main source of caffeine worldwide and its safety has been established by several coffee studies. Caffeine is a natural stimulant also found in tea, cola and other products. It’s commonly used to improve mental alertness by stimulating the brain and the central nervous system. Caffeine helps control the appetite but what makes it good during the HCG Diet is that it can increase your metabolic rate.

The caffeine in the coffee you drink mobilizes the fat from the fat tissue and speeds up your metabolism. It does this by stimulating your nervous system so it can send a direct message to your fat cells leading to the breakdown of the fat. This helps the HCG on your system to promote faster weight loss. The high metabolic rate speeds up the fat-burning process during your diet.

Coffee contains very little calories. A cup of black coffee gives you only 2 calories so you can have as much coffee as you want or as your body can take. Coffee does not violate the HCG protocol. In fact, it’s one of the unlimited drinks that you can drink during the HCG Diet.  However, just like other beverages, too much coffee with caffeine (you can have a coffee without the caffeine in it, I am talking about decaffeinated coffee) can lead to something else. Consuming too much caffeine may give you the caffeine jitters. It can make you irritable and may even trigger anxiety. So, you must consume caffeine moderately besides there’s no evidence that increased consumption results in permanent or significant weight loss.

Further studies also have concluded that caffeine can prevent weight gain or slightly boost weight loss that’s why it’s a stable ingredient in many weight loss or fat-burning pills and supplements. It’s the darling of all intermittent fasters who drink coffee for breakfast.

Benefits of Caffeine

Aside from helping you lose more weight caffeine has tons of other benefits too.

1. Increases fat-burning activity during exercise

Consuming at least 3 mg of caffeine per body kg can shift calorie burn towards fat burn. Caffeine will not cause you to burn a lot of calories during exercise but it will shift your calorie burn to use more fat. Instead of the usual carbohydrate, your body will burn stored fats. This sounds even better when you are on the 500 calorie diet. You’re on a low carb so your body will have to use the stored fat as a source of energy instead of carbs

• Caffeine may help prevent weight gain after losing them.

The caffeine in coffee or supplements will not cause you to lose weight without any diet or exercise changes but caffeine can help you prevent regaining your weight after losing them.

• Caffeine helps you eat less

We all know that over time, we tend to get tolerant to the effects of caffeine so the likelihood of losing more weight using caffeine may stop. However, there is still a possibility for caffeine to blunt appetite and this can help you eat less. The appetite suppressant effect depends on your weight. There is a stronger effect for those who were obese than those who are at a healthy weight. It has an appetite reducing effect particularly to men which makes them likely to eat lesser at a meal following caffeine consumption.

• Promotes faster weight lose

Caffeine increases your metabolic rate by 3- 11%. For leaner people their metabolic rate increases by 29% and only 10% in obese. Over time, you become tolerant to its effects. If you’re using caffeine for the sake of weight loss it’s best to cycle your coffee drinking habit. A cycle of two weeks on, two weeks off is best.

• Reduces cravings for comfort foods

Caffeine is a stimulant that makes you feel good thus improving your overall mood. Considering that low mood is a major cause of cravings, caffeine can help reduce cravings by reducing their desire for comfort foods. So, instead of reaching out for that comfort donut in the box, why not grab a cup of coffee and enjoy your moment.

• Reduces headache

Caffeine is a mild pain reliever that helps relieve headaches when on and off the HCG Diet. Caffeine helps constrict the blood vessels in the brain when pain comes. It helps boost common headache remedies such as ibuprofen, aspirin or paracetamol by 40%.

• Reduce the risk for diabetes type 2

Caffeine contains antioxidants called polyphenols that help improve insulin sensitivity thus reducing the risk for diabetes type 2. It also contains the mineral chromium and magnesium that have been linked with a lower rate of diabetes. Consuming at least three cups of coffee with caffeine a day can decrease the risk of having diabetes by 11%.

• Caffeine keeps you alert

Caffeine tricks your brain to help you combat drowsiness. It temporarily blocks chemical adenosine to prevent fatigue.

Indulging in junk food craving is lovely. Whether it’s a bag of salty chips, old-time favorite French fries or a mountain of bite-sized snickers but once the guilt kicks in, the joy quickly turns into self-loathing and disgust.

You know that junk foods and processed foods are bad. They are unhealthy but cravings can still drive you to eat them. This is because junk food is designed to be appealing to your appetite such as the crunch in the potato chips or the soft cookie. It’s designed to be addictive so that you keep purchasing them. The sugar, salt, and fat are carefully selected to make them appealing and addictive. They can cause salivary responses, yet they don’t satisfy your hunger the way natural healthy foods do. Junk foods can hijack your brain chemistry and causes food cravings. When you indulge in unhealthy foods, the “feel good” chemical is released and the memory center begins to associate the treat with the pleasure it produces.

The HCG Diet can help eliminate junk food cravings

Fixing your food cravings can be difficult but it is possible with the HCG Diet. As nutritionists say, the more junk foods you eat the more difficult it will be to eliminate them because they are addictive. The less you eat them, the easier it will be for you to deal with the cravings. This is when the HCG Diet comes in. The HCG Diet eliminates all the junk foods for the whole duration of the diet, that’s between 23 to 46 days. This period gives your brain a time to readjust to healthy whole foods. You’ll be eating healthy, natural foods and your brain will adjust and you will start to crave natural foods. The HCG Diet can work wonders at eliminating unhealthy food cravings on a long-term basis.

What causes junk food cravings?

Food cravings are more physiological and psychological causes that originate from the reward center of the brain.

1. Your hormones are out of balance

Food cravings are brought by the imbalances of the hormones that make you feel good and hormones that calm and relax you down. This is true for women who are menstruating because the cycling hormones throughout the month can drive hunger and cravings.

2. You are stressed, sad or anxious

Your cortisol hormone increases whenever you are sad, stressed or anxious which in return increases your appetite particularly for sweets and carbs.

3. You are dehydrated

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of sugar cravings. When you lack body fluids, your body finds it hard to metabolize glycogen for energy so your body craves sugar to provide you with a quick source of energy when what you actually need is a little more water.

4. You have nutrient imbalances

When you lack the necessary nutrients, you can experience cravings because your body wants something that is lacking. So make sure to eat a balanced diet, take supplements to cover your essential minerals and vitamins.

5. You are tired

Your body can drive you to eat more sweets and salty foods to keep up your energy level when you are tired. Your cortisol level also increases when your body is tired. So, make sure you get a good quality of sleep to have renewed energy.

6. Your blood sugar is low

Low blood sugar level triggers junk food cravings. This craving is often for sugar because sugar raises the blood sugar level and improves energy the fastest.

Tips that can help you say NO to junk foods

If you’re trying to cut down on fatty, sugary and salty foods to help you lose weight and to improve your overall health, these tips can help you say NO to junk foods.

1. Know your triggers

What makes you crave for junk foods? What junk foods do you usually crave for? Maybe you are craving for a chocolate right when you get home from work or maybe a pint of chocolate ice cream. Once you have identified your trigger, plan ahead. Go to the gym first instead of heading home right away. You can also have a healthy snack before you get home.

2. Be stress-free

Stress can trigger junk food cravings so keep your stress level down. The science behind stress eating is simple. When we are physically, emotionally and mentally stressed, our body releases the stress hormone called cortisol. Excess cortisol together with the hunger hormone ghrelin can lead to heightened cravings. Consider doing an exercise or a daily meditation to help you combat stress.

3. Meditate

Meditation is one of the most effective ways of resetting your body out of the flight and fight stage of stress. Swap your unhealthy snack time with a meditation session. You will not only beat cravings but you become more mindful of your snacking impulses.

4. Raid your pantry

Get rid of any convenient snack foods which are usually high in sugar but nutrient-poor. 

5. Substitute sweet and salty foods

Substitute sweet and salty foods with HCG approved herbs, spices, and fruits.

• Cinnamon- Add cinnamons to your coffee, tea or smoothie. You may sprinkle some on your apple slices or over roasted veggies or stir into plain yogurt. Cinnamon naturally helps stop cravings. The potent polyphenols in cinnamon can reduce sugar cravings by controlling the blood glucose levels.
• Ginseng- It’s one of the most widely-used herbs. This helps boost the immune system, relieve stress and reduce the risk of certain cancers. It’s also an effective blood sugar stabilizer.
• Cloves- Helps boost numerous health benefits and regulate blood sugar levels.

6. Avoid processed foods

Processed foods are the worst enemy in the HCG Diet. Processed foods can increase junk food cravings which can make you gain weight right away. To stop your cravings, indulge in the HCG Diet approved fruits instead of processed foods.

7. Stay hydrated

Fill your tummy up with water whenever you crave for sweet treats. Water can help flush out the toxins in your body from eating unhealthy foods.

Finding a perfect weight loss plan that syncs with your lifestyle is a step away from achieving a great look. Now you are ready to shed all those extra pounds that you’ve been carrying for years. Just one problem- as you are losing weight you may notice that your skin isn’t bouncing back. The same surface area that covers your new, smaller self now lags on your belly and arms. Your face can even seem a bit slack.

Why our skin does this?

The issue of loose skin starts when you start to gain weight. The skin is the largest human organ that is comprised of protein elastin and collagen. The protein elastin and collagen give your skin its firm strength and elasticity. It helps your skin stretch when you gain weight without tearing it. Weight gain will cause your skin to over inflate like a balloon.

Your skin, as an elastic organ, stretches and contracts to form with the shape of your body. Your skin surface area increases in size to accommodate the new fat tissue deposits below your skin. However, over time and with increased weight gain, the protein fibers become weak and damaged. Your skin may not be able to snap back to its original smaller shape when you lose weight too quickly due to the weakening of the fiber. This leads to saggy, excess skin during weight loss. However, the amount of saggy skin that remains after a diet varies by individual. Not all dieters’ skin sags after losing weight. It depends on several factors such as age, genetics, total muscle mass and total weight gain. The more weight you’ll lose the more difficult it would be for your skin to snap back to its original smaller shape. Some dieters have a massive amount of loose skin that only surgery can fix.

Let’s take a look at the anatomy of the skin and its surrounding area…

There are two layers of tissue underneath the skin: The adipose tissue (fat) and the muscle tissue directly beneath the fat tissue. Both the fat and the muscle tissue push up against the adjacent layer of the skin making it relatively taut before you start to lose weight. When you lose weight and burn those fat cells, your fat cell shrinks but your skin surface area still retains. The space under the larger surface area now lags and may seem to sag because there is less tissue underneath your skin taking up space. Your skin now sags.

Ways to tighten loose skin after the HCG Diet

The first rule is not to panic. Having loose skin after losing weight happens to anyone and is normal. Having a sagging skin after losing weight, in fact, is one of the most common problems that almost all dieters experience. Your skin is a living organ so keep in mind that your skin will slowly return to a shape that fits your body. However, that process may seem to take too long, at least a year or two. Here are steps that you can do to make your skin tighten more quickly:

• Lose weight at a healthy pace

Losing weight at a healthy pace allows you to retain more muscle tissue while keeping your skin tight since your muscle acts as a supportive tissue that holds your skin onto your body.

• Choose a healthy weight loss program like the HCG Diet

The HCG Diet is one of the BEST diets and weight loss program available. One of the biggest factors of the HCG hormone is its effect on the skin.

The hormone helps promote your skin elasticity so it would be able to stretch and quickly snap back to its normal state just like pregnant women do after giving birth. The HCG diet can provide a great contour to your body if done correctly. Most dieters who took their plunge into this diet have dropped their weight and seemed to be shrinking everywhere including their skin no matter how much weight they have to lose. You can only achieve a dramatic weight loss with an amazing body contouring through the HCG Diet.

• Build muscle mass

Muscle tissue is the key to minimize loose skin. If a muscle mass is lost in addition to fats due to the wrong weight loss program, it creates an even larger void under your skin surface. There are several ways that you can do to help increase your muscle tissue after losing weight with the HCG Diet.

• Strength training exercise– helps decrease the appearance of loose skin; allows you to maintain more muscle mass; build muscle if you’re new to strength training
• Hypertrophy training or muscle building training– increases the overall volume and size of the muscle; allows the skin to cling tighter to the underlying tissue (toned and tight muscle helps give your skin a strong foundation to rest on)
• Keeping your protein intake high– protein helps build muscles; protein prevents the loss of lean mass during the very low calorie diet of HCG
  

• Tighten up with exercise

Exercise is prohibited during the HCG Diet except for those light ones. However, when your protocol complete, mild training and toning can be very beneficial in improving muscle tone. Toned and firm muscle can improve the texture and the look of your skin as well as preventing it from sagging.

• Stay hydrated

Healthy skin is hydrated skin. So see to it that you are drinking enough amount of water during and after dieting to keep your skin supple, soft and to promote skin elasticity.

• Have a healthy balanced diet

Your skin needs elastin and collagen to keep it firm, plump and improve its elasticity. To do this you need to protein-rich foods such as milk, cottage cheese, beans, tofu, nuts, seeds and fish. These foods contain elastin and collagen forming component and oils to make your skin healthy. Fresh fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, will not only make you healthy in the inside but will also keep your skin healthy on the outside.