FAQ's and HCG Dieting Advice

I have created this page to provide those of you curious about the diet and considering starting it as well as those who are on the HCG Protocol with some good information about the facts and dynamics of the diet.  Please persuse everything that is on this page, as I think it will answer many of your questions.  Of course, however, should a question arise out of your reading, please post it and I will get you an answer as soon as possible. 

FAQ's
Q - How is it possible to lose a pound per day on the HCG Diet? 
A - The combination of the HCG Drops and the VLCD.  This is the fundamental question surrounding not only the HCG diet, but dieting in general. The truth is, HCG has two supporting roles in affecting weight loss. The first is to trigger the mind to burn “abnormal fat” (fat in the thighs, buttocks, waist, and mid-section) while also subduing hunger. These two factors are what make HCG the necessary first part of the diet.
The second portion of the diet is the very low calorie diet (VLCD). The HCG diet limits calorie consumption to only 500 per day. The fact is, at rest, the average person’s body will burn approximately 1700 calories per day. This means, if you simply laid in bed all day with no physical activity, your body would burn 1700 calories keeping your organs functioning and maintaining your body temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. A pound of fat is the equivalent of about 3000 calories. While lying in bed you would burn roughly half a pound per day.
This is why many people have trouble losing weight. They spend hours in the gym and reward themselves with high calorie meals that completely nullify their workout. Those 100 calorie “snacks” that are advertised on television? Each 100 calorie snack would require a mile on the track to be burned.
The HCG diet tackles these issues with the dietary supplement, HCG, and the VLCD. By consuming HCG, your appetite is suppressed and the hypothalamus triggers your metabolism to burn abnormal fat to make up for the low calorie diet to further suppress hunger. The VLCD allows your natural bodily functioning and your activity throughout the day to burn half a pound of fat, or more depending on activity levels, a day. Once HCG supplementation is removed and a normal 2000 calorie diet is resumed, maintaining the final weight is significantly easier. Approximately 70% of HCG users that complete the diet maintain their completion weight. This makes sense when we go back and look at the 1700 calorie a day statistic listed above.
Could you lose the weight only using the VLCD? While the answer is ‘yes’, it comes with some stipulations. HCG causes the body to burn abnormal fat first. With only a VLCD, the body will burn structural fat and muscle first resulting in weariness and a “worn out” looking body. The hunger pangs would also be extremely difficult to overcome.
Getting the weight off is the biggest obstacle. HCG when combined with a VLCD make this not only possible, but easy. Buy HCG today and get on the road to achieving your goal weight and maintaining it.

Q-What is the science and history behind this HCG Diet and why haven't I heard about it until recently?
A- During the 1930’s, HCG was given to children who had been diagnosed with Frolich’s syndrome, a rare childhood metabolic disorder marked by obesity and slowed growth of the genital organs resulting from tumors in the hypothalamus gland. HCG not only treated the slowed growth of the genitalia but also resulted in weight loss by patients to which it was administered.
Dr. A.T.W. Simeons observed these results and began giving HCG to people that were obese but did not have Frolich’s syndrome. He found that, while patient’s appetites were being diminished and their hips and waist sizes decreased, they were not losing weight. HCG was changing the fat from abnormal fat (fat in the thighs, buttocks, and mid-section) to structural fat (fat that cushions organs and the bottoms of the feet).
After studying in third world countries and observing that women on very low calorie diets (VLCDs) were giving birth to healthy babies, he decided to experiment with HCG combined with a VLCD, and had very positive results. The initial effects of the HCG were still seen (fat was changing from abnormal to structural fat and patients were experiencing diminished appetite) and the abnormal fat was being burned to maintain lean muscle mass. His patients were losing the weight and keeping it off.
He published his findings in a manuscript he titled “Pounds and Inches; A New Approach to Obesity”. He labeled obesity as the disorder that causes overeating (not the other way around) and provided a step by step plan, including his revolutionary diet, for its cure.
HCG is now being rediscovered by the public. It is the number one searched term on Google and thousands have reported positive results after completion. Those with more than 15 pounds to lose often find that they do not even need the 500 calories allotted due to the increased energy provided from the B vitamins in HCG supplements as well as energy from abnormal fat being burned.  So why hasn’t the HCG diet been advertised during the past 50 years? While conspiracy theorists point to cover-ups, the most likely culprit is lack of education and publicity. Fitness professionals do not agree with the ‘no-or-low exercise’ regimen. The truth is, HCG is simply a stepping stone to getting to better health. It will provide you with the weight-loss you desire with minimal effort and allow you to begin a healthier lifestyle.

Q-So what's the deal with the drops anyway?  Can they hurt me or do they have adverse side-effects?
A - In homeopathic medicine, a primary substance, such as HCG, is diluted many times so that it can provide the body with the sensation that it is receiving larger doses of the medicine while minimizing the actual amount of the active ingredient to prevent adverse reactions. The more times the original substance is diluted, the greater the strength of the results produced. There have been many positive scientific studies regarding homeopathic remedies, including Dr. Simeons study concerning HCG. 
Dr. Simeons theory was that the HCG was “reprogramming” the hypothalamus to provide the essential nutrients to the body, burning abnormal fat deposits found in the hips, thighs, stomach and buttocks, while curbing appetite and maintaining lean muscle mass. In this way, when combined with a very low calorie diet (VLCD), HCG “tricks” the body into maintaining structural fat, such as that which cushions organs and the bottoms of feet, while burning abnormal fat to provide the body with the energy it needs. This is why the HCG diet is only recommended for people with 15 pounds or more to lose.
It is also believed that the HCG diet can lead to a drastic change in eating habits after the regimen is complete, leading to a maintainable final weight. Dieting by itself produces very slow weight loss causing stress and often resulting in the diet being given up. With the HCG diet, not only is the hypothalamus reset to increase metabolism, but the stomach shrinks resulting in less hunger even when not on the HCG drops. While the very low calorie diet is not sustainable once weight loss has been achieved, a standard 2000 calorie diet is easily sustained, especially when three days of moderate exercise (i.e. 15-30 min of walking) are included.
HCG drops are the weight loss cure. Maintaining the weight loss is a product of the reset hypothalamus gland and changed eating habits resulting from the VLCD. While the actual cause is unknown, results in homeopathic HCG tests have been exceedingly positive and a vast majority of users that complete the diet maintain their final weight.

Q - How do I choose how long to take the drops?
A - Many people wonder why the diet must be adopted for a minimum of 23 days and a maximum of forty days. The answer to this question is three-fold. HCG supplementation takes three days to take affect, Dr. Simeons believed that 23 days would be the minimum to break bad eating habits, and after 40 days, taking HCG has a highly diminished effect.
The first two reasons go hand in hand. Many HCG users find that they do not begin to see results until the third day of being on the diet. This makes sense for two reasons. The first is that the first two days of the diet are “loading days”. During these two days the dieter is encouraged to consume as many calories from any sources to prepare the body for the very low calorie diet and boost metabolism as much as possible. The second is that the inventor of the HCG diet, Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, believed that 23 days was the minimum number of days to reprogram the body into better eating habits. After a diet restricted to 500 calories per day for 23 days, maintaining a 2000 calorie diet is significantly easier, as well as necessary to maintain completion weight. The third reason for a maximum of 40 days on the diet is the diminishing effect of HCG. When the body is exposed to HCG for long periods, it begins to develop an immunity to the drug, similar to how the body builds up a tolerance to alcohol or other supplements. The initial days on HCG will provide the biggest weight loss results. After completion of the diet a minimum of six weeks without supplementation is required to reestablish its effectiveness. After this time, a second course of 40 days may be started if additional weight-loss is necessary.
Can you dedicate three weeks of your life to losing up to 20 pounds or more?  If so, contact me.

Tips and Advice

• Pack a lunch box in the morning with all of your meals pre-portioned. This will help you when those urges to run to the vending machine arise.
• Cook your meals at the beginning of the week. This will keep you from grabbing unhealthy food when you are in a hurry and also help you avoid cooking too much food when you are hungry.
• Do the HCG diet with a friend, family member, co-worker, or spouse. Working together can help keep you both honest on your diet, discover tasty recipes, and help keep those unhealthy foods out of the house.
• Don’t give up! If you cheat at a meal, don’t scrap all of your hard work and go back to eating unhealthy foods. Continue on the diet as if you hadn’t cheated. It may take two to three days to see results again, but don’t give up!
• Buy a small food scale. They can be acquired at Wal-mart or other kitchen stores (i.e Bed Bath and Beyond) for about eight dollars. Do not estimate. Giving yourself too little food may result in hunger pangs and giving yourself too much can result in less weight loss.
• Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Studies have found that food cravings generally only last about 15 minutes and can often result from thirst. At least 8 – 8 oz glasses of water are recommended per day while on the HCG diet.
• Use small plates for you meals. This provides a visual and psychological effect that your meals are much bigger.
• Eat your meals slowly. Not only will this boost your metabolism, but you will also feel like you are eating more food and help you avoid binging. This is a wonderful practice to take up after you have completed the dieting regimen as well.
• Use seasonings to spice up your foods and add more flavor. There are many pre-mixed seasonings that taste great and are acceptable according to the HCG diet protocol.
• Cut your food into small pieces or buy food that comes smaller. For example, buying baby shrimp makes meals seem much larger and smaller shrimp are also cheaper!

Links
More helpful info from my official webpage . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Trd_DIW1G0