Here is a breakdown of the approximate calories of each food allowed during the HCG diet. As a refresher, HCG, short for Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin is a hormone found in pregnant women that when taken allows a person to survive on a low calorie diet (500 calories a day) and in which case they are able to lose on average about a pound or two a day, all while maintaining a healthy physique and not experiencing the usual hunger pains that accompany many diets. Read “How I Lost 40 Pounds in 40 Days” for more information on this astounding diet.
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The actual food consumption consists of lunch and dinner (no breakfast) and the following items per meal:
- 3.5 ounces of selected lean meats (see below)
- 3.5 ounces of selected vegetables (see below)
- 1 Grissini Breadstick or Melba Toast
- Selected fruit (see below)
You are encouraged to drink lots of water (I averaged over 100 ounces a day) and you can drink all the coffee and tea you want as well as moderate levels of 0 calorie diet sodas.
And now for the calorie count of allowable foods.
Fish (avg 98 calories)
- Cod (3.5 oz) – 83 calories
- Crab Meat (3.5 oz) – 100 calories
- Flounder (3.5 oz) – 90 calories
- Haddock (3.5 oz) – 88 calories
- Halibut (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
- Lobster (3.5 oz) – 98 calories
- Red Snapper (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
- Shrimp (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
- Tilapia (3.5 oz) – 94 calories
Additional white fish are listed at the bottom of the page.
Very Lean Beef (avg 152 calories)
- 93/7 Lean Ground Beef (3.5 oz) – 150 calories
- Cube Steak (3.5 oz) – 160 calories
- Sirloin Tip Side Steaks (3.5 oz) – 130 calories
- Top Round Steak (3.5 oz) – 166 calories
- Tri-Tip Steak (3.5 oz) – 154 calories
Chicken
- Chicken Breast (3.5 oz) – 87 calories
Veal (avg 114 calories)
- Veal, sirloin (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
- Veal, loin chop (3.5 oz) – 117 calories
Vegetables (avg 18.8 cal)
- Asparagus (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
- Asparagus (2″ tip) – 1 calories
- Asparagus (small spear) – 2 calories
- Asparagus (medium spear) – 3 calories
- Asparagus (large spear) – 4 calories
- Broccoli (3.5 oz) – 34 calories
- Broccoli (1 cup – 88g) – 30 calories
- Broccoli (5″ spear – 31 g) – 11 calories
- Celery (3.5 oz) – 15 cal
- Celery (medium stalk) – 6 calories
- Cabbage (3.5 oz) – 24 calories
- Cabbage (1 cup shredded) – 17 calories
- Cauliflower (3.5 oz) – 22 calories
- Cauliflower (1 cup) – 28 calories
- Cauliflower (3 flowerets) – 12 calories
- Cucumber (3.5 oz) – 12 calories
- Cucumber (small) – 19 calories
- Cucumber (medium) – 24 calories
- Cucumber (large) – 34 calories
- Cucumber (English long) – 60 calories
- Lettuce, all varieties (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
- Lettuce, all varieties (1 cup) – 8 calories
- Lettuce, all varieties (small head) – 32 calories
- Red Radishes (3.5 oz) – 12 calories
- Red Radishes (one medium) – 1 calories
- Spinach, raw (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
- Spinach, raw (1 cup) – 7 calories
- Spinach, frozen (3.5 oz) – 23 calories
- Spinach, frozen (1 cup) – 41 calories
- Spinach, cooked (3.5 oz) – 31 calories
- Spinach, cooked (1 cup) – 48 calories
- Tomato (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
- Tomato (cherry) – 3 calories
- Tomato (plumb) – 11 calories
- Tomato (small) – 16 calories
- Tomato (medium) – 22 calories
- Tomato (large) – 33 calories
Fruit
- Apple (small) – 55 calories
- Apple (medium) – 72 calories
- Apple (large) – 110 calories
- Orange (navel) – 69 calories
- Orange (Florida) – 65 calories
- Orange (California) – 59 calories
- Strawberries, 12 large – 72 calories
- Strawberries, 20 medium – 80 calories
- Pink Grapefruit (California) – 92 calories
- Pink Grapefruit (Florida) – 74 calories
Bread
- Grissini Breadstick (3 g) – 12 calories
- Melba Toast (3 gram) – 12 calories
- Melba Toast (5 gram) – 20 calories
White Fish List
- Ayr
- Cat Fish
- Cod
- Coley
- Dover Sole
- Flounder
- Flying Fish
- Haddock
- Hake
- Halibut
- Hoki
- John Dory
- Kalabasu
- Lemon Sole
- Ling
- Monk Fish
- Parrot Fish
- Plaice
- Pollack
- Pomfret
- Red & Grey Mullet
- Red Fish
- Red Snapper
- Rock Salmon/Dogfish
- Rohu
- Sea Bass
- Sea Bream
- Shark
- Skate
- Tilapia Turbot
- Whiting
Keep in mind that all the above calorie counts on meats and vegetables do not include any sauces, salad dressing or butter. You are in fact encouraged not to us sauces such as barbecue sauce, A-1 Steak Sauce, etc., on meats nor any salad dressings on salads or butter on vegetables.
One trick I learned in phase two of my diet is that I could use Louisiana Hot Sauce on chicken as it has zero calories. That has helped immensely and because it is spicy, you feel fuller. I also use Balsamic Vinegar on Spinach salads which is quite tasty.
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hi can you have horseradish
Bruce,
Not horseradish “sauce”, but I had real, fresh, grated horseradish…used just a little at a time and considered it a spice, which is allowed. S
Hi my name is sherry
i have been using the hcg diet drops and dont know if im doing it right or not! I have been told to take it the first two days and eat everything then on the 3rd day eat the 500 calories, how long do i do that? And em i suppose to take the drops before or after i eat, is there any difference? Im just not sure if im doing this right can somebody please tell me how to do this whole thing i feel im not doing any of it right!
Sherry,
You are right. The first 2 days you start the drops, you need to gorge on high fat foods….and I mean gorge. If you don’t, you will be starving the first week you cut back to 500 calories. Take it from someone who knows. I thought I was eating enough but I guess it just wasn’t high enough in fats.
It says to take the drops between meals…before “breakfast” (although you don’t get breakfast), before lunch, before dinner. The most important thing is you need to take them 15 minutes after and prior to any food or drink. They need time to soak in. Do them under the tongue. I have forgotten a couple of times and just waited until 15 minutes after eating…no biggie. Doesn’t seem to have affected anything.
Good luck!!!!
Hi,
I keep reading different things about the food. I strictly follow Dr. Simeon’s protocol- this would include NO sauces (even if they have no calories- with the exception of mustard, becasue his protocol allows it), NO brocolli, and NO cottage cheese/dairy. You ladies are talking about eating some of that? What makes for the best results? I would LOVE to have some tasty, 0 calorie sauces and/or brocolli!!
Thanks!
Hi Brittney,
His protocol allows for DRY mustard and other spices, no sauces. I finally broke down and added (1.5 cup raw) brocolli, and found that I kept loosing the same as before. One T milk in 24 hours, no cottage cheese, though he said if someone is really averse to meat, it could be substituted with 100% fat free Cot. Cheese on occasion.
I started the restrictive portion of the diet 5 days ago. I’m not sure what’s wrong but I wake up hungry and go to bed hungry every day. So many people say they aren’t hungry but I haven’t stopped being hungry. I’ve been light-headed, have no energy and am quite “cranky” feeling. This has been the hardest 5 days I’ve ever encountered!!! Any suggestions?????
That’s awful Tina. If you are using injections be sure to check your dose. I would suggest a good woman’s multi-vitamin each day as well. This should help with the lightheadedness and energy. Also, make sure you are drinking all the recommended water. Try making strawberry lemonade with some of your fruit serving. This somehow fills me a little more than water. You can also freeze it so that you get the sensation of eating. Also, try making a garlic broth to drink hot, or make soups with your allowed food. Because broth is all water and soup is mostly water you will have more. This not only ups your water intake but also allows you to put something in your stomach every couple of hours. By all means split those meals up and make sure that your days are not too long (some people get up at 5am and don’t go to bed until midnight, not good). If you are exercising, stop until your hunger is under control. I hope one or more of the things above help. If you are hungry the diet can be difficult. On the bright side of those who experience hunger its usually within the first week so it should be subsiding soon. The crankiness will go away with the hunger I’m sure.
I am wondering about exercising. I have not read whether it’s better to exercise or not to exercise. I like to walk about an hour every day and just wondered if this is good or not.
Jeanene, you should be able to maintain your same level of moderate exercise while on the diet. Do not add any extra exercise to your routine. Exercise may increase hunger or may also trigger temporary water retention. If you notice those impacts, cut the exercise down or out until P3. Otherwise, walking during the diet is great.
Jeanne, I’ve walked 1/2 to 1 mile every day since the day I started. I think it just helps you along and helps to keep the skin on the legs from sagging as much
Hello all~
HELP! I need suggestions of things I can bring for a trip I am taking tomorrow.
Now, I am bringing a cooler. Driving. Long weekend in Charlotte, but not easy for me to eat out… unless you have suggestions.
Can anyone help me deal with the 5 days??
I am on round 2. Doing well. And I never, and i really mean never, cheat. I think out of fear more than anything
Debbie
Debbie,
I would pack lots of salad and take either apple cider vinegar or balsamic. You could cook chicken breasts and/or hamburger/cube steak ahead of time in 100 gm and if you are unable to heat up at least you could add it to the salad for a good meal. Another thing you could do is a fresh tomato with 1/4 c of cottage cheese.
It was recommended to me that if you need to eat out then order a grilled chicken breast or a lean hamburger or lean steak ( you know what 3.5oz looks like by now right?) and just eat a salad with balsamic on it.
Oh and don’t forget you could do grilled shrimp. And you can probably find restaurants that will serve fresh asparagus or spinach this time of year. Some may even have veal cutlets. Take a lot of fresh vegetables with you cucumber, radishes and take seasoning so you can season them and eat them. Just wash and cut them up into servings ready to go. If you have ways to heat things up (microwave) the ideas could be limitless. Take some Perrie and some of your flavored Stevia for a treat and last but not least remember to drink lots of water
I hope this helps even just a little bit. Good luck!
Thank you Stephanie!! Leaving tonight
Debbie
Hi Everyone,
Today is my first day of the VLCD. I was wondering if you could have pork loin as the protein for lunch or dinner? I thought I had seen it listed somewhere, but then other lists do not include it. Thanks!
Susan,
No pork on this diet. Let me know if you need some resources to help you. But the main thing I always go with is Dr. Simeon’s POUNDS AND INCHES manuscript. If you follow that as close as possible and pick up a few hints here and there you should have no problem.
Good Luck!
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