I love hCG!

POST-CORRECTION DAY STRATEGY (PCDS) FOODS

*TO ADD IN THE MOST BALANCED FAT/PROTEIN FOOD YOU CAN FIND TO MAINTAIN YOUR RATIO, INCORPORATE BEEF:
+Pot Roast (grade "select" preferred)
+Ribeye
+Porterhouse
+T-Bone
+ANY meat in the meat section that looks very fatty

*IF YOU'RE LOW ON FAT IN YOUR RATIO, ADD IN POULTRY, SKIN ON AND GREASY:
+Goose
+Duck
+Chicken (dark meat preferred)
+Any Waterfowl

*IF YOU'RE LOW ON PROTEIN IN YOUR RATIO, ADD IN SHELLFISH, OR EVEN FATTY/OMEGA-3 FISH (BUT WILD CAUGHT ONLY):
+Sockeye Salmon (also called "Red" Salmon)
+Pink Salmon <-- it's okay, but not great
+Pollock
+Flounder
+Catfish
+Pure protein (they've got no fat, so don't use 'em unless you need just protein added!): Crab, Lobster

NO VEGETABLES FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS!
There are no vegetables in the world that exist without carbohydrates. So. Think of vegetables like this: they're temporarily on vacation. But they'll be back; you're not PERMANENTLY saying goodbye to them.

This is more of a mental struggle, and a shift in thinking than anything else to forgo them for the first two days. It'll reveal for you if you have a desire to "live to eat" or "eat to live." The former will be the case if it's hard for you to give up carbs. The latter will be the case if you have more confidence...and let me give you that confidence now: it's VERY WORTH IT to do the PCDS properly. Just tell yourself you'll see carbs again in two days, and it won't be that hard, I swear.

Otherwise, when you refuse to accept the temporary loss of carbs, and allow them to stay the first two days (no matter what the rationalization), you're setting yourself up for less impulse control later; if you are suuchh a fan of carbs, and let them be your tummy's guide now, when it matters greatly, it might be something you cave into later on in the PCDS, when you're working them back in; you may become someone who re-introduces them too rapidly. You need to train both your mind and your tummy to relax with the PCDS; letting the "Carb Monster" rule your mind and your impulses is a recipe for bad things later on. Eating carbs is a "rush" -- you do NOT want your body to feel that rush from carbs, at all, no matter what. Re-train your mind and you'll re-train your body.

*EAT THESE VEGETABLES, BUT ONLY AFTER THE FIRST TWO NO-CARB DAYS
Allowed ONLY after the first two (no-carb) days: http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums/entry.php?b=16779

NO EGGS, NO GOITROGENS, AND NOTHING THAT HAS A TENDENCY TO CAUSE AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE
I created a separate post that covers what these foods are specifically. But folks need to hear it mentioned, however briefly, here too. Goitrogens are "thyroid inhibitors" and can mess with your thyroid at any point in your life; they affect you more when your thyroid is in a sensitive state, such as with P2 and P3. Outside of that time frame, they still have an effect, but it isn't as noticeable.

The good news about goitrogens is there's a way to offset their effects: eat either saturated fat (animal fat) OR avocados (just avocados do this). Why these two types of fat? Because fat stimulates the thyroid MOST! Note: because there's a way to offset them, that doesn't mean you should introduce them at any point in the PCDS and think that's okay. It's a sensitive time, and you don't want to push the envelope when you're trying to stabilize.

The worst goitrogen of all: SOY. I could write an entire novel full of why soy is so incredibly HORRENDOUS. Soy is the worst of all goitrogens, primarily due to its insidiousness; it's in EVERYTHING. And it ONLY gets MORE POTENT with cooking and processing! Ugh. It not only inhibits the thyroid from functioning, but it ALSO paralyzes the villi in the intestinal tract (the little finger-like extensions your intestines use to absorb foods); it's even suspected by several researchers as the cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome! I'll step off the soap box now, but know this: soy is not your friend.

Eggs aren't goitrogens, but they can affect folks negatively (cause a gain) in this time frame. In P2 and P3, your thyroid is in a delicate state -- it's working very hard to adjust to the changes made to your body by hCG -- so you want to be conscious of things such as eggs and what they can do to you.

Here's the entry on foods to avoid, whether it's a goitrogen or otherwise: http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums/entry.php?b=16746

NO GRAINS, NOTHING BAKED, NO "NO-CARB" PRODUCTS, NO PROCESSED FOOD, NO FOOD OUT OF A CAN, AND NO PORK IN ANY FORM
Grains have carbs, and if anything SAYS it has no carbs, but is a bread, baked good, or grain, it'll be a food your body will hold onto as body fat, regardless of carb count. This is because it confuses the body into thinking, "what's this? I dunno, but it's probably some source of energy...so I'll just hold onto this as body fat until I figure it out!" The worst example of this is those so-called "miracle" noodles. They're a horrible choice...and just the opposite of a miracle, in my opinion.

No processed food means nothing should be eaten that has more than one ingredient within itself. If it's combined with other foods, it's processed. So, if you see anything with more than 1 ingredient on the label, do not buy it, and do not eat it. Another processed food: anything in a can. Even if you ever do find something in a can that has one ingredient, it's still processed...so don't eat it. And, this means no canned food at all. No soup from a can or a package, either.

Pork is to be avoided due to reports of stalling in P3. Also, pork also frequently contains sodium; depending on the pork product, it could be mega high or not. So, even if sodium level is low, still avoid all forms of pork.

*USE SINGLE-INGREDIENT FOOD ONLY
To help avoid any confusion, here's a good rule of thumb to follow: if you make yourself some food at any time during the PCDS, use single-ingredient food in your recipes. You can combine other single-ingredient foods with each other, of course. But what I mean by you yourself using single ingredient food is this: anything mashed together with other stuff by someone else other than you is a processed food, made by some factory, somewhere else. When YOU are making a recipe though, you should be making your recipes from food that comes "whole" to you. It's not chopped up and mixed with other stuff. It's not marinated in goo, it's not got any fillers. It's from the meat section at your grocery store; it's from the produce section of your grocery store; it's from your local farmer, or neighbor who grew it themselves. You get the point; nothing that's messed with before you get it into your kitchen; you want sources of food that are the freshest and the most unadulterated versions of themselves that you can get.

*IF YOU REALLY, REALLY MISS OILS, USE THESE:
+Rendered Tallow/Purified Suet (Beef Fat)
+Rendered Pig Fat (Lard)
+Schmaltz (from Chicken Fat...but make it without onions)

They'll wind up as pure fat in your calculations; you'll be weighing everything after you've cooked it, not before. And it's okay to leave everything greasy when weighing it, as this grease is good grease. To account for this amount of added fat as a result of cooking your food in animal fat (which is better for a whole host of reasons than any oil....I'll tell ya about it later!), add 1 gram of whichever animal fat you use to every inch of food that's covered in it. If you decide, "hey, regular oils are okay; GonnaLoseit has lost her mind! All oils are oils, right?" ...you'd be dead wrong. Other oils contain a level of rancidity, or are from vegetable sources. So although it SOUNDS like an olive oil is a good oil to use, because it's probably less rancid than other oils and has all those MUFAs, it becomes icky at high temps. So, for a whole host of reasons....please, listen to me on what foods to use during your PCDS, and what oils to use especially -- everything has a purpose for being or not being on this list. If you don't know what the dealio is with my chattering on about "the rancidity of oils" and "some oils have carbs!" then go here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/

*USE THESE OILS ONLY AFTER THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE PCDS, AS THEY HAVE CARBS:
+Coconut Oil (ONLY if you're positive you aren't sensitive to it; hold off using it until after you've stabilized at the same weight for 4 days straight)
+Extra Virgin Olive Oil (but NOT for frying -- cold "drizzling" only)

**Please note: AVOID using "non-stick" pans to make your schmaltz, lard, or rendered beef tallow in. Teflon is BAD NEWS. It has an effect on the thyroid that inhibits it, much like a goitrogen. So go out and get a cheap aluminum pan to make your fats/oils in. And although it's "readily available" don't buy lard off the shelf; it's hydrogenated. Unless you're making any of these animal fats yourself, I wouldn't use any of them. So, don't buy anything at the store that's made for you. To make all my food, I personally use the oven for EVERYTHING, and try to make as much in advance as possible. Saves time and sanity when I just want to "grab something!"

IF YOU WANT TO EAT SOMETHING NOT LISTED HERE
Chances are, most everything I've listed as "good" or "not good" covers most any food question you have. BUT...if you have thoughts about getting creative and introducing something that isn't mentioned here...please don't. Please PM me first, and ask me about it, rather than introduce it and then suffer any negative consequences.

I'll post some recipes later on in this blog. For now at least, you'll see what foods to anticipate eating on this stage of your Post-Correction Day Strategy (PCDS).