Top 10 Foods for Cheating on the HCG Diet Successfully

The HCG drops diet instructions are notoriously strict, and it's common to start feeling bored or confined with the limited list of allowed foods, to the point that many people feel like cheating on the HCG diet. Some people report getting so sick of chicken they could scream. Others just want more variation to tantalize their taste buds and keep life interesting.

Thankfully, there are ways to cheat on the list of allowed foods and get away with it! Despite Dr. Simeons' fabled strictness, not everyone is the same. There ARE some foods that you can likely eat and still lose weight while taking HCG diet drops on phase 2.

The most critical thing to cheating on HCG diet phase 2 is to pick the right food to cheat with. Obviously a monstrous 1,400-calorie cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory or a super-sized Big Mac meal isn't the greatest idea. But there are still some delicious options that can give your poor taste buds a little vacation without seriously jeopardizing your weight loss.

There is also a method to HCG diet cheating that you should know about before eating a forbidden food. We'll link to it at the bottom of this article. But first, here are your top 10 foods for cheating on the HCG diet.

1. Watermelon

This luscious fruit makes the perfect HCG cheat. It's high in water content and low in sugar. Certain HCG diet clinics even allow unlimited watermelon anytime. After all, it's kind of hard to overeat on watermelon. While we don't recommend gorging on it, it can be the perfect "dessert" when you need a little extra something to get you through another day of dieting.

2. Cottage Cheese

The limited protein options can really drive you mad at times on the HCG diet. Dr. Simeons allowed cottage cheese for vegetarians on the HCG diet—so why not you? Get a fat-free variety and eat it alone as a protein serving, or use some to add a bit of extra flavor to your fruit or starch selection.

3. Whole Wheat Crackers

Some people look forward to their little bread stick or Melba toast like nothing else. But why did Dr. Simeons choose a white bread? Choosing a flavored whole wheat cracker might actually be better for you since it adds a bit of fiber to your diet. Just be sure to pick a brand and portion size with the same calorie and carb count as your usual bread stick or Melba toast.

4. Green Beans

So we've had alternative fruit, protein, and starch options—green beans are your cheating vegetable pick. If you can get them fresh out of the garden, they're packed with flavor and shouldn't impact your weight loss. Skip the butter but feel free to add salt (extra salt may result in water retention the next day, making it hard to say if the green beans affected your weight loss or not).

5. Mixed Vegetables

Speaking of veggies, Dr. Simeons never allowed the mixing of vegetable choices. You pick one veggie, and that's the only veggie you eat for that meal. Yet many HCG dieters have found that mixing their veggies doesn't give them any trouble at all. Go ahead and get crazy with this one.

6. Truvia

Most people don't realize that Truvia is technically not allowed on the HCG diet. It contains a form of sugar called erythritol. But a lot of people have found that using Truvia doesn't affect their weight loss at all. It may be a good choice for you.

7. American Beef

The problem with American beef is that it comes from grain-fed cattle and contains way more calories and fat than your typical European beef, which is why Dr. Simeons banned it from the HCG diet. But most HCG dieters have found that it doesn't impact their weight loss significantly—especially if you choose extra lean beef. Even ground beef can work if it's sufficiently lean.

8. Turkey

The other white meat is almost identical to a rib-eye steak nutritionally, and for whatever reason Dr. Simeons didn't allow it. But, as with the other foods on this list, there's a good chance you'll be just fine eating turkey. Go ahead and give it a try.

9. Lotion

While it's not a food, this is still a big compliance issue for some people. Dr. Simeons believed that the fats and oils contained in lotion could be absorbed into the skin and cause a stall or gain in weight while taking HCG diet drops. However, some people have found that they can use lotion without trouble. You might want to give it a try if your dry skin is really giving you grief.

10. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, Chicken Stock, and Bouillon Cubes

OK, we cheated a little bit with our list. Bonus for you! You will probably find small amounts of sugar, fat, and oil in these major flavor enhancers. But the amounts really are usually tiny, and the huge boost in flavor might just make the risk worthwhile.

We hope this little list gives you that extra little bit of freedom that helps you keep your sanity while taking HCG diet drops and reaching your weight loss dreams.

Of course, you need to keep in mind that if you eat any of these foods, you are deviating from the recommended protocol. These are not approved foods, and there is a risk you will fail to lose weight or even gain some weight after eating them. So use them at your own risk. If you want a safe method for cheating on the HCG diet with these foods, check out our other article on HCG cheating.