This time of year pretty much revolves around delicious and decadent food. You may think that this would be the worst time to start a diet, it’s not! The first two days that you begin taking your HCG supplement, it’s actually required to overload on fatty foods, and what better time to do so than Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Load Up

Phase 1 of the HCG Diet Plan calls for you to splurge on foods high in fat. This may seem counterproductive for a “diet”, but it serves a few purposes. The sudden fat overload causes the hypothalamus, a small gland in the brain that is responsible for regulating metabolic activity, to spring into action. This alerts the body to begin attacking fats, essentially jump-starting the HCG diet.

Loading up on excess fat provides an immediate calorie reserve to mediate your hunger during the early stages of the diet, allowing the HCG ample time to tap into your fat stores. Finally, keep in mind that human physiology exists for our long term survival and any sudden decrease in calories can alarm the body into “starvation mode.”

What is Starvation Mode?

During starvation mode, your body actually becomes more efficient with its calories and more determined to store away fat, assuming that there is a scarcity in your food supply. This is why dieting is such an uphill battle. Not only are we struggling with our own poor eating habits, but a physiological predisposition to retain fat. Loading on fats for two days causes your liver enzymes to spike, which prevents the body from entering this starvation mode. By the time your liver enzymes return to normal levels, the HCG has already tapped into your stored fat reserves and is providing you with supplemental ketone calories, thus bypassing starvation mode and facilitating more rapid weight loss.

Go For Seconds

Enjoy your turkey and taste everything. Don’t be shy with the buttered rolls, extra fatty side dishes and sweet desserts. Make sure not to skip this loading phase since it activates your body’s fat burning capabilities. If the fat stores are full, the body has an easier time going into “fat burning mode”, providing big momentum through the weight loss phase. Once the fat burning starts, it will keep going for as long as you stick to the plan. Be advised you shouldn’t go onger than 5 weeks at a time.