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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Lynda,
I did a 20 day cleanse and started eating all 100% Organic foods as part of Phase I. Over the 20 days I lost 7 lbs before even receiving my HCG.
-Stacy
I will be starting sunday. has anyone done the cleanse before starting the VLCD? Did not see where anyone did it.
I had a several days that I only lost .4 and days where I gained. I was starting to get pretty worried about it, but then I read on here not to eat past 7. Which I had been eating an apple late in the evening so I wouldnt be hungry at night. But I decided to try it. The past three days I lost 1.1, 1.5, and 1.1 again. I guess the eating past 7 has a huge effect of it. Thanks guys!
Dionne,
Yes, continue your fluid intake during the steak day.
Harvel
Dionne- I just came off two steak days in a row,and I broke it up, I had some at lunch, and then another one at dinner, and I was down the lbs gained this morning. I think the key with the steak day is to get your body into ketosis so that it is burning nothing but fat for energy rather than carbs, and such.
Good luck
Help! I was doing ok on phase 3 and now all of a sudden a 3.2 lb. gain!!! DRATS!! It is my “TOM” as you guys call it, but I was not expecting 3 lbs. So I know I have to do a steak day but tell me this. . . DO I at least get fluids? Can I have coffee and iced tea and stuff? oh Lord! I knew this day might come but now that it’s here I am dreading it. I”m gonna be STARVING!!!
Jenn,That site is awesome…it is just what I needed to get my mind in the right place. I WAS trying not to eat too much but everything on that site put it in logical perspective. Thanks so much for sharing
les will you email me thouse recipes ashley@fourthstreetclinic.org
Hi everyone,
I need help!!! Yesterday I followed the diet to the “T” and I gained 2 pounds. What is going on? Yesterday when I weighed in I loss 3.4 lbs and today I gained. Can anyone help me.
Thank you guys!!
ok Harvel now I understand thanks I will keep plugging along
And Janell yeah I know I said the same thing but I have 2 wedding cakes this week and the chocolate cake that I had left over was my threat!!
Thanks Harvel for the explanation of why the flatline may occur. When this happened to me over the weekend I was so frustrated and had decided that if I got on the scale a third day and there was no change or an increase I was going to have a cookie…lol. I felt I was justified
Janell
Holley,
Yes, a couple of days of “flat-line” are normal from time to time. As I understand the physiology of the situation, empty fat cells are reabsorbed by the body and the vitamins, minerals, protein, etc are put to use elsewhere. But, until the fat cell destruction takes place, water is used to fill the now empty cells. Since water is heavier than fat, you will flat-line or maybe even weigh a little more. If the flat-line continues for more than a couple of days, your weight may have “plateaued” whch, according to Dr. simeons, should resolve itself in a few days if you stay on the diet. However, an apple day might break the plateau in about day 3 of the flat-line.
Harvel
Holley,
I stalled over the weekend. I remained the same for two days and now I have started losing again. I think it’s normal.
I stayed the same two days ago lost one pound and again today I am the same!
How long is your flat line?? ! or 2 days is ok then you kick in again as long as you stay with the program
Crap I hit a flat line!! Help me please!! Who has the best advice to get my body going again?? This is so frusterating when you have followed every letter to the “T” the day before. Friends please help me!
Harvel,
Yes a blessing it truley is. I have been in charge of the food choices and the “know-how” with my boyfriend and I. We both have been battleing hormonal issues that have stopped us from losing weight. I am 44 and he is 48. Funny how a person thinks that they can solve most any weight problem with correct excercise and eating habits. A lesson learned. I used to own a gym and train pretty heavily so I thought I could handle most anything. Well……………….. Hormones thought different. Until I had my full panel tested and this great diet I am afraid I was headed for the farm. I couldnt of made it with out you, les and everyone elso on this site. Many thanks to all
Well I was perfect on my HCG proticol. Tues was supposed to be my last day. All was going fine till Monday when I got a Hole In One. Then everything went south. Ate and drank and celebrated(it was fun).I decided to just end my drops a day early which in retrospect might not have been wise. I immediately gained 2 pounds. I was wondering do you think I should try and lose those 2 before maintaining my weight?
I am on day 6 and feeling nauseated…. I have lost 9 pounds, however I gained 6 pounds during the load days… so that really only puts me at 3 pounds lost… Does anyone else have this awful feeling?
Dionne,
If you experienced hunger, you probably have the homeopathic kind. The kind I mix has to be refridgerated. It is my understanding that the homeopathic does not need refridgeration. If you are on homeopathic, I don’t know what the rule is if you start on homeopathic then want to switch. I got my hcg from my Dr. Good luck!
well once again i have to go back to the fact that I really didn’t know anything about the HCG diet when I started this. I saw an add in a newspaper that advertised losing up to 30 lbsi n 30 days. I didn’t know what it was about. I just went in for a consultation. After I started the diet I googled HCG and found this website. That’s when I started learning about the HCG and Dr. Simeon’s protocol.
I said all that to say this. I didn’t know there was any option for homeopathic HCG, HCG mixed with Saline, HCG shots, or anything other than what my Dr. gave me. I dont know if mine is homeopathic or not. It is already in liquid form and I take it sublingually. I kind of wish I could get my hands on the kind that does not cause immunity because I would love to have just continued on the HCG until I lost my last 15 lbs and finished this all in one round.
But I definitely did experience the immunity factor. During my last 3-4 days on the HCG I was STARVING!
So how does one know if they have the homeopathic kind or not and how can you go about getting it?
Thank you Jackie and Harvel for your help. I have a goal to lose 10 more pounds before I start Phase 3 and it may take me a few more days than I thought, so I will probably only go another week or so past my 40 days. If I start getting hungry, I’ll stop my drops and go into Phase 3 as this will probably indicate immunity.
I am also going on vacation next week, and thought about a break, but I’ve come so far, and it’s just not worth taking a break. Wish me luck staying on VLCD during vacation. I think I’ll be fine so long as I go places w salads, which is almost anywhere and use lemon juice for dressing. I’ll be at the coast, so there’s lots of fresh seafood. I should be fine. I can do it!
Has anyone seen this site? It seems to have a lot of detail about phase 3. Plus they have a food list attached and what not to eat. Could someone on Phase 3 check into it and let me know if it’s accurate or not? Sorry about the link.. I copied and pasted it, but it doesn’t link directly…
Thanks for the help!!!
http://www.hcginfoonline.com/maintenance%20phase.htm
So far so good! Second day on p3 at same weight.Words can’t express how thrilled I am! You are right Harvel-it is a miracle!
Anyone with experience with a drink or restaurants on p3? That is my next hurdle.
Anica,
Harvel is correct, the immunity issue is with the homeopathic hcg and the injections. My Dr. prescribed the hcg in an ampule that I mix with saline and take sublingually. He said immunity would not be an issue. I have been on it since July 24th and my daughter has been on it since July 1st with no problem. I took 6 days off hcg to take my daughter back to college (with my Dr.’s ok) and then went right back on it again. If for some reason you do start to become immune, you will know right away because you will be hungry on the vlcd. Good luck!
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