The Phase of Maintenance During this three-week period, you discontinue HCG and gradually increase your food consumption. During this time, you should avoid carbs and sweets. However, when you gradually increase your regular food consumption, you may lose a little weight. Overall, though, you are in maintenance mode during Week Three of the protocol. You can expect to maintain what you've lost during the Weight Loss Weeks by eating about 15 percent fewer calories than you did before you started the diet. The number of calories you need each day depends on how much you ate before you began the diet and how much you want to keep off after finishing it. In general, a healthy person needs about 2,000 calories a day. So if you were eating 3,500 calories before starting the diet, you'll need about 1,650 calories after completing it. You can calculate your daily requirement by multiplying your current body weight by 13/5. For example, if you're currently weighing 150 pounds, you'll need about 65 grams of protein and 55 carbohydrates every day.