​Struggling to Maintain

When followed to the letter, the HCG Protocol can bring about real, permanent weight loss. For most people who faithfully adhere to the Protocol, dieting or counting calories after the HCG Protocol is rarely necessary as long as they make healthy lifestyle choices most of the time and remain mindful of the food they put in their body.

Unfortunately, around three percent of those who faithfully complete the Protocol struggle to maintain their weight loss for reasons largely unknown, but they're likely related to lifestyle, genetics, or biology, or a combination of all three.

Whatever the case, constantly struggling to stay within your new weight range can be a bummer, and some people may feel that it's hopeless and simply give up trying.

Don't Give Up

There's not much you can do about the genetics or biological functions of your cells, but the lifestyle choices you make can trump genes and biology in many cases. It may simply be that you must work harder than most at maintaining your weight loss, and accepting that fact may be half the battle. If you're willing to do the work, and do it with a good attitude, it'll pay off.

Here are some tried-and-true tips for helping you maintain your weight loss without feeling like it's a constant struggle:

• Take a multivitamin every day to ensure you're getting the vitamins and minerals you need.
• Eat whole foods most of the time, including fruits and vegetables, lean, organic proteins, and whole grains. Strive to include a raw, live food at every meal, such as a salad or piece of fruit.
• Reduce your stress. Stress breeds negativity, because the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol put you in fighting mode. Whenever you feel stressed or anxious, breathe slowly and deeply, and focus your attention on your breath until you feel relaxed.
• Do things you enjoy. Take up knitting, build a birdhouse, learn to play a musical instrument, get out your old paint set, write a novel. Engaging in creative endeavors you love relaxes you and reduces stress, and it helps you maintain a more positive outlook.
• Exercise every day to increase your overall physical and mental health and improve your sleep, which can help normalize your appetite and improve your overall mood.
• Stop thinking of maintenance as a struggle, and instead consider it a challenge that you're strong enough to meet head on.
• Drink more water to help your body's systems work more efficiently.
• Think of five things you're grateful for every day. Expressing gratitude for what you have paints your life with a brighter hue.
• Maintain a positive attitude that's free of self-judgment. When you feel bad about life or about yourself, you tend to make poor choices that snowball into more poor choices, feeding on negativity. Conversely, when you feel good about life and about yourself — regardless of how much your body weighs — you tend to make healthier choices that snowball into more healthy choices.

For more help maintaining your weight loss, consider purchasing the book The Gabriel Method, which can help you address underlying issues that could be working against you in your struggle to maintain your weight loss.