Many people have questions about phase two, and our guides provide a lot of recipes and outline the various food choices that are possible in the phase. Selection of the diet and which foods to eat during this phase ultimately comes down to personal choice, but there are some key ways users can select how they want to go about the diet, and also what kind of diet they want to use for the protocol. There are a number of options, as we have discussed in the past, when it comes to what diet protocol to select. This depends not only on the person’s needs, but on what is the most achievable given their schedule and lifestyle.

There are several choices for how to go about the phase two diet, such as the OWL approach which is 700 calories per day, or the original 500 calorie protocol. It’s also possible to do even higher caloric intake plans, if you, for example wish to exercise while in phase two (this is typically prohibited by the original protocol). In addition, clients may wish to limit their food choices more, or cannot manage the more traditional foods of the protocol. As such, they often need to have the plans changed to more readily work with their capabilities and schedules.

Plan Choices in Phase 2

There are several ways you can change your phase two protocol that are permitted on both the modern approach and the original protocol. In phase two you are allowed to eat foods that are low in carbohydrates and fats, however, if you are looking to supplement the protocol’s strict guidelines for exercise there are a few ways you can improve your results and do so while remaining in the protocol.

• Exercise is permitted in phase two of the diet on the 700 calorie per day modern approach, as long as it is moderate in intensity and duration. This means that you don’t want to be doing 1+ hour of cardio exercises each day while eating 700 calories. A good level would be somewhere around 30 minutes of moderate exercise total throughout the day. If you plan to do more, you will need to increase caloric intake accordingly.
• If you decide to add exercises to your program in phase two and beyond, you will want to increase your protein intake. We actually suggest that the bulk of the calories you are adding (going from 500 to 700 calories per day, and even up to 900 for more rigorous exercises) comes from lean protein sources: fish, lean beef or grilled chicken. This helps add muscle, which burns more fat more quickly, and also reduces hunger.

Food Selection Choices in Phase 2

Food choices in phase two are not as restrictive as some people imagine just by reading Dr. Simeons original book “Pounds and Inches”.  If you are dieting only while on the protocol, you will want to stick to the more limited choices specified in the Quick Start Guide we provide, or in Dr. Simeons protocol. This is to help keep your metabolism high, which can be a problem when cutting calories, even on real HCG.

You want to maintain a high level of metabolic activity while in phase two, and do so so, you want foods that are more easily digested and “simple in nature”. These basically exclude all processed foods universally, but also foods which are high in carbohydrates. Foods which have a lot of carbs take much longer for our bodies to fully process. As a result, you should continue to limit your card intake if you are going on the diet alone and have no plans to add exercise.

If you decide to change up your protocol and add exercise you can start to bring a bit more carbohydrates into your diet. You need carbohydrates for both energy and endurance, so some are permitted with exercise. However, you should still limit your daily intake to less than 50 grams total per day, even if you are exercising a lot. This is not much, and is more than many protein shakes supply in fact (due to the sugar in these products). Instead, if you follow the protocol, but add lean proteins into the mix, you will achieve the same results (likely improved results) even with the higher caloric intake. Exercise in this way can help outcomes significantly.