Exercising On Phase 3

The HCG diet protocal recommends that youDO NOT exercise on phase 2 of the diet. There are 2 reasons for this.
1) Even though the hcg hormone is releasing fat to be used by your body for energy, in additon to the 500 calories restriction, you are limited in your protein intake. So you may lose muscle. Or, your body may go into starvation mode and will hold on to every bit of weight for fear that it won't hav enough nourishment. They do allow for a brisk 20 minute walk
2) building muscle can cause water retention, so this can skew your weightloss results.

I did manage to walk quite a bit in P2 and I also used my elliptical machine. But I lowered the ramp and resistance to 1 and kept the pace slow.

I have to admit, that I was chomping at the bit to workout while I was losing weight. But I held off.

Now Phase 3 is a different story. Once I hit day one of Phase 3, I was working out. Mostly cardio with a few strength training and ab exercises. I have progressively increased by workouts. Walking at the park an avery of 4.5-6 miles. Riding my bike or working out on the elliptical machine.

This week I am adding some weights. The premise behind this (and its experimental for me) is that muscle burns more calories than fat. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your resting metabolism is. I'm hoping this holds true for the next phase 2.

I'm not talking about bulking up with heavy weights, just light toning weight training.  Once P2 comes along again, I will reduce the weights and continue with the cardio.

I have a variety of equipment at my disposal at home.

An elliptical machine
A bicycle
My own two legs for walking
Dumbbells
Kettle Bells
Bender Ball
Bands

The only purchase I need to make (and I will do that this weekend) is a simple weight bench. Not completely necessary, however, I can get a greater range of motion on my exercises with it.

Abs are really my focus. I was being unrealistic in that I thought my belly would shrink faster than the rest of me. But I am losing weight proportionately across the board. So when I look in the mirror, the belly is still big in comparison to the rest of me. I focus the least on my abs. And lord knows they need work.

After 2 c sections and another abdominal surgery, my abs are weak and unworked. I really need to focus on them. I've been on the prowl on the web for the best and most effective ab exercises. Plnks seem the way to go.  They start tomorrow.