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.
Need HCG? Click here to buy quality HCG and HCG Diet Supplies
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.
Need HCG? Click here to buy quality HCG and HCG Diet Supplies
{ 5071 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Jane,
We bought a digital scale form Bed Bath and Beyond. The brand name is “Thinner” and it cost about 50 bucks. Well worth it.
Our journey has now taken us into the second 3 week period after HCG–Ph4 or more normal eating with some sugar and starches. I noticed when reviewing our menues for the past couple of weeks that even when we can eat just about anything we want, we seem to revert back to the Ph3 diet. Good food, healthy food, etc and with the olive or coconut oil, eggs and larger meat portions, it’s not too hard to get the calories we need. We are eating lots of eggs, maybe because they are easy to fix and we like them. AND, our weights are holding steady. Is this diet a miracle or what?
Harvel
Harvel,
That was my concern. I am glad to hear we are on the same page. I think that I will just walk every night and look for a more precise scale. I have seen them, just never priced them. I am really enjoying Ph3 and the addition of new foods. I will be ordering some almond flour since locally it runs about 13.00 a lb. On line I can get it for about 5 plus shipping, which makes it very reasonable. I am really missing my deserts. Last night I tried a receipe for coconut icecream. Was okay will look for a better one.
So, how is your journey going?
Thanks so much for your help.
Jane,
Upon further reflection, I don’t think it is a good idea to increase your exercise until you have finished with Ph3 and the 2 pound rule that goes with it. The water retention and increasing muscle mass could throw everything off and you won’t know where you are with the stabilization of your metabolism to the new weight, which is the purpose of Ph3. If you gain 2 pounds or more, you won’t know if it is fat being redeposited or water or muscle mass and there would be no way to apply corrective action.
Just a thought, do you have a way to monitor your body’s condition with Body Mass Index (BMI) testing or similar technology? I think that might tell you where the weight change is coming from.
Harvel
Anica,
If I remember correctly, the continuation past 40 doses was using the homeopathic preparation. Just to be on the safe side, you might want to assume that resistance to the hormone is developing and follow the protocol of 3 weeks Ph3 and another 3 weeks of Ph4 for a total of 6 weeks off HCG.
Harvel
Hi guys
Here is a recipe I thought I would share in case any of you are lke me and have been missing your movie time snack.
Spinach chips (preheat oven to 350)
Place spinach on parchment paper on a baking sheet in a single layes. Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice. Place the in the oven for about 10 minutes or until they have a dired paper thin look to them. Take them out and enjoy.
Nice healthy alternative to potato chips
I haven’t posted much on this site, but I follow it everyday and thank you Harvel and Les for all of your valuable information. I am on day 30 of VLCD and have lost 26.2 pounds. I am so excited to finally be losing my weight. I still want to lose another 30 pounds, so I’m almost halfway there and will require another round.
I have a question for anybody who can answer. I’ve read different things about continuing sublingual HCG drops after 40 days. I’ve heard some folks who have continued successfully past their 40 day round. And on the other hand, I’ve read about becoming immune to HCG and that’s why you should not continue past 40 days. I have the will power and determination to continue, but don’t want to mess up my program by continuing the HCG sublingual drops past 40 days. Can anybody give advise me on this? I am approaching the end of Phase 2 quickly. Thanks!
Thanks, Harvel! I’m so glad I won’t have to be limiting myself to 20 carbs.
Harvel,
Thank you. So if I follow you the 2lb rule needs to be followed for 21 days then I can just try to lose the rest after that on my own. During the 21 days when I excercise and my weight increases more than 2 lbs because of water retention and muscle (which I build fast) do I take action? As always, thanks for your thoughts and ideas.
Good luck Jessica. Stick with it.
Eating late can be reversed the next day. So don’t fret. Try not to do so.
Debbie
Jackie,
I’m afraid I wasn’t clear. When I said “carbohydratess,” I meant to say “starches.” Although starches are carbohydrates, it is the starch we focus on. Things like potatoes, breads, cereals, pastas, and the like. There is no particular limit on the amount. You would want to avoid a meal that had both a greasy fried food and potatoes or an other meal with an oily alfredo sauce over pasta. You could have a fatty food at noon and a heavy starch for dinner. Eventually, I think it is after the third week of Ph4, you can begin putting them together. As with Ph3, the daily calorie intake is what you watch.
As an aside, the “20 carbs” limit is a restriction for people like my wife who have to manage their carb intake due to high blood sugar.
Harvel
Harvel,
Thanks so much for the helpful information on Phase 4. When you say you add a carb food a day, do you try to keep it under 20 carbs or some other carb count? Also, when you say not to combine a high carb food with high fat food in a meal, do you have a range for what is considered too high in fat for a meal? Thanks in advance.
Stacy and Debbie,
Thanks for responding to my question and I learned the hard way not to eat late. I gained .4 today and I am so disappointed in myself. But I am getting back on track today. Wish me luck!!!!!!
3 hours before bed is the latest you should eat. If you were up late, and then got 7-8 hours of sleep, you should be fine
Jessica,
Trudeau recommends not eating anything within 3 hours of bedtime (and that’s the same rule I’ve heard from other doctors over the years). Honestly, though, I think the biggest difference you’ll see on the scale the next day will be due to the amount of undigested food still in your system (which will be gone by the next day, thankfully). Tell us how it goes!
MKG,
I stayed with it because of all the positive talk on this site thinking it would eventually kick in. I was excited this am when I was down 1 lb. that makes 5 since Aug 15.
Hi everyone,
I have a question for anyone that can answer it. I am on phase 2 and have been for a week. (I have lost 11 pounds so far…thank goodness) But anyways my question is, What is the lastest that you should eat? My family and I did not get home until 8:15 tonight and I didn’t get to eat until about 9:15 tonight. Did I screw up on my weight lost for tomorrow because I did eat so late?
Harvel
Thanx for all the tips. Of course my insulin requirments were lowered. I control my insulin levels after all these years.
Muriel,
Now, I am confused. I assumed that you were under Dr.’s care for the diabetes and that the 20 carbs limit came from that Dr. not your HCG provider. How are you getting your insulin if you are a Type 1 diabetic?
Hey All,
I am on day 10 counting the load days. Yesterday I thought I had lost 8 or 9 pounds today on 7. I thought you lost more on the first and second week. Was I asking to much? I am still thrilled to be down 7 pounds, just wondering if anyone thinks I need to adjust something.
Deb
Muriel,
You didn’t say what your blood sugar readings have been. Did they go down during the diet and weight loss? Did your insulin requirement change? One thing that you need to do, if you haven’t done so already is to get information on the carb and GI content of the various foods. A good book that we use (my wife is Type 2 diabetic) is “The New Glucose Revolution” by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller. The book has a comprehensive listing of the glycemic indexes of over 1,000 foods.
One error that I noticed is the cherry tomatoes. They are very sugar packed. I’m not going to argue with your husband, but I don’t think the animal fat is terribly important at this point in time. However, in order to keep peace in the family, you might consider using olive oil or coconut oil to get some of the calories you need. I especially like coconut oil for cooking.
A good website for complete nutritional values of foods is from the USDA. There you will find protein, carbs, fats and all sorts of other information on the foods we eat:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/cgi-bin/list_nut_edit.pl
It’s tough to consume about 1500 calories and not go over the 20 Gram carbohydrate limit. I think the key is to look for high calorie/low carbohydrate/low Glycemic Index (GI)foods.
Don’t forget: During Ph3, add fats and oils to the your diet, but NO SUGAR OR STARCHES.
Congratulations on the two pants sizes. My wife and are old enough to qualify for a reverse mortgage should we want to go get one. We have both been successful. Who said old canines can’t learn new stuff?
Harvel
Mkg
I got this from Atkins and also from the Dr. that sold me the hcg altho she was not much of a help.
Muriel where did you get the 20 carb count…I thought we only had to stay away from starches and sugar?
Sandi how were you ever able to stay with the program only losing 4 pounds? The only thing that has kept me going for 23 is the weight loss. You are astronger person then I’ll ever be
Talk about confused-no one is more cofused than I am.I think someone needs to write an up to date book to help us out.
I am on my first day of p3.and just besides myself. I am a senior citizen,a woman and a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic.It took me 46 days and absoluty no cheeting to lose 21 pounds. I lost 2 pants sizes and am just thrilled! Everyone-take heart if I can do it any one can.
Now to my problem I made a salad for lunch and by the time I got thru counting carbs and calories I was way over my 20 carb count.It had blue cheese dressing[home made] one egg,one egg white,some cherry tomatoes
one fourth of an avacado.I also had one slice of nitrate free bacon and scrambled egg in butter this morning My husband of fifty plus years is giving me grief.Says its too much animal fat.
Can some one please help me?
Forever greatful.
Sandi,
I don’t know for sure, but it looks to me as though the HCG may have lost its potency, not that your body was not responsive. Were you following the 500 calories a day for the 23 days? Were you hungry enough to chew the leg off of a table throughout? Check with your counselor, but it may be that you can hold off a few days and go right back into it.
Carol,
I thought about the fries, I really did. You are right, not only is commmon sense needed in Ph4, but you will want to weigh yourself every morning and follow the 2 pound rule. After only two days, I find that I can look at a meal and guess pretty closely the calories on the plate. I have also learned to eat relatively slowly and to quit when I begin feeling full.
For your second posting to me, the “VLCD” is short-hand used on this site for Very Low Calorie Diet and refers to the 500 calories we consume while under the influence of the HCG.
If you did the 23 day course of HCG, three weeks off is considered to be enough. You can start over again at the end of Ph3.
And, finally, Carol, you are not a pain. This diet works. I am pleased to be able to help with whatever I have learned by study, personal experience and listening to others–especially on this blog site. For the past 9 or 10 weeks I have set aside almost all of the rest of my life just to steer my wife and I through this thing. If anyone else can benefit from what I have learned, they are welcome to it. Having said that, I am not a diet specialist, nor am I a medical practitioner of any sort. I’m just a guy who wanted to lose a lot of weight and found a way to do it.
Jackie,
One of the best pieces of advice I have seen about adding the sugar and starches for Ph4 is this: Do it slowly. Add one carbohydrate food per day in the first week of Ph4. The next day, change to another form of carbohydrate food, again just one a day. The second week of Ph4, eat two carbohydrate foods, but not in the same meal. In week three of Ph4, start combining the carbohydrate foods in the same meal. Use common sense and moderation. By then, your eating habits should have changed to the point that you will not overeat. Weigh yourself every morning and try to stay within the 2 pound rule, especially up. Finally, Try not to eat a high fat meal with a high carbohydrate meal. One or the other: high fat OR high carbohydrate. Continue to measure the foods and stay within the calorie range that allowed you to maintain your weight in Ph3. That is your individual and personal calorie limit.
The above comments about carbohydrate refer to the starches. So far as sugar is concerned, avoid it as much as possible and when confronted with sugary deserts eat only a small portion. Adults in the US, I read somewhere, consume about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day(!). Children and teenagers consume up to 34 teaspoons a day. Sugar is in nearly everything on the grocers’ shelves and in soft drinks and in … .
In short, there are no hard and fast rules for Ph4. You will be monitoring your weight for the rest of your life, now that you have learned how to control it.
I know, I did it again. Time to get off the soap box and give someone else a chance to have their say.
Harvel
← Previous Comments