Should I Do A Cleanse Before I Start HCG?
CLEANSING AID: SALTWATER INTESTINAL FLUSH
I promised I would explain in more detail the theory behind doing Phase 1 before the HCG Phase 2 VLCD
I am not endorsing Phase 1 but I do think a good cleanse which is part of what Phase 1 encourages can be a huge health benefit!
saltwater cleanse ingredients
CLEANSING AID: INTERNAL SALTWATER BATHING
As it is necessary to bathe the outside of our bodies, so it is with the inside.
There is a great method of cleansing the colonic tract instead of doing colonics or enemas.
This method will cleanse the entire digestive tract while the colonics and enemas are said to
only reach the colon or a small part of it. Plus the ease of not having to lie on the bathroom floor waiting for something to happen and dealing with tubes etc.
Also colonics can be expensive while the salt water method is very affordable!
The directions I followed the very first time I tried this cleanse;
Saltwater Intestinal Flush DIRECTIONS:
Prepare a full quart of lukewarm water and add two level teaspoons of sea salt.
Do not use ordinary iodized salt as it will not work properly.
Drink the entire quart of salt and water first thing in the morning.
This must be taken on an empty stomach. The salt and water will not separate but will stay intact and quickly and thoroughly wash the entire tract in about one hour.
Several eliminations will likely occur.
The salt water has the same specific gravity as the blood, hence the kidneys cannot pick up the water and the blood cannot pick up the salt. This may be taken as often as needed for proper washing of the entire digestive system.
If the salt water does not work the first time, try adding a little more or a little less salt until the proper balance is found; or possible take extra water with or without salt. This often increases the activity.
Major saltwater intestinal flush TIP!
Because the salt water doesn’t taste good here is a tip that can really help get it all down.
My Revised Method;
Add the measured sea salt into only enough water to drink down quickly and still get all the salt into your system
Have the Quart of water next to you so you can start drinking the water down as a chaser after the salt water.
Personally the water didn’t need to be lukewarm but if it is too cold it can be more difficult to drink down that much water that quickly.
This method still gets the same result without having to taste salty water during the entire quart drinking experience.
It is advisable to take the herb laxative tea (my favorite Edom Labs Chiro-Klenz) the night before to loosen, then the salt water cleanse in the morning to wash it out.
Chiro-Klenz The Original Made By Edom Labs
Please note: My personal experience that the elimination did not begin after only one hour. It took longer than that when I did the original method and my revised method.
With my revised method it kicked in more quickly. So plan the day you do this accordingly so you can be close to the “throne”.
It will depend on how icky your inner is on how you will feel during the cleanse.
The 1st time I did it was way before my HCG journey so I wasn’t near as healthy as I am today.
My symptoms were a lot like having a cold. Mucus was clearing out asap. The last time I cleanse it was simply a nice cleanse for my intestinal tract.
The Salt Water Bath can do no harm at any time. The colon needs a good washing, but do it the natural way the salt water way.
Advocates for Colonics or Enemas point out the not so pretty facts about a clogged colon;
- If you are not having three bowel movements a day you have a clogged colon.
- The colon gets clogged by non-prescription and prescription drugs
- Low water and fiber consumption
- Lack of walking and exercise,
- Insufficient digestive enzymes in the food we eat, and many other factors.
- In autopsies, medical doctors have found as much as thirty pounds of undigested fecal matter in people’s colons. – ew
- Unless you clean your colon, digestion will remain slow, and metabolism will remain slow.
- Food cravings and hunger will remain high due to lack of nutrients being absorbed properly.
- You will never get a flat stomach.
*This post was originally created in 2012 but updated in 2018
Good Habits Before, During and After HCG
HCG Phase One “Do List”
My Experience 😉
Good habits for Fat Loss
After going over the entire list I realized just how overwhelming it all is.
So I would rather comment on what I did and why.
Not that some of the other Do’s aren’t good too. I simply want to help keep it manageable and within reason. Plus I can share my experience firsthand.
I also want to be clear that I did not make a point to do or consume what is on this “Do List” the 30 days prior to starting my HCG journey. Most of them I found out about their benefits throughout my journey.
Phase One Do List that I have experience with;
Do’s – That I Do and Have Done:
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Drink Water
Stay Hydrated and when you are burning fat you need water to help flush it out – Benefits of Water
My choice is Alkaline Water:
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Add Fiber
Keep your intestine swept out!
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Walk
Good Circulation equals all kinds of health benefits.
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Get Sleep
Lack of sleep causes stress on the body. Stress is not a good thing for weight loss and a lot of other things.
Have trouble falling asleep??
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Get Sun
Good Day Sunshine! Keep your vitamin D level UP…Can’t get outside or live in a very rainy,cloudy place?
Take a vitamin D supplement!
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Breathe Properly
Most of us are shallow breathers –Oxygen is KEY!
Is is easy to get into a habit of shallow breathing. That is why we many times lack energy and get that late afternoon lethargic feeling.When you start to feel that way while let’s say when you are at work sitting at your desk.
Try this ; To bring large quantities of oxygen into your body – Breath in taking in as much air as you can and allow it to fill your diaphragm.Hold that breathe for a moment, tighten your abdominal muscles, and exhale through your mouth as if blowing up a balloon.
I know when I do this I feel refreshed!
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
For cooking (I use MCT Oil too) See my other post for the tons of MCT Benefits
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Colon Cleanse
Here is an easy affordable Cleanse – Cleansing
Or Go the Pre-packaged choice
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Eat Grapefruit/Apples
Low Glycemic, good fiber .Apples are a natural diuretic.
Both cleanse the liver, gallbladder and colon glycemic-index benefits
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Use Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
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Drink Green Tea/Wu long tea
Helps regulate hunger, stimulates cleansing of the cells, helps metabolism
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Drink Organic Yerba Mate Tea
Yerba Mate Tea-One cup a day. Increase energy, reduce appetite and stimulates releasing of fat cells.
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Eat Hot Peppers
I put cayenne pepper in my Cali kicker and I like to eat pepperoncini peppers- Increase Metabolism and reduce appetite. Helps release fat ,stress and reset body set point
Use Natural Sweeteners
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Use Cinnamon
Helps regulate insulin and blood sugar, normalizes appetite and helps the body release fat.
I love baking an apple with cinnamon and stevia – YUM!
Just want Cinnamon is a capsule click image below. =)
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Limit Carbonated Drinks
You have to watch out for sodium and let’s face it very hard to find one with Stevia but there is Zevia All Natural Soda and it really taste great!
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Take Digestive Enzymes
Gotta love a well working system!
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For those of you that are still curious about the other Do’s and what are the Don’ts I will be sure and post that next.
After that I want to share a couple of good questions I was asked after doing my recent vlog on You tube
Watermelon Cleanse
Watermelon Cleanse Day
Cleanse & Fruit Fast Using Watermelon
Sorry those on P2 you will need to bookmark this info for when you are not on a round but would like something simple, easy and yummy to cleanse and drop some lbs with.
This is GREAT during the hot summer months.
Watermelon is in season during the summer so it is at its optimum best and it is really refreshing throughout the day. You of course will stay hydrated and it helps flush out your system.
I’m going to date myself but do any of you remember the “Beverly Hills Diet”. One of the fruit days on that diet was watermelon. Another day was pineapple and though I LOVE pineapple the problem with trying to do that ALL day is it can start to cause mouth irritation. Especially if you are not eating a completely ripe pineapple – OUCH!
Watermelon is mild on your system and the premise in the “Beverly Hills Diet” was that it helped with flushing out salts that caused water retention. For example after eating Chinese or deli food the night before.
The book said to be the” Diet of the Eighties”. Just leafing through it to be sure the example was what I remembered it makes me think, ” I have gotten so many different little tid-bits through my years of dieting. Through what I have learned and experienced with how the different methods have worked for me (or maybe didn’t work) my willingness to be a lab rat gives me the chance to help all of you!
Now-a days the buzz words or phrases are “calorie confusion” or “cheat days” to help your body lose fat, not stall or drop some lbs that have crept back up the scale. It is certainly a constant process of learning at least for me.
How to Do a Watermelon Day
You can actually do this for more than one day if you would like to.
You can have as much watermelon as you would like as long as you don’t float away – LOL
And YES-You will be going to the bathroom a lot…All that water has to go somewhere.
If you don’t want to get up in the middle of the night you will want to decide when your last serving if melon should be.
If you do wake up needing to go..Get up and go. You don’t want your body absorbing the fluid back into your system.
Like I said in the beginning this is a great flush to do during the summer months. Pick a day when you are busy and it would be tough to set aside time for a meal. Just be sure you have the melon prepped so it is cut up and in a container so it is easy to pop the cubes pieces in your mouth.
To sum up my thoughts;
Back when I was doing weight watchers WAY before I knew HCG ever existed I would do a watermelon day the day before my weight watcher weekly weigh in and I always had a great weigh in…I know, I know “what a cheater” – LOL…But yeah it worked (wink). Since that time it has been years since I thought about doing this but when I was watching a guy on YouTube that is pretty popular and last year lost 100 lbs he now does vlogs answering viewer questions on how he is keeping the weight off. He talked about days when we eat only fruit to clean out his system. The day before I decided to do the watermelon day I did a fruit day. I ate a combo of pineapple, strawberries, a little watermelon, mango and papaya. I didn’t feel as cleaned out as I thought I would and I was a bit hungrier than I expected considering I wasn’t limiting how much fruit I ate. On that day one of the last things I ate was the watermelon and it was so satisfying it reminded me about my past experience with it.
Here is another interesting thing about what I did on that day.
I was doing my blog post about apple cider vinegar on that day so when I took the picture of the vinegar in the shot glass I thought, “oh what the heck I might as well just drink it”. Right after that (get ready for TMI) I started cleaning out really well. It was actually a great feeling because it felt and sorry looked like a lot of sludge that needed to GO was going -Oh and by the way the scale was down 2.4 lbs the next morning – YAY!
It is again one of those things where every “body” is different so you just have to try it for yourself and see how you like it.
Chiro Klenz-The Best “Clean Out” Tea
Detoxing Before HCG Protocol
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I know many people prefer to do a detox regimen before starting their HCG P2 Protocol. And during protocol a lot of people need some assistance with getting “regular”. As most of us know there are a few different teas that are made for this very reason. I first of about Chiro Klenz from a fellow HCGer who bought the tea from her Chiropractor.
As long as you realize that this tea will truly CLEAN you out, this is a great tea to use.
I’s not cheap but it WORKS!
Since posting my original post about the teas I like to use I have since been able to find Chiro Klenz reasonably priced On Amazon.
Below is the link to my original post and vlog about the teas I like to use;
http://www.loseit4ever.com/weight-loss-teas
Drinking Water Increases Fat Burning
Drinking Water Increases Fat Oxidation
I am sure you have heard or read the weight loss tip of drinking water to help you lose weight. Well, for most of us the reason for drinking water was to help feel fuller faster so we ate less calories.
Also, if we drank water instead of caloric beverages we would consume less calories, which may lead to weight loss. There were also the critics that may have told you this was ridiculous and you were wasting your time drinking water as a tool for greater weight loss.
Well, there is some pretty solid evidence that says this is not ridiculous at all and the studies conducted on this have been some of the more rigorous studies conducted with crossover experiments and randomized and controlled trials.
In various crossover experiments drinking water resulted in lower total caloric intake with the subjects that were tested. The reason for this is simple and it is because they were not consuming calorie filled beverages. They were replacing these caloric beverages with water that has zero calories.
What was also found was that the individuals do not eat less food when they know they are drinking caloric beverages. They still eat the same amount of calories regardless of if their beverages contained calories or not.
Drinking Water Increases Fat Oxidation
Fat oxidation is at its greatest when your insulin levels are low. The reason for this is because insulin inhibits or decreases the ability of rate limiting enzymes that breakdown triglyceride fats into free fatty acids. As well as the transport of these free fatty acids into the mitochondria and Krebs cycle to be burned for energy.
Water importance
Since water does not contain calories or carbohydrates like over beverages it does not trigger an insulin response. If you were to compare it to the glycemic index water is of course 0, milk is around 35, juice is around 50 and sugary drinks are as high as 80.
Keeping your insulin levels lows results in greater rates of fat oxidation. Now remember this doesn’t apply just to water. The foods you eat and what combination of nutrients you eat can all influence the insulin response. Keeping your insulin response consistently lower throughout the day will allow your body to burn more stored fat as energy.
Anytime your insulin and blood sugar levels are elevated you stop fat breakdown and fat oxidation.
There have been decades of crossover studies that consistently show higher levels of fat oxidation when drinking water compared to caloric drinks before or during low to moderate exercise. If you look at the average of these studies the fat oxidation is around 40% greater after water is consumed than after a caloric beverage.
It is normal for fat oxidation to be depressed for a length of time after a meal because naturally your body is going to release insulin to properly utilize the nutrients you just consumed. What you choose for your beverage though can dictate how long that slow down of fat oxidation really is.
Research has shown that drinking water instead of a caloric beverage can restore the rate of fat oxidation to pre-meal levels about 2 hours sooner than if you were to drink a caloric beverage with the same meal.
Some studies have shown that consumption of 500-600 calories from carbohydrates can depress fat oxidation for 6 hours after consumption.
Hypocaloric Diets and Water Leads To Weight Loss
Two very interesting intervention studies looked at a hypocaloric diet and then the same diet plus water as the beverage. One study looked at 48 randomized overweight or obese men and women. They were given a hypocaloric diet plus 500ml of water at each meal or they were just given the hypocaloric diet (control) with no water.
The results showed that weight loss in the water group was 2kg greater. In analysis of data from the Stanford A to Z Study they focused on 155 overweight premenopausal women who reported drinking less than 1L/ day of water before beginning 1 of 4 different weight programs. The programs were the Atkins diet, Zone diet, LEARN diet, and Ornish diet. The 4 programs do recommend drinking 1L/day of water or more and limiting or no intake at all of caloric beverages.
After 2 months of their diet classes they all reported higher water intake and less caloric beverage intake. Independent of any changes in diet or physical activity those who increased their water intake and decreased caloric beverage intake had significantly greater weight loss.
Summary
Ok, lets summarize all this data as some of it may have gotten confusing.
Drinking water during the day and at your meals instead of drinking calorie filled beverages decreases your total calorie intake and it also promotes greater fat oxidation, which is the burning of stored fat as energy.
So drink water at meals and in-between meals instead of calorie filled beverages. Finally, eat a higher protein rich and lower carb diet to minimize the insulin spikes that will depress fat oxidation for hours after that meal.
The Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox
Please Note – Do Not Do this Flush while on HCG
The Jay Robb Fruit Flush
The Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox is the brainchild of clinical nutritionist and fitness expert Jay Robb, and is a great alternative to other detoxification diets out there that allow mainly fluids to be taken throughout the duration of the process. Unlike juice fasting, this detox diet relies on the consumption of fruits in achieving its guaranteed health benefits, including weight loss. And since the Fruit Flush lasts for only 3 shorts days, many people who have tried their hands on detoxifying themselves found it relatively easy to stick to the diet from beginning to end.
Line of Attack
Jay Robb believes that elimination of toxins in the body can be done with the mere consumption of a proper combination of foods. The Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox Diet utilizes the substances or contents of fruits and other natural food items in cleansing the body’s different systems. In addition, this detox diet enables one to efficiently lose excess weight of up to 9 pounds, according to its creator.
The nutritive content of fruits has many positive effects on the body, not just suitable for detoxification but for providing for a general wellbeing as well. Fruits are a good source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. They also provide quality carbohydrates – those of the low glycemic index type.
You see, not all carbohydrates are the same when it comes to their effect on the blood glucose level. The glycemic index, or GI, ranks carbohydrates based on how fast they trigger rise in the amount of sugar in the blood stream. Food sources with high glycemic index will trigger a dramatic spike, while a low glycemic index will only cause a small rise. For people who are trying to shed off excess pounds or maintain ideal weight, sticking to foods with low glycemic index is the way to go. By consuming carbohydrates with low glycemic index, one’s blood glucose level becomes stable, therefore maintaining increased energy levels and preventing hunger pangs.
The 3-Day Plan
Since this detox diet is designed by a clinical nutritionist, he understands that not only is it important for people to eat well-balanced meals all the time, but also need to get rid of accumulated toxins in the body from time to time. That is why the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox is so designed: to effectively sweep toxins out of the body in as little time as possible, enabling the return to consuming well-balanced meals just as quickly. Basically the 3 days is composed of 1 pre-flush day and followed by 2 fruit-flush days.
• Pre-Flush Day – The pre-flush day consists of drinking protein shakes and ending it with a serving of vegetable salad with chicken, turkey or fish. From 8 am to 4 pm, anyone undergoing the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox should consume a 6-ounce glass of protein shake every 2 hours. Protein shakes are easily available at health and fitness shops, and even on the internet. Also, it’s recommendable to purchase whey protein, as it is best absorbed by the body.
Where you can buy the Jay Robb Whey Protein
• Fruit-Flush Days – The fruit-flush days are on the second and last day of the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox. From 8 am to 4 pm, one should consume a serving of fresh fruit every 2 hours. Then the day will be ended by having up to 6 cups of vegetable salad and a 6-ounce protein shake. However, on the fruit-flush days, note that no lean chicken, turkey or fish is served with the vegetable salad.
Remember to take lots of water throughout the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox in order to hasten the elimination of toxins in the body. It is also important to drink 8-12 ounces glass of water one hour after every intake of protein shake, vegetable salad and fresh fruit servings. The following is a sample diet plan:
Pre-flush (day 1):
8:00 am – protein shake10:00 am – protein shake12:00 pm – protein shake2:00 pm – protein shake4:00 pm – protein shake6:00 pm – up to 6 cups of vegetable salad with 3-6 ounces of lean chicken, turkey or fish
Fruit-flush (day 2):
8:00 am – 1 medium-sized banana10:00 am – 2 cups strawberries12:00 pm – 1 large apple2:00 pm – 1 large mango4:00 pm – 2 small oranges6:00 pm – up to 6 cups of vegetable salad with protein shake
Fruit-flush (day 3):
8:00 am – 2 cups grapes10:00 am – 2 medium-sized kiwis12:00 pm – 1 large pear2:00 pm – 1 medium-sized banana4:00 pm – 1 large apple6:00 pm – up to 6 cups of vegetable salad with protein shake
The Good and Bad
If you think about it, the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox is a healthier alternative to other fad diets out there also claiming to get rid of poisonous substances in the body and weight loss. Well, the truth is, this diet is obviously much healthier because you are allowed to consume fresh servings of fruits and vegetables, plus it only lasts for 3 short days. When a detox diet needs to be carried out in just a matter of few days, one will find it easier and more motivating to complete it, and enjoy the benefits as well.
However, as with any other forms of diet – for detoxification, weight loss or a combination of both – there are certain side effects involved. For the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox, one may experience hunger and fatigue because, despite of the frequent servings of fresh fruits and protein shake, their caloric contents are still relatively few to enable anyone on the detox diet to perform regular activities as efficiently as before getting on the diet. For the same reason, one must abstain from pairing the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox with cardio and weight training workouts. Also, the advice of a doctor or any other health professional must be sought before trying the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox, to ensure safety.
The dressing I make for the salad –
2 Tb yellow mustard,MCT oil,ACV, and a dash of sea salt,pepper,onion powder – mixed well then shook up in a closed container with the veggie salad ( I think it is Yummy!)
My thoughts on Fruit selection –
I think one thing about the fruit it what type of fruit to have. Since we have done hcg I made the decision to only eat fruit that was allowed when on P2. Apples and strawberries. I was too concerned that bananas etc would be to high in sugar for my system. I also base it on the glycemic index. When I first read pounds and inches knowing that it was written in the 60’s I thought it was interesting that Dr Simeon chose low glycemic fruits. Good call on his part 😉 I do feel really full from all the salad bulk that is taken in. So the 1st time I did it I was worried that I would gain so I was totally surprised that I actually lost real well with it.
Thanks to Cherry V for originally sharing this flush with me.
Weight Loss , Cholesterol Lowering and Detox Teas Review
There are a few teas that I really like to drink during protocol and when not on protocol.
Three of them are made by Triple Leaf:
Super Slimming
Cholesterid
Detox
I have found the best price on the links I have provided below, simply click on the image.
I have also tried the Ultra Slimming tea from the same maker and I feel both are equal at this point.
A SUPER Cleansing tea (if you get my drift) is made by Edom Labs.
This one is a serious “roto rooter”. Be careful when buying this tea. The first time I tried to purchase online through a yahoo store I never got the product. Now Edom Chiro-clenze is available on Amazon so you can can peace of mind.
Another tea I LOVE is not a cleansing tea but is very tasty and I think helps with appetite and cravings.
Other teas I add with the Edom Tea are:
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