HCG

Some of Ed's co-workers have lost lots of weight on the HCG plan so I decided to try it. HCG is a hormone found in pregnant women where the body taps into fat stores it normally won't tap into, to feed the baby. Well, put the hormone in your body when you aren't pregnant and your body will tap into those fat stores also!. (Plus, some women are ending up pregnant!) There is the homeopathic stuff, about 1% and then the injection, 100% hcg. I tried the homeopathic in GA and wasn't crazy about it. I'm doing the injection now, for the last two weeks. The first 2 days on hcg are loading days, eat as much high fat, calorie food as possible to increase your fat stores, because then for the next 28 days you will be on a 500 calorie diet: 3.5 ounces of chicken, lean beef, fish, shrimp or crab; 3.5 oz of spinach, lettuce/cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and 1-2 half fruit a day: strawberry, cantaloupe, orange, apples, berries. Supplemented with tea and only 3 packets of stevia a day, and 1 melba toast. My program also incorporates a protein drink to ward off loss of lean muscle tissue.

The first 12 days (post load days, of course) were soo hard because I'd be hungry. But they are also allowing up to 2 cans of diet soda a day...yeah!! I actually like the food choices I'm allowed to eat, so that was good. And I have some yummy recipes that are program appropriate, which are awesome! i.e. like the curry chicken I made tonight.

Here's the thing. EVERYONE who does this diet is successful! It's been 2 weeks and I've lost 15 pounds! I'll do it a while longer until I get closer to where I want to be. Then there is a maintenance phase for 2 months.

The place I go to is in Columbia, MO, called Meta-health. This diet is based on the findings of Dr. Simeon. You can find his pamphlet online and read about it if you're interested. The great thing is, that if you don't cheat and stick with it, you won't be hungry, even if you are on a low calorie diet. The science behind it is that you go into starvation mode, and reset your hypothalamus-i.e. metabolism.